Someone asked me the other day why I don’t write about my work much here. I thought about it for a few minutes, but dismissed it right there. Afterall, people much more qualified than me have written beautifully about what it means to work for a startup, what the challenges involve and how you try and fashion success out of what is usually doomed from the get go.
However, for the past few days I’ve been wondering about my own experiences of working at one. I could write hundreds of words on the brilliant engineering and writing talent that works under one roof that covers Mygola. I could write hundreds more on the often frustrating aspects of working with tight budgets and not having enough help to do all things you want to do. Instead, I’ll spare a few on one aspect that’s stood out.
We are fortunate enough to have one person who is the soul of the company.
This one person through magical, unexplained, invisible skills is the glue that holds everything together.
I’ve worked for and with many small startups and despite all their technical, design and strategic chops, most of them have failed because they failed to recognize this one person. Failed to find and nuture this person. This one person that sets the tone, sets the atmosphere, sets the culture, sets what it means to be that company. Like many mysteries, there is no guideline, procedure or set of things one follows to get this person. All one knows is that once they arrive, the become the keystone.
Where I work, I am doubly fortunate to know this person quite well. I hope to be good friends with that person even.
