Jane Applegate is one of America’s leading experts on small-business management. She’s the author of four books, including 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business (Bloomberg/Wiley). The Applegate Group Inc. is a multimedia production company specializing in producing sponsored content for small-business owners. Current and past clients include Plum Alley, Microsoft, American Express, Cox Business, and Bloomberg LP. A former syndicated small-business columnist for the Los Angeles Times, Jane is currently producing two films about strong women. She is the cofounder of FabulousFemaleNetwork.com.

There are many women journalists, but being an investigative reporter—for the Los Angeles Times—was a challenge. I was the first full-time white-collar crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times. It was a dangerous beat, given that I was writing about criminals, but it was very exciting. My breaking-news stories frequently appeared on the front page.

Being a woman in financial journalism was an asset when I was interviewing high-powered male executives who considered me young and naïve. Many top executives at the companies I was covering would share way more details and information than I asked for, leading me to ask better and more probing questions. Michael Milken, formerly with Drexel Burnham Lambert, made headlines as the “junk bond king” and was later convicted of securities fraud. I like to think my reporting helped put him behind bars.

I have really only had one significant experience in my career when being a woman caused me grief. I was working at the San Diego Union in the early 1980s, when I asked for a part-time reporting job after the birth of my twins in 1981. The editor denied the request and the Newspaper Guild (union) refused to back me, so I packed up my possessions and resigned from the paper. A few days later, the editor called and finally offered me a three-day workweek. However, as punishment for being a “troublemaker,” I was exiled to a remote bureau about thirty miles from my home, where my beat was to cover the rural areas of San Diego County. I wrote several front-page feature stories about casinos on Indian reservations and the life of a cattle rancher. Working so far from home made it more difficult to balance work and family, despite my part-time schedule.

However, I was determined to succeed, so I worked extra hours on the weekends to hone my writing skills. A few months and a few front-page stories later, I was hired by the Los Angeles Times. So much for being exiled from the newsroom!

At my newspaper and television jobs, I always seemed to work longer hours than the men, despite having young children. I was lucky to be married to Joe Applegate. He was a copy editor with a set late-afternoon-into-evening schedule. His career accommodated my need to work flexible hours. I accepted every assignment, traveled frequently, and never expected my employers to give me special treatment because I was a working mother. When I signed my first book contract in 1991, I quit the Times to start my own communications/video and film production company. Being an entrepreneur provided me with more control over my time and a significant boost in my income. It was a very good career move.

Working so hard led to a fantastic career—including awards for my writing and filmmaking, national speaking tours, four books, and a life that is never boring. I’ve produced a variety of television programs, events, and promotional videos. Now, I’m producing two feature films—both about strong women. I’m also consulting with a great new company, Plum Alley, that crowd-funds projects for women and sells upscale merchandise on a beautiful e-commerce platform.

I’ve been successful based on working long hours and my passion for telling stories, which I don’t think are gender-specific traits. But I do think there are differences between men and women that matter in the workplace. I think women are better listeners than men. Our ability to multitask is also essential to meeting tight deadlines and juggling several projects at once. I covered breaking news most of my career and thrived on the pressure of meeting daily deadlines.

I’ve always admired Barbara Walters for being a pioneer in my field, but I never had a female mentor myself. All my mentors—until recently—were men. Now I’m working with several female producers and directors who are collaborating on and supporting my projects. I’m mentoring my daughter, Jeanne, an independent film editor who quit her job at Pixar to pursue her dreams. I’ve also made it a point to mentor young women who worked for my company as writers and producers. Today, one is a senior producer at CBS News and the other is a successful development producer at a TV production company.

The best advice I can give a young woman starting out? Stand by your word and be accountable for your actions. To be truly successful and happy, never work with anyone who gives you a headache or a stomachache. There are so many wonderful, talented people out there. Choose your collaborators and colleagues wisely.