And when advice is imparted, it tends to be on the generic side - shared over and over again in those vaguely inspirational Twitter posts (think "Don't worry about titles"). There's so much attention paid to the building blocks of getting a company off the ground - finding product/market fit, getting customer feedback, and raising that next round.īut what about the folks signing on to join those fledgling companies, buying into the founder's vision and boarding that still-in-progress plane as a crew member? There are fewer playbooks for those just getting into the game, whether they're shifting from a big co environment to a small startup setting, or starting out as a new grad. Startup advice is often geared towards founders and leaders shaping new companies and functions from scratch. Quint's counsel is aimed at an important, yet often overlooked audience. Being motivated by structure and following traditional career growth paths will not keep you in the game.” Being motivated by the mission, customer delight and driving impact - those things will keep you going. They’re designed specifically for growth - and this comes with a set of unique challenges, risks and demands that you need to be ready for. “Even in the best of times, startups are hard. It’s also not the typical experience, and certainly not what you should join a startup expecting,” she says. “Nowadays, people often equate startups with bell-ringing success, but seeing so many private companies go public at such high valuations is really a new phenomenon. And likely there's also a fire on the plane.”Īnd while there are all sorts of success stories to serve as inspiration on the bumpy path ( especially given the slew of IPOs recently), Plaid’s Head of People McKenna Quint points out that even headline-grabbing companies faced a road full of potholes. But Laura Behrens Wu, co-founder and CEO of Shippo, adds another layer that brings the metaphor to life more vividly: “ Working at a startup is like building the jet engine while you're flying the plane. You’ve likely heard that working at a startup is like building a plane while flying it. take on projects with an eye for the future. capture milestones in your captain's log. if you don't know who's in charge, it's you. remember to pick your head up and look cross-functionally. avoid the headaches that come from "i'll fix this later." pause and give thanks when the going gets tough. don't bemoan the growing pains - embrace the bigger pie. everyone shares chief culture officer duties. an underrated question to ask in your initial 1:1s. be ready to learn and teach in equal measure. lean on your co-pilots as you pick up altitude.pre-product/market fit? focus on reducing risk. relentlessly prioritize to avoid the wrong high-quality work chart your course to tackle the right problems.align your personal values to the company mission. find the unsexy projects to drive impact fast. what’s your favorite unexpected tip for someone who’s joining a startup for the first time?.
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