First Impressions — Week 1/10

I officially finished my first week here at Groundswell Startups. I have a few first impressions I want to share, so lets get right to it:

When I first entered the front doors,

I got to understand what a co-working space really is. When I applied for tech fellows, I obviously did the research and watched videos of what “incubator” or “co-working” means. But being in the same space as bunch of driven entrepreneurs and digital nomads with a sense of direction for what they want to create really gave me a true understanding of what an incubator is: an ecosystem.

First Impressions vs. Expectations

My initial expectations of what a startup incubator was something like this: a place with a bunch of busy people and entrepreneurs all in a dull office space similar to that of any corporate environment. I was wrong, stepping foot in Groundswell erased these thoughts: the environment was lively. Everyone was in their vastly decorated office spaces and was being productive, but at the same time there were also individuals in the lobby playing table-tennis and foos-ball too.

I’ve been to a lot of networking events before, and most of the times the conversations are shallow: touching basic topics like, “what’s your major” or “where do you see yourself in 10 years.” Those are good conversation topics to start off with, but when those are the only conversation topics, there is almost no point in networking. My first week in Groundswell lead me to believe that there is more to networking — there is relationship building. Working in a co-working space filled with entrepreneurs and other startup workers, I am naturally in the position to network and branch out. Some and most of my conversations obviously included introductory topics such as “what’s your major,” but it also included normal and friendly conversation topics — topics that build meaningful relationships. You know, the ones where people remember your name and consider you a potential asset? To put it simply, my first week at Groundswell, gave me the impression that there is more to networking, and that is seen in the startup community.

Getting started,

My first week here was anything but subtle, I had work assigned to me as soon as possible, but it was meaningful work. It started with understanding the ins and outs of Groundswell’s services, management systems, software used to manage Groundswell, as well as Groundswell’s financials. Micah Widen, our CEO, laid out some clear expectations for what my role was here. Groundswell was started about a year ago, and has done well for itself since — but there is a lot of room to improve and that is where I come in. He showed that I am wanted and that I have a lot of potential to create meaningful work and value in my 10 weeks here. After giving me expectations, goals, and clear guidelines for what he wants from me, I can positively say that within a matter of days, I had no issue integrating into the workplace and comfortably found my role here.

So to sum things up,

• I know my role here and what I have to do to create value in Groundswell
• I know what value Groundswell aims to create
• I am comfortable with the workplace
• I have just met a few startups (entrepreneurs) and stuck my foot in the door by building some relationships

Oh, and one more thing:

I get to work on a couch and not a desk, so that’s pretty cool.