312 days at Beam

312 days.

Sure it is an odd anniversary to celebrate - but that’s the point. I have now been working at Beam for 312 days. If you had asked me on day one what would day 312 look like; my description of where we are as a company and where I am as an employee would have been so far off from the reality that It would seem absurd.

So 312 seems as good a time as any to reflect back on what we have accomplished and what we haven’t.

The results are pretty impressive. In less than a year we have grown from the idea of a micromobility company to the largest APAC based organisation focused on micromobility. Six countries, twice as many communities, and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of journeys on a Beam. It is a great result. 

It's also disappointing. Our team really wants to change the way cities in our region flow. We are nowhere near making that goal, in a demonstrable way, come true. We believe that the way people move around, through and across their communities needs to change if we want cities to grow in a sustainable and socially beneficial way.

We want micromobility to be an agent that drives that change. So we have some work to do.

It is also hard. Really hard.

But I have learned a few things.

I have learned that communicating our vision is critical to our success. This means our team has to be patient and tell our story to every rider, every journalist, every regulator, every concerned citizen who will listen - and to a whole bunch of them who aren't interested in listening. 

I have learned that we have to be patient. We are building a company that has many, many moving parts. Those parts move at very different speeds. It means that we are constantly adapting to changing circumstances - sometimes that means moving faster but quite often it means waiting…. Our team is not built to wait but we are doing a good job of trying to be patient.

I have learned that culture matters. This is not an original idea but being part of a team that has grown from a small four desk office to one with an expanding international footprint means I have experienced that culture is the backbone of our decisions and how we stay connected. Micromobility will be successful only if companies are responsible to their communities. This responsibility flows from the culture of the company and will be what allows Beam to win.

I have learned to embrace the chaos of building. Building an app, building a team, building a PR plan, building advocacy strategy. In a start-up, these are all done without a net. It means working hard, listening to the smart people around you and not settling for “just ok”.

I have learned that failure is ok but only if you fail really really big! We have no time to fail in little ways - we can't be timid. So when I have failed in my first 312 days - it has been in big ways. Luckily when I have failed I am surrounded by team members who help me get back up and look for the next big failure (or more often the next big success).

I have learned that a startup is an amazing place to learn. 

I know that this is just the start and I remain excited about the next 312 days. About where we are going as a team and how we can bring our vision for cities to even more people and communities. 

If you want to join us - we are just getting started.