How to succeed working in a startup
I’ve now been a part of 8 startups since 2000, and I’ve advised countless others. So I’ve worked in a bunch of early stage business environments and with a lot of people all over the country. Here are my 5 (or so) key items for someone to implement if you’re in a startup or thinking about joining startup life and you want to add value. I’m certain this is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully a starting point.
- Listen, a lot.
What are you listening to and for?
· Minute-to-minute interactions
· Decisions being made quickly and often
· To understand how it impacts what you’re working on
· You’ll start to understand people’s priorities, leadership styles
· You should be able to figure out what metrics are driving the business, and then can connect yourself to things that will positively impact those numbers - Figure out what needs to be done without being told.
Onboarding and training are generally not a startup’s strong points. You can and should find resources online to help you get started in whatever role or project you’re undertaking. Be comfortable that some of the things you’ll work on will get thrown away, and be ok with it, but save everything, just in case. Also, find ways to contribute as quickly as possible?—?one great way is to take annoying work away from others who are doing it but should be doing other things. - Anticipate what’s likely the next priority and get started on it now.
As quickly as possible when you join, try to figure out where the gaps are ahead?—?customer research, competitive intelligence, a place to store documents, group knowledge sharing, other infrastructure, etc. Try out some tools so that when needs arise, you have already thought of it and have answers and solutions.
Solve problems and find answers?—?problems arise daily in a startup, and sometimes don’t get addressed due to lack of time, lower priority, or confusion about how to solve it. Find ways to quickly solve problems. If you hear discussion (remember, you’re listening) about something, do research, find some answers and share it with the team. Be proactive in helping track down information. - Be passionate about the customer, their needs and issues.
A couple great ways to add value and succeed are to develop great passion for and an understanding of the customer. Sometimes a strong customer point of view is missing in the organization and every area of the business should understand the customer. If you can be that voice of the customer, and make it easy for various groups to touch and feel and empathize with the customer, you will earn a lot of credibility with the team. - Read, read and read more?—?about the market, competing solutions and life and leadership in a startup.
Be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as you can. Find some good books, blogs and folks to follow that relate to the startup and startup life. Supplement your experiences by reading about others’ experiences and views. This should help you develop your skills and views faster.
Founder & Director - Emory Technologies. Transforming Businesses with 21+ Years of Staffing Expertise
10 年Useful Tips ! Thanks for sharing :)
Cybersecurity Product Marketing Leader | Mentor - Executive Women's Forum | Computer Engineering | Pragmatic Marketing & ISC2 Certifications | Board Member - Breaking Barriers for Women in Cybersecurity (Non-profit)
10 年Great tips! Thanks for sharing:)
Product Lead - Privacy / Identity
10 年I enjoyed this so much I gave some of these points to my 16 year old who is starting his first job. Listening and anticipating future needs is key for every job.
Owner at Cole Consulting and Content
10 年I think #2 nails about 90% of it. You won't be taking a position in a start-up where someone worked in the role for 20 years prior, so you have to a) breathe and b) accept the fact that there won't be a map for you to follow.