Our startup got acquired. What I learned as a tech startup employee #1.
Today is my last day as an employee at Careercake.
That’s because last week, this lil startup that I joined the founding team of (and have often written about) was acquired.
It was a looooooong process, but we’re now part of the offering of SocialTalent, a leading e-learning provider that counts clients including Disney, Nokia, Just Eat and Cisco among its customers.
That’s pretty cool, considering we’re a 3-person female team based in south Wales. Whoop!
Over the past year or two, I’ve documented what it’s like to join an early-stage startup.
I’ve written about what it’s actually like to join a startup as its first marketer. I’ve also spoken about the havoc it can play on your confidence and mental health: ‘Welcome to startup marketing club, perks include burnout and the feeling of failure’.
I’ve also written about it the mistakes I made helping to grow this startup at sites such as startupsmagazine.co.uk
I’ve literally ripped apart our process as we navigated the ups and downs of startup life, with articles like ‘Nope, you’re not Netflix’.
I’ve also written about the how socially awkward I am, especially that time I curtseyed when meeting a new board advisor (instead of just being human and shaking her hand). Oh, wait…
But would I do it all again? Yep. Absolutely.
I wanted to share a few things I’ve learned over the last few years - maybe you can apply one or two of them if you’re going to join a startup.
What I have taken from being employee #1 in this early-stage tech startup.
Fall in love with the product, not the team.
It’s really easy to get swept up by the story of the founding team, but in my opinion, you need to love the product and the mission more than anything. People come and go, but the mission stays the same.
Let your customers tell you what category you’re in.
Don’t fall victim to telling people you’ve created a new category or your product is ‘’the Netflix of X”. We had a positioning challenge at the beginning and I tell you what, using another brand to describe what we were led to a number of headaches.
So how’d you get around it? Don’t tell customers what you are, listen to them and let them tell you! Oh, and never describe yourselves and business as ‘innovative’. Yuck.
You don’t need to act on everyone’s advice.
In the early days, everyone had an opinion about what we needed to do. At first, I wanted to ensure I was polite and listened to everything and everyone. After a while, we realised that we were spending too much time listening to those who’d not experienced the things we were going through. You’ve got to learn to be selective in who you listen to. And smile and politely nod to those who just like the sound of their own voice.
Don’t dumb yourself down for others.
Just don’t. I’m not intelligent, but there were times I found myself pretending I didn’t know something just to get my point across. What a waste of time for everyone. If you deal with a supplier that makes you do this, it’s time to get a new supplier.
Despite all the startup crap/hype: remember everyone’s fighting fires.
Social media allows you to put a filter on things. You can choose what to include and what to exclude. Hell, I’ve done it myself. But try not to compare yourself to others. Everyone’s got their own battles and if they decide to cover them up by claiming 10x growth, let them. You do you.
Exposure kinda does pay the bills.
When we were still in our infancy, we’d get organisations offer brand awareness in exchange for use of the product. That can be tough when you start out, especially as you’ve only got x months run rate. Naturally, we wouldn’t always go for it. As we entered new markets, we realised that exposure can help convert sales down the line.
Have standards; don’t let anyone tell you to compromise on them.
I can be a pain in the ass when I pull someone up for not using the right font or skewing a logo so wide it looks like you created it in WordArt. But it’s this commitment to standards that helps you show your audience that your left hand is talking to the right hand, and gives them some trust that your startup is actually okay to work with.
Some days, you’ve got to be the bad guy.
This is especially important at the beginning when you come in to validate the idea. Sometimes you’ve got to admit biased questions were asked, sometimes the data will take you in a different direction. Perhaps to an unsexy market. You’re there to validate and to reduce the bias.
Build your personal brand whilst building the startup.
I was once asked if I was the CEO’s PA at a networking event. Luckily for me, Aimee stepped in immediately and told that person what I did. Marketers all too often hide behind the brand. If you’re in a startup, chances are, you may only be around for a few years. Make sure you document what you’re learning. When you go back and re-read it, you’ll be amazed by how much you packed in.
It’s normal to feel like crap most of the time, but celebrate the small wins.
I think feeling under pressure and overwhelmed comes with the territory in marketing. But when you join a startup, everything is new. And these feelings go BIG. You can have years of experience under your belt, but you’re starting from scratch. There’s no ‘playbook’ that gets handed over. This can really feed your imposter syndrome. I think even if I just knew this before starting I would have had a different perspective.
What next?
I’m going to carry on with marketing for tech startups as it’s something I truly love getting involved in. I’ll also continue with this blog as it seems to have gained a little bit of traction… hello, TechCrunch :)
If you want to chat about anything I’ve written about in this post or indeed the other topics write about, get in touch.
