Startups + Career Growth = Magic

One of the most powerful things about a startup is the career and growth potential. You’re learning constantly, things are moving fast, the work changes daily, and the trajectory is unlimited.

I often get asked, “How did you become XYZ Role at Company ABC?”

Or, put another way, “How do you leverage the fast pace, flexibility, and chaos of a startup to turn it into a role and career that you love?”

Not every company has a Make Your Own Role option (love this, Laudable!) but if you’re intentional, you can build your own ideal role by doing work you enjoy that benefits the company.

7 Steps To Create Your Ideal Startup Role

1. Do your current job well.

Work hard. Do good work. Have a great attitude. You will build credibility, good will, and relationships across the company.

2. Identify company pain points or opportunities.

What could drive more revenue? Save money? Make customers happier? There’s usually at least 1,496,382 things a startup could improve.

3. Pick opportunities that interest you.

What problem is most interesting? Where do you have aptitude or experience that might be helpful? If you’re going to invest time, make it something you enjoy or want to learn.

4. Work it.

Start with a low effort, high value item. Think about revenue and what your company’s priorities are. Double check with your manager if needed. Then off to the races. Plan a user group, make a pipeline report, build a self-serve tool -- whatever you’ve picked at the intersection of company need + your interest.

5. Assess.

What did you learn? Did you enjoy the work? How was it received by the team? Use this analysis to determine your next foray.

6. Double down.

Continue experimenting. Figure out what you like. Do more of that. You’ll start to build an informal portfolio of projects and be the go-to person for those things.

7. Voila!

You’re doing great work that you enjoy while solving company problems. You’ve set yourself up for a custom role, possible promotion, and a meaningful career long term.

But Wait! 5 Things That Could Derail Your Ideal Startup Role

1. You’re too far ahead.

You love to lead sales trainings but you only have 2 sales reps. You want to sell to enterprise customers but your product is currently $100/mo. You want to deep dive on security protocols but the app is still in beta.

Keep the faith! Startups move fast and things could change quickly. A colleague of mine wanted to work internationally. At the time, we were a 100 person company in Atlanta so this seemed pie in the sky. In less than a year, we had been acquired and needed her skill set abroad. Startup dreams coming true!

2. What you want to do doesn’t drive revenue.

Or save money. Or help a LOT with efficiency or team morale. Make sure it’s valuable. Your passion for cat gifs, cooking, or yoga may be awesome but if it doesn’t help the bottom line, you probably won’t make much progress.  

3. Not doing your day job well.

I cannot emphasize this enough:

**Doing your current job is table stakes for future promotion or customization.**

Gotta do excellent work on the task at hand to have internal credibility. If the current role is truly not a fit, at least show you’re working hard, have a great attitude, and highlight what you are good at.

4. Waiting for an official job opening.

The best way to get a job is to already be doing it.

Position yourself to be top-of-mind when your company starts thinking about that role. It’s faster, easier, cheaper, and happier to hire from within!

Better yet, companies will often create unique roles because of a person on their team. They may not post online for a new hire operations specialist who also does lead gen but if you’re awesome at it, you’ll be the next Lead Gen & Onboarding Specialist.

5. Wanting it right now.

Startups move fast but there’s no time warp worm holes. Six months or a year can feel like a long time but in the grand scheme of things, it’s nothing! Starting over at a different company will take even longer. Don’t let impatience cloud your judgement or cause you to miss a rocketship ride.

This is one of my favorite topics and I’m often chatting with up-and-coming startup stars who want to understand how to maximize the opportunity. What other advice would you offer? What has worked for you?