What I wish I knew before working at a startup

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Hey there, it's Jenny! I've been an early employee at a few startups and there are definitely things I wish I knew before working at one. Here are a few mindsets that would've saved me a lot of stress, had I known them earlier 😅

⏰ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:00 Treat your 20s like an experiment
02:43 See things for what they are, not how it's presented to you
04:35 Normalize your emotions and don't let them consume you
06:03 Embrace and be comfortable with ambiguity

🎵 Music:

👋 Don't be a stranger
Instagram: @itsamyjenny

📍 quick disclaimer: this video is solely based on my own experiences and does not represent the views of any company or employer. hope you enjoy!

[Grubbygund]

This is very informative and I like how you divided this thinking into four quadrants of the brain! I currently work for a startup and embracing ambiguity and being able to adapt quickly is super important. I used to work for a bigger corporate company and it’s so structured and bureaucratic, for me it’s almost suffocating! You try to make an improvement or propose one, but your manager just brushes the problem under a rug. Working for a startup is refreshing, it seems like people really want to listen to your ideas!

[compilejason]

Working at an early stage startup myself, I can vouch that normalizing your emotions in the presence of chaos around you is key to sustaining yourself in a startup environment. Especially hyper growth early stage startups like my current post & yours (Notion). Meditation has been the single most important tool for me in maintaining emotional equilibrium. It's elevated my ability to interact with my colleagues empathetically and patiently, tackle complex problems with a clear mind, and juggle 100 different things with control. Do you meditate as well and if so how important has that been for you?

[KumeikoApple]

It's very calming to see that other people are going through a lot as well, and it's okay. Thank you :)

[lilly.zma.]

I like how a lot of this advice or information is applicable to life generally beyond start ups :) definitely important insight, thank you!

[daijagibbs]

Just want to say what a great job you've done at Notion, the brand recognition is clearly doing great cuz I clicked on your video first b/c of the I recognized the logo. I used it all during lockdown last year.

[KL]

This channel & its videos are just under-viewed... Perfect info for 20s / new grads and a cute girl!!

[johnkiin]

just a question
Wouldn't you want to join a big company first to understand process (since start ups skip processes a lot), then later on join a start up since you can bring that knowledge into a start up?
Like recently, I've decided to reject a start up and chose to join one of the FAANG companies as it seems like the start up was losing in every area compared to big tech...

[angcil]

Startups? Shiny? Clout? What? Are these what people really think?

As a startup founder I would never see it that way, startup is tough, dynamic, messy, engaging, risky, rewarding, mental roller coaster (tho not as much as stock/forex/crypto market trading roller coaster).

[FL-xcwk]

Did you receive stock options when applying?