Joining MainStreet, Fixing Government Tax Incentives
Always be learning.
Do what energizes you.
Don’t be afraid to take a risk.
5 years ago, I wrote about how I had no idea what I wanted to do and that that’s completely ok. The advice I gave was to always be learning, do what energizes you, and don’t be afraid to take a risk. My younger self would be proud, as my next play at MainStreet is an opportunity that addresses exactly that.
Prior to this, I worked at LinkedIn and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life thus far. I will always be thankful for the people I met, the learnings I had, and the memories I will carry with me. One of the most critical learnings was the value I now place on working for a mission driven company — LinkedIn’s mission was to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. MainStreet was founded with a similar and simple underlying question — “How do you create jobs and opportunity in suburban and rural America”?
The ability to push myself to always be learning has always been a priority of mine, but MainStreet will allow me to learn at an unprecedented rate. Sure, part of that due to the fact that it’s new — new company, new role, new customers, new product — but it’s also largely driven by the fact that I am the 6th employee at our startup. Which, inherently, creates more natural learning opportunities than anything I’ve ever done before in my life.
Also, continuing to work for an organization that I believe in, creates an environment that drives me to constantly learn . When you believe in what you do, and in our case, when there is a massive opportunity to help startups and small businesses save money, it’s hard not to want to learn more every single day. Part of our goal is to actually learn things that most founders don’t have time to learn. In turn, they will benefit from our findings, specifically government tax incentives to aid their lean operations.
I’m invested in our mission and working alongside people I respect, which energizes me to constantly be a better version of myself, for the company, and for our customers. I’ve yet to feel like my job is just work because I’ve always wholeheartedly enjoyed what I do. Leading Sales Operations at MainStreet is an opportunity to add skills and strive towards the well-rounded individual I hope to become. For MainStreet, I’m constantly striving to add value to the team so that we are better positioned to succeed. And for our customers, I find the utmost joy in helping them save money, typically in ways they didn’t even know were available to them. Startups and small businesses are paramount to helping our economy recover from this economic downturn, and the fact that we are positioned to help increase their cash flow is energizing.
Is joining MainStreet a risk? Well, on paper, sure, it probably is. But one of the things I’ve learned from mentors of mine is the more intelligent of a risk you can take, the less of a risk it is. This is something extremely personal to each person and not something you can create a simple formula for. Joining a startup comes along with more inherent risk than a Fortune 500 company, but the learnings I’ve already had and plan to continue having , will ensure that I look back on this opportunity as a massive success. — regardless of the financial direction the company goes (though I’m confident and optimistic it’s heading in a positive direction).
MainStreet for me, checks all the boxes I told myself were important 5 years ago and many more. I’m working with incredibly smart and hardworking people.
If you’re thinking of making a career move and don’t know where to start, I’m no expert, but happy to be a sounding board.
On the other hand, if you or someone you know work for a startup or small business, we’d love to hear from you, too.
Extend Your Runway!
MainStreet helps startups effortlessly discover, apply for, and receive government tax credits and incentives. The average company saves more than $50,000 with less than an hour of work.
