I came to my own startup experience accidentally in my fifties.
After a long career in publishing, the magazine where I served as managing editor was shuttered and I was out of a job. Print publishing was dying, so I was thrilled to embark on an adventure working in content at a shiny-new startup. The role was stimulating, and the prospect of a windfall when the company would be sold was pretty sexy. Then startup reality set in.
The company struggled to get funding and uncertainty became a way of life. I sat through meetings where the engineers used words I didn’t understand, but I was too proud to reveal my ignorance. I craved the structure that was the backbone of the other companies I’d worked for and wondered why we couldn’t seem to organize performance reviews. Then, when I left the company after four years, I learned the sad truth about taxes and my grant options.
Don’t get me wrong, my startup experience was challenging in all the best ways and I loved working with some very smart people. But I did have one regret: That I didn’t focus sooner on learning about the environment. I could have saved myself so much time and a lot of frustration.
If your career has been in the corporate world and you’re now jumping into startup life, there’s a world of learning required. Yes, you have decades of experience. But you’ll need to adapt it to startup life. And you’ll need to navigate the cultural minefield of being surrounded by co-workers young enough to be your children.
I’ve created Startup Decoder as a hub where you can find the answers to all your startup questions. Which will allow you to jump into work at the highest level.
I’d love to hear from you, whether to offer suggestions or just to say hi: nancy@startupdecoder.com. Here’s to the incredible experience of working at a startup!
