What I Learned From Working at a Startupfeatured

Startup: A company that is in the first stage of its operations. The goal of a startup is to prove its business model at scale.

I used to work in a startup sandbox. Every day was completely different than the next. I climbed through the ranks that we created from scratch and never looked back.

There were days dedicated to growth. There were days dedicated to relationship building. There were even days dedicated to public speaking. There were days that tested my limits and days that showed me what my true strengths really were.

This was my first “desk” job. The funny thing was you would rarely find me sitting. I often floated across the room looking for the answers to the many questions I had as a dedicated communicator within the company. The longest it often took me to get an answer from a coworker was 24 hours at most. I made sure to always get the answers I needed.

I was fearless.

And while Google results explain that startups are a place of complete uncertainty, I became more certain of myself and those that surrounded me every single day. I was certain I was sitting in a room filled with brilliant minds and ideas. You could feel the thoughts buzzing through the air. I imagine this is what working on Wallstreet feels like.

I was certain this world was the place where innovation was bred day in and day out. With a team of extremely gifted individuals from different backgrounds and circumstance, everything felt possible. We were able to test different software, learn new skills on a daily basis, and collaboarate within our teams.

I am certain this is where passion lived. I learned this environment truly stimulated the mind. Did all of our ideas come into fruition? Well, no. Did all of my personal or professional dreams come true while I worked there? I would be lying if I said yes.

But that was the entire point!

We learned what worked and what didn’t work – together. This was the playground where you could be whomever you wanted to be. No questions asked. If you didn’t know how to do it, you would definitely find ways to learn. If you were not an expert you would definitely become one.

Now I see the greatest lesson of them all: A company will only survive if the same startup mentality thrives at scale. It is when the thinking, growing, learning, troubleshooting stops that the business will plateau.

It is when people stop dreaming that true success is forfeited. This applies both in the business and personal realm. It when you stop being curious that your mind and soul will shut down. It is when you let the fire die out that you will become lost.

No matter what you decide to do in life or who you decide to be you cannot lose sight of the resilient startup mentality. The one where you are not afraid to try and fail. The one where you try every possible combination until you get it right or so completely wrong you have no choice but to start from scratch… paying close attention to all the things you did wrong the first time around in an attempt not to recreate the same result.

Are you thinking like a startup?

Love Deeply and Forever,

Karen