How my diverse & non-linear career prepared me for life as a founder
In January of this year, I found myself at a crossroads in my career. I was working with an amazing team, in a well-funded and innovative startup with lots of room to grow. Despite all the positives, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that the time had come for me to build something of my own.
For as long as I can remember, I have had an incredibly strong sense that I would end up running my own business. I explored many ideas, business plans, starts and side hustles over the years, but there was always a part of me that doubted whether I was “qualified” to run my own business.
Throughout my career, I have been lucky enough to work in some amazing organisations and roles, with incredible people from all walks of life. My experience spans events and hospitality, large media organisations, not for profit, and startups. Among others I’ve worked with celebrities, CEOs, chefs, refugees, photographers, journalists, investors, factory workers and even a billionaire. It’s safe to say that my career has not followed a linear trajectory, but that I have actively sought out roles in which I have been constantly challenged and learning.
There have been times that I’ve felt very intimidated by my peers who have followed a more linear path, reaching impressive heights by climbing what seemed from the outside to be well-defined ladders within respected organisations. While I have had many interesting experiences, and learned a lot, I haven’t climbed many ladders. More than once I looked at my own CV and wondered “what on earth does this qualify me to do?”
In 2014, while living in Hong Kong, I got my answer. Together with a wonderful co-founder, I finally took the plunge and realised my long held goal of taking a product from idea to market, creating a children’s apparel brand Atelier/Child. The process of taking that business from zero to one was one of the steepest learning curves I have ever experienced. From material sourcing, liaising with technical designers, sourcing and managing a direct supplier relationship with a factory, quality control, and warehousing and logistics to marketing, packaging, sales, partnerships, customer service and more. We were covered by Vogue, in demand from celebrities and influencers, and stocked in some of the leading concept stores globally. In order to achieve these things we were constantly having to work out how to do things we had never done before. It wasn’t easy, but we worked it out as we went.
I began to realise how much I was tapping into my diverse previous experience in order to solve problems and overcome obstacles. My years working in hospitality gave me deep empathy for the customer, and a strong understanding of the importance of both teamwork and humility. My experience in event management gave me an incredible grounding in logistics, operations and process. My time in media taught me about the importance of storytelling, while my years in PR reinforced the importance of networks and relationships. I could go on, but the point is — you can learn invaluable skills whatever you are doing. Without knowing it I had collated a very powerful and diverse skill set.
Perhaps the most important takeaway from this period was the realisation that nothing really “qualifies” you for running your own business. There are many skills that are important to have, but most of these can be learned and the most important thing is drive and mindset. Rather than being an achilles heel, as I had long feared, the years I had spent in different industries and roles has given me an incredible grounding for early stage entrepreneurship, which in almost every case requires you to wear many, many hats. While the Atelier/Child business did not ultimately survive, my learnings and the confidence they instilled in me will stay with me forever.
When I was making the decision in January to leave my role to pursue my own startup, I came across an article about Antler, who were recruiting for their third Sydney cohort, and applied. I was attracted to the strong emphasis Antler placed on the power of co-founder relationships and complementarity, and to the opportunity to immerse myself in ideating and building alongside ambitious, talented and like-minded people. The experience has not disappointed me in any way, and making the decision to join the program has been one of the best personal and professional decisions I have ever made. I met my two amazing co-founders, Mike and Gerardo, in the program, and we are now working hard on launching Remote Social — a platform that helps remote and hybrid teams to thrive.
Like the first two Antler cohorts, many of my peers in the program have followed a more linear career path, some bringing experience from major consulting firms and large technology businesses, and others having already successfully started and exited their own businesses. In every case their skills and experience are impressive and it has been a pleasure working alongside them. The experience has been another great reminder that every one of us, regardless of our backgrounds, can bring a different but powerful skill set and perspective.
By speaking to people throughout the program I learned that like me, many had doubted whether they would be “qualified” for a program like Antler, or for life as a founder. This was especially true of my fellow female founders, which is what has motivated me to write this post.
I am in the very early stages of my next startup journey with Remote Social, but I know that it is impossible to become qualified in the qualities that are really required to make progress when starting a new company. Drive, creativity, grit, a good degree of hustle and a big dose of humility are key and also impossible to teach.
If you are reading this and you are an aspiring founder who has had a non-linear career path, and you aren’t quite sure whether you are “qualified” to build a business, this post is for you — especially if you are a woman, or a founder from a diverse background.
My advice: take the first step, and work the rest out as you go.
If you would like to hear more about my journey, and from four other women who chose to launch a business in 2020, join us for an upcoming event “Launch 2020”, in conjunction with Spark Festival and sponsored by Women NSW and Treasury NSW.
The panel on Oct 21 at 5.10pm aims to provide insight into the female founder experience and why all five of us launched a startup this year. You can register here sparkfestival.co/register/.
Jess Baird Walsh has been an entrepreneur at the third Antler cohort in Sydney.
Antler enables exceptional people to create exceptional companies. If you want to become a startup founder, find the perfect co-founder and create impactful companies to shape the future, apply now and begin your Antler journey.
