My journey in a Silicon Valley startup

"If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail." - Heraclitus

A number of friends and colleagues have asked me over the last 18+ months about my transition from working with some of the most powerful brands in the world, interacting with C-suite executives, managing large portfolios and teams around the world to working in a startup in Silicon Valley, still in the very early stages of the journey trying discover itself. In a role that has no job description, you have to do whatever it takes to succeed, however big or small.

I am pretty sure I am not the first person to do this and neither will I be the last - but I asked myself that question first, "How did I do it?" Honestly, I am just getting started and have not accomplished much just yet, but this piece is a reflection of the last 18 months of my journey in the world of startups and what helped me get this far and what did not.

(This list below is in no specific order - am typing away what my mind tells me to)

It does take a little getting used to: My first month was hard, very hard. I was like a fish out of water and I questioned my decision. I second guessed myself; it was almost like I was starting over. However, I set myself weekly goals to see how things progressed, to take stock of how I could make an impact and contribute to the goals of the company. In a few weeks' time I found myself doing things on my own( like reaching out to the developer community, soliciting feedback, putting together an advisor program etc.) that I felt were important to our goals. I got our founders and the rest of the team involved in connections I was making and the various possibilities as we looked for adoption. Slowly but surely, I found myself a niche.

Be willing to learn a ton along the way: A few months ago I had written a separate article on just this topic - I find it to be crucial to success anywhere. I won't spend much time on it here.

Be ready to unlearn: We are always told about our openness to learn but it is also important to be willing to 'unlearn.' In large companies, especially the ones with teams and hierarchies and functions we tend to rely on distributing and delegating the work as we move up the corporate ladder. Little do we realize that the end product of what comes out of that process ends up being the thoughts and ideas of someone else, and your brain tends to get drawn into a certain analysis or conclusion. Oftentimes, decisions are made because of someone's opinion and not based on facts and analysis. These are just a couple of examples, but the point is that keeping an open mind that the world can be very simple, yet effective is very important to keep in mind.

Have an open mind: After a long stint, I had my mind set on a number of ways of getting things done - things I assumed were best practices because it had worked for me and I had success with certain strategies. But when you build from the ground up, always be willing to listen to everyone from the team from the junior most to the most experienced - be ready to have your ideas, thoughts and processes challenged( examples include our target market, our marketing approach, prioritization of activities, messaging etc.). It is important to look at the greater good of the product, the company and the growth of the company. An open mind, with no egos, flexibility and humility is super important for success.

Leaning on my teammates : In the early days, when I found myself confused or demotivated the only way I got over the initial hump was by talking to my teammates. What I learnt from that is that it is OK to be vulnerable and share how I felt. I was surprised that many times, I was not alone with my feelings and others had similar moments and stories. What was happening was a natural transition and adjustments needed to work in this new world. I made it a habit to talk to most of my teammates in a casual setting almost every day; the camaraderie and communication really shows in the quality of work we end up producing for the company.

Support from the family : This is a very underrated aspect that we all take for granted. Support from your better half, family and your support system plays a crucial role in your state of mind and the attitude with which you take on work every day. My support system starting with my wife was incredible - celebrating the good days and encouraging me on the rough ones, kept my head in the game without making any knee jerk decisions.

Don't be afraid to let your voice be heard : Those of you in large organizations can attest to this - almost every day, we might have an idea for the company, something that we wished that changed or a simple suggestion to make the product better, etc. Yes, there are processes in large companies but again it is a process and it takes time... well, a lot of time. In a startup, that model goes out of the window - you can make a positive impact and sometimes game changing impact with your voice, actions and opinions almost on a daily basis. It all starts with the right culture in the company, but I am blessed to have some amazing people in the company around me who encourage and cheer me on to continue to do so. I don't take this responsibility lightly.

Have fun, lots of fun : I don't think I have ever been asked in any of my roles prior to working at a startup, "Are you having fun?" And I get asked this question from my founders every time they check in on me.? When building something from scratch, it is going to take time, there will be bumps on the road, but if I did not have fun doing it, the journey would have been so much different. There is always a joke or a meme going around. We try to celebrate the simple wins, shake off our shortcomings quickly and try to have as much fun as possible with everything we do - especially in the world of the pandemic when we don't get to meet each other very often and some of us have not even met each other in person. The fun aspect is critical for me as an individual and for all of us in the company.

Experience does count : I saw myself in? a number of circumstances where I had to make critical decisions. There were so many other times where I had to seek out opinions or connections to get feedback on our technology. Leading comes to me naturally - so, whenever I get a chance to lead or support the team with my insights I am always able to draw inspiration from my experiences. I think about my wonderful mentors and ask myself, “What would they do?” and always apply that learning to my thought process and make decisions. What I also learnt is that the number of LinkedIn connections you have means nothing - even if you have 1000s of them, that is just a number. I found out who my “true connections” were when I reached out for feedback and opinions.

Happiness and mental health : My startup was built to be a fully remote company. In such a setup, when we are doing video calls for 5-6 hours every day and then doing work after that it is important to have a clear head. This is not just for focus at work but for the more important job for your family. For all this to work out, flexibility at work is key and taking time off (and I mean real time off) is crucial. In the consulting/services world, I have never really felt that I could mentally shut down - there was always something. In my new world, I now know what a day off should be - how to really enjoy your time off with your family. I even got to take a day off on my birthday this year and just not do anything - I have never done this before. All of these add up and it contributes in a huge way to your mental health and how happy you are on a daily basis which in turn impacts your energy levels. Don't take this lightly!

Yes, I am speaking for me and my startup here, but I get plenty of opportunities to talk to the community and other startups and they can attest to most of my points listed above. Would love your feedback and any questions you might have. As Heraclitus said, "If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it." My journey can validate that for you.

It has been ~18 months for me in the startup ecosystem - it has been challenging, enriching, provided me growth, plenty of learning and incredible fun! I also feel that my best work is ahead of me. Until next time..