A Day in the Life of an Early Stage Startup Founder
Josh Greene, CEO and Founder of Groove
Have you ever wondered what a typical day or routine of a startup founder is like?
Maybe you’re considering founding a company, or you’re just curious. When a career choice is non-traditional, it helps to see examples of others who have already gone down that path, to inspire us and show us what’s possible.
At Groove, we’re big believers in carving a career path that feels true to you. Groove is a lifestyle tool that helps you accomplish great things, through everyday small wins.
We’re taking a glimpse into Groove CEO and Co-Founder Josh Greene’s day. Watch this space for future Day in the Life stories with Groovers doing rad things all over the world.
What are your typical working hours?
I have two modes of work days. I’m based in Jerusalem, so one is the American day and one is the Israeli day.
I tend to not ever start work before 9am, so I have time to be with my dog and have my morning routine before I start my day. I spend two nights a week on American time, so when I’m working through until 11pm, then I start later at 11am the next day. I only schedule evening meetings twice a week.
I’m flexible throughout the week; when you’re running a business on multiple time zones, I try to have different hours that support being in synchronous contact with the team and other stakeholders and have a reasonable number of overlap hours.
I sort of wing it, and then if I feel like I’m getting out of balance like working too many evenings, I’ll do a bit of a reset.
I also go through phases where I work really intensely. For example, if I’m fundraising, there will be six week where I’m working the whole time, and then I’ll consciously slow down.
It’s a feedback loop with myself where I ask, “Where am I at? Am I working healthily? Is it sustainable?”
What’s the best part of your day?
Talking to Groovers. I love hearing how Groove impacts people’s lives, learning from the users, learning from the team. Those are the most insightful moments.
I also get super energized when I tell people in the world about Groove and what we’re doing on the vision level.
Is there anything you do every day; a routine?
I have a new puppy, Jasper, so I start and end every day walking him.
I also make time for prayer three times a day. It’s a sacred practice of grounding in the morning and evening, and I break for 20 minutes in the afternoon. Who knows how I manage to fit that into my day, but I do.
What would people be surprised to know about your day?
I’m addicted to TikTok. Every time I take a break or can’t get focused, I open TikTok and watch utter crap.
What surprised you the most about being a founder?
- How much structure and freedom it would create in my life. For a long time, I was freelance and independent. Now, I have a lot of risk I’m responsible for, but at the same time, I also feel like I have a lot of space to decide how to structure my days and my weeks.
- Just how much work there is.
- My work falls into three categories, and those are really the only tasks that are important. Setting vision, hiring people and raising money. That’s basically all I have to do. Everything else that’s tactical, I might get pulled into. But those are the key things; if I don’t do them, they don’t happen.
How much of your day is managing (i.e. calls, Slack, admin) vs. making (i.e. doing, creating)?
It really depends on the cycles, but I’d say 80% making. At this stage of the company, there’s not much managing to be done because everyone works pretty autonomously and independently. A lot of my work is hiring and fundraising. I could have seven or eight meetings in one day, but those meetings are often spent “making” with someone else.
What could you be better at?
- Speed of decision making. I wish I was able to be more efficient and make quicker decisions when there’s no need to drag it out.
- Telling stories more efficiently. I’m very verbose.
- Better boundaries around my work. Being intentional with my time and having time off my phone. More focus time.
- More realistic planning and understanding volume of work against the time it takes to do it.
The secret to a satisfying workday is…
- Ensuring you’re working on stuff you’re passionate about
- Breaking your to-do list into smaller tasks, so you have progress and movement and feel a sense of accomplishment
- Energizing relationships and conversations.
Where do you work out of?
I like to mix up my environments and have variety, and also have people around me, so I often work out of a coworking space or cafe.
In Israel, internet isn’t always stable and my home wifi is terrible, so these places also have more stable wifi.
What work-related books would you recommend?
Bob Iger’s book on creative leadership, The Ride of a Lifetime. Shoe Dog by Nike founder Phil Knight is unbelievable.
I love these because they’re all learnings through very human stories and powerful in their own way.
In Bob Iger’s book, he details how buying multibillion businesses an be very human. When he bought Lucasfilm from George Lucas, he talks about how he was going to become the steward of the Star Wars brands. It wasn’t “I’m buying this as an acquisition.” George Lucas was thinking, “Who am I giving my legacy to?”
You start to see these interactions are not about just the numbers. They’re also about what it means to care for one another and make someone feel safe.
What’s something you’ve incorporated into your work day you’d recommend to others?
Getting a dog. It enacts a forced regulation of your work hours. You can’t overwork when you have a dog, because you have to take him for a walk twice a day and play with him, so it forces you to stop working.
What would people learn about you if they Grooved with you regularly?
My favorite place to do deep work is on my bed. It makes me feel cocooned.
Cheers, Josh! For more insights into what it’s like to be an early stage startup founder, follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter.
If you’d like to connect with others paving their own paths in their career, check out Groove and sign up to be a part of the Beta community.
