Already a member?
Welcome to Brazen Careerist!
Emily Ma is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Emily Ma and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Brazen careerist
Where ambitious young professionals connect and grow
Email
Print
I’m not an entrepreneur (yet), but both my parents are and I work with Ladies Who Launch, helping women incubate and grow their new business. I live in Boulder, Colorado where there are over 170 startups with a booming and supportive community around entrepreneurship. Oh I also work at a start up.
That’s my startup cred.
Officially, I will call Lijit my first *startup and now that I’ve been here 10 months I want to organize my thoughts into everything that I’ve learned. Believe me, it’s a lot and it won’t stop here.
Top Ten Things The Startup World Has Taught Me
- Be prepared to wear many hats (and like it).
- Life moves fast, 100 mph is standard. Go for the ride.
- Working hard is your M.O. Nights, weekends, events, conferences.
- There are high highs and low lows
- Your mistakes shape and mold you. They’re necessary for growth. Let failure and the unexpected be part of the process.
- Company culture that is creative, **fun and funky are synonymous for a startup personality. **Must have foos ball, Wii, Rockband, Ping Pong table, company outings, etc. I will also mention that there’s a strong sense of connectivity and trust at Lijit and I’ve heard and seen the same with other startups. Our CEO and COO are approachable and interact with us daily. I know friends that have never even met the CEO of their large company, let alone sit down personally in their office to discuss a new idea or project you want to work on.
- Your mind must be elastic and bendable in finding a solution. Don’t accept “It’s not possible.” The best entrepreneurs and leaders will find a way.
- Talking and listening to your customers is imperative. There is so much to learn from them. Their feedback is viable and treating them with respect is of the utmost importance. Our customer support and service is often the most touted by our users. It’s because we value their needs. They keep us going.
- Exercise faith. You must believe in what you’re doing. The passion and faith drive success.
- Each employee is there for a reason. Micah, our VP of Business Development never forgets to remind me that “each employee bring imminent value to Lijit. The moment you stop bringing value, you’re gone.” You can’t afford an antagonist in your startup. Catalysts are the fuel for startups.
Do you have startup experience? What other lessons do you find useful-either that of your friends or own experience? Please share.
Photo Credit: CEONYC
*I worked at my Father’s startup business for years in high school, experiencing much of this but don’t think I’m counting it officially.
For more timely, relevant, and engaging articles,
subscribe to Brazen Careerist.
- Why You Might Be Better Off Without a Job After College
- Continuing Education: Extending Learning Beyond Your Campus Years
- A New Kind of Business Mover and Shaker
- The Anti-Stalker’s Guide for Converting Online Contact into Real World Collaboration
- How To Find a Writing Partner Who Can Help You Achieve Your Goals and Make More Money
Comments
07.14.09
I love the picture of the startup CTO ... Reminds me of all of our launch nights here at Brazen HQ.
Wearing many hats! Now there's a good lesson. I may be the Community Manager for Brazen, but I find myself filling tons of other roles throughout the day: marketing, tech support, design, product development, etc ...
The great thing about a startup environment is that it teaches you the ins and outs of many roles. You learn what you're good at and what you're not s good at.
07.14.09
This post further strengthens my belief that a vast majority of entrepreneurs either have entrepreneurial parents, grown up in an entrepreneurial environment, surround themselves with like-minded entrepreneurial individuals, or live in an entrepreneurial area that supports the lifestyle. I haven't worked for a start-up but have worked for small companies where many of your lessons cited here also apply - probably not to the same degree though.
One of my favorites is #8 - Talking and listening to your customers is imperative. So true, so important, and everything you say.
Also #9 - Exercise faith. You must believe in what you’re doing. The passion and faith drive success. ... similar to a religion.
You go girl!
07.14.09
@Ryan I know when I found that picture, I knew it was perfect. Learning what you're good at and what you're not so good at is one of my favorite parts of being at a startup. I enjoy that startups encourage/need you to wear many hats because you get such a wide variety of valuable experience.
@Mark You bring up a great point! Sometimes I don't even think about the way I was raised, but with both my parents being entrepreneurs and being self-employed, I saw the high highs and low lows. Even now, Boulder is a startup town without a doubt and I volunteer with a program for women in startups. I am completely immersed in it, which has helped me learn not only from within the startup I work on but through my friends and the community. Thanks for your support and thoughts! Great ideas here, guys!
07.14.09
Your picture of the CTO made me dig around on my computer for a very similar photo I took a few years ago at my first startup. The drive and commitment shown in startups is the key to their success, at least in the early years.
I learned a lot at my first startup, and I continue to learn even more at my second; I think that this continual drive to be better is what drives people to startup companies in the first place. I love Ryan's comment about job descriptions; the most challenging question for startup employees is "what do you do there?"
I look forward to hearing more about your experiences there, and about the Boulder startup community at large.
07.14.09
@Mike I've had a hard time answering the question, "What's a typical day for you like?" Some people can answer that because it really is the same, but to me, it's always different. There's a new issue, a new project, an outage, a release, etc. Lijit has grown to now 30 people, but that still remains small enough that each of us have a piece of all those listed above. Like Ryan, I do a mix of tech support, marketing, biz dev (my actual title), account management, and troubleshooting. For me right now, I thoroughly enjoy that mix and like staying on my toes.
I will definitely be bringing some new startup ideas and Boulder startup community posts to my blog. I have a few more that you might like already:
(http://smallhandsbigideas.com/boulder/boulders-local-businesses-hold-it-...) and (http://smallhandsbigideas.com/boulder/dear-boulder/). Thanks for sharing!
Got Something To Say?
Got Something To Say?
Not a Member? Brazen Careerist is a career management tool for next-generation professionals. Set up a free account today to comment on this post and start sharing your ideas. Learn more.
Login to view your networks!
 |
|
 |
|
 |
