Interested in working for a startup or scale-up but keen to know a little more before you pivott?
We interviewed Adam Gilbert, who recently pivoted his career into a startup.
Six months after beginning at JOUST, Adam Gilbert is going through the recruiting process all over again – only this time he's doing the hiring.
As the Customer Success Manager, he is in charge of building his own team to help him continue to deliver high standards as the business grows. This is Adam’s startup story.
Jack of all trades
Working for a startup means I’m exposed to all facets of the business, and although it's a steep learning curve, I’ve found it refreshing. Within six months of starting, I’ve been involved with tech, marketing, digital marketing, and product. Before working here, I'd never really been exposed to marketing or digital marketing, and it's definitely been a learning curve, but everyone is accommodating. There are no dumb questions, and I love that I can call on my teammates for expert support. Problems which big companies leave to particular departments startups put in front of the whole team. Fresh eyes from different backgrounds see the same problem differently, often leading to innovative problem-solving. Everyone can comfortably question traditional ways of dealing with the situation. The result is a rapid growth in knowledge – my marketing, product and tech understanding, has grown exponentially. I now have tangible skills in those disciplines.
Close to the action
Whilst it can be a little daunting, it's exciting to be put in charge of impactful decisions. It’s empowering to know that you have the business's backing. To have that support and trust is very cool. It’s a level of freedom which isn't accessible in bigger corporate workplaces where every little decision needs to be processed and approved by numerous levels and departments. In that environment, it's rare for your decisions to be realised. But in a startup, you're close to the action, something I find very encouraging; calling the shots and seeing the tangible impact my decisions have is rewarding. It's not something you get exposure to in bigger companies, you really have the opportunity to have an impact on the big decisions of the business.
Open, honest collaboration
Being able to bounce ideas around with people from different specialties makes working in a startup a highly collaborative experience. It creates an open culture that encourages people to share their thoughts, and ask questions without worrying about being judged as 'silly' or 'stupid'. And whilst not all ideas eventuate, there is no fear around sharing different ideas. I’m not saying the startup work environment is for everyone; some do prefer to specialise in a particular space, but I’ve found the work's dynamic nature exhilarating.
What does the future hold for Adam?
So six months into his role as Customer Success Manager, Adam and JOUST aren't slowing down anytime soon. He is looking forward to continuing his growth with the business as it evolves into the future. We're excited to hear Adam has been able to find autonomy, new skills, and a close-knit team whilst simultaneously accelerating his career. Adam's excited, JOUST is excited, and we're excited to see what the next six months hold.
