From Goliath to David…my first month in a tech startup

My career goals varied as a child. At one point I wanted to be a firefighter, lawyer and nija all in the same year. As I matured, the list refined a bit- judge, Supreme Court Justice, and President of the United States. I chuckle when I reflect on the reality- West Point cadet, Army officer, corporate leader, and most recently, ‘hustler’ in the startup space. I have to think that even my ten-year old self would approve of my most recent career change. Having had many misconceptions of what it means to work in the tech startup world, I’ve decided to share my impressions after my first month.

The beer isn’t free

When I toured Movable Ink a few months ago, I couldn’t help but notice the beer kegs in the kitchen. ‘Alas,’ I thought, a job that will pay me to drink beer. I realize now that our team doesn’t drink beer all day, (although we do have some great Movable Drink Fridays).  The beer is a means of bringing our team together to solve tough problems, that usually occur after five o’clock. For the record, the beer isn’t free; it’s actually quite expensive, but it’s an investment in our team, our culture, and frankly our business, because a collaborative and satisfied workforce is much more productive.

Always be solving

When I entered the corporate world a few years back, I was immediately introduced to my peers, where roles and responsibilities were discussed, hand-off points explained, and approval thresholds given by my leadership. At Movable, there are no bright lines. Sure, we’re organized into functional departments, but individuals have autonomy to identify problems, devise solutions, and implement them with minimal bureaucracy. Everyone is a problem solver, from fixing reporting in Salesforce to the Wi-Fi connectivity. (If anyone on my team is reading this, the Wi-Fi still needs some work).

Career path to anywhere

The corporate world has a way of bringing you in, assessing your skills (sometimes your desires) and initiating your ‘career path.’ There are required roles, skills, and political interactions that are needed to advance, and only a limited amount of time to self-correct. Rarely can one go from Engineering to Sales or vice versa. The most successful corporate leaders determine their roadmap early on, secure the necessary 'sponsors,' attain the proper roles, and advance through the system until they peak. In the startup world, there is no set career path. Competency is rewarded, limited only by your desire to learn a new skill. Our team actually has a few recovering lawyers on the Sales team.

Start somewhere and keep moving

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the critical lessons that my time in corporate America taught me that help every day. After spending years of optimizing processes, implementing controls, and assessing compliance to policies, I realize just how little structure we have. Some days it feels like we ‘rig in flight,’ an Airborne term for putting your parachute on while already sitting in the aircraft. While it can be overwhelming to some, at Movable we believe in iterative improvements-start somewhere and keep moving forward. Frankly, we’re not big enough to need all of the structure of an enterprise business, but having this context allows me devise an acceptable solution.

So after my first few weeks, I’m enjoying just about everything the tech startup world has to offer-the people, the quality of life, and the operational challenges. I suppose the environment isn’t for everyone, but for those who need minimal guidance, have a strong work ethic, and enjoy problem solving, we’re hiring.