Wagons East!!

Moving from the start up capital of the world to join my first start up

When I meet people here in D.C., one of the first two questions asked are “Where are you from?” and “What type of work do you do?” My answer: “We moved here from San Francisco, and I work for a start up here in D.C”

I usually see the eyebrow raise at this moment, so I add, “Yeah I know, I moved from Silicon Valley and now work for a start up.” What really blows their minds is that I never worked at start-up before.

Before working at Social Tables, I spent the previous 5 years at Stanford University managing events in Athletics and the School of Business. I loved working there, and loved working in Higher Education, so why not find a school in the D.C. area? Throw a rock and you may hit two or three schools. Well, a couple of reasons.

I believe in Social Tables. I used it to run my events at Stanford and loved the product. When I found out they were based in D.C., it was a no-brainer to reach out to see what opportunities they may have. And it was a great fit — we were basically looking for each other. (Not bad when you move 3,000 miles from home with no job prospects lined up.) I knew I was changing career directions, but I saw this as an educated risk on something I believed in.

And on my first day, I truly began to understand what I got myself into. Moving into a new space, then having to stop due to the lease not being finalized, then moving again. A little different than working on a campus. So here are a few things I have learned over the past year.

Be up for… anything. Things change fast, and often. You have to be reactive to the change, but also proactive to start the change. In contrast, my first day of onboarding at Stanford (it was a week long), the facilitator actually said, “We move slow here on purpose. We want to think about the decision, discuss, think about it again, maybe discuss again, then move forward.” At Social Tables, we say, “Fail Fast, and Often.” That took time to get used to (and still does), but it does create a different type of confidence I did not have before. Just go for it. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.

Another big change is talking to my old self every day. I spent those five years at Stanford managing events and facilities on campus and used Social Tables to do it. Now I am talking to people who manage events and use Social Tables, making sure they are happy with what we offer and understand how to use it. It is certainly helpful to say, “I have been in your shoes,” to truly empathize with our customers. But now I am in a position where I need to negotiate deals, communicate with legal for contracts, find ways to grow what we offer, and offer different business solutions. It has been a challenge, but my managers and teammates have been so helpful (and patient) with this process. Plus, I can help them better understand our clients. Certainly a win/win.

Another thing I had to get used to…being Old Man River. My last couple of jobs, I have been one of the younger people working in the department. Now I am the outlier on the other end of the age spectrum (had to happen some day). What does this mean? Mostly, people do not get many of my references to late 80’s or early 90’s TV shows (sorry Parker Lewis, but I guess you can lose). But even though I am a decade older than many of my colleagues, and married, I still feel part of the group. Plus, I think they may like my wife more than they like me. We say, “Teams are Families,” and that is not bullshit here. To be accepted and feel part of something special, means a lot.

I think one of the biggest things I had to get used to is that working at Stanford and at Social Tables has NOT been that different in many ways. People take pride in their work, are willing to go outside their comfort zone, and are always looking to learn (not just professionally but personally). You do not have to work at a school to go to school every day. Social Tables offers so many opportunities to learn new skills to help professionally and personally.

Things have been an adjustment over the past year, but overall unbelievably positive. Leaving friends and family back in the Bay Area was tough, no doubt, but I truly can say I have no regrets. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that my Giants and Warriors both won rings this past year!!