Managing the Chaos: Week 4
New team members, data fun, budgets, and standups.
Welcome back,
Here’s your all-access pass to our ongoing journey, filled with victories, hurdles, lessons, and dreams(?). This week is another exhilarating chapter in our thrilling startup narrative.
Highlights
💥 Our Crew is Growing: I’m thrilled to welcome Sebastian Perez Saaibi and Juan Pablo Pinilla, the latest additions to our engineering crew. We’re now standing at seven members strong, growing by three in just four weeks — we’re setting sail at a brisk pace.
🌆 NYC Onboarding: I hosted a portion of our crew for an intensive deep-dive into our product and infrastructure as we onboarded Juan & Sebastian. It was a humbling, revealing exercise that exposed us firsthand to the friction points our customers might encounter.
👩🍳 Tasting: Using Treble with the new hires sparked a newfound appreciation for our creation. Experiencing its raw power is grounding, a stark reminder of the potential we can unlock.
Deep Dive: Eyes on the Horizon
💼 Budgeting: Not Just Crunching Numbers:
This week, I focused on our company budget. Far from being just a financial chore, I saw it as a strategic tool. It gave us a concrete blueprint that aligns our resources with our vision and future.
- It’s like painting a moving train — you need agility and foresight.
- It’s more than balancing numbers; it requires understanding where we want to go.
- The budgeting process helps us maintain discipline in our spending.
📊 The Data Dilemma:
We dived into our data management this week. Our dashboards were fragmented, and our data warehouse fell short of our needs. This brought into focus the need for better data infrastructure.
- Data visibility and accessibility are critical for making informed decisions.
- Good data architecture aids in refining our strategies.
- Addressing this issue is not just about engineering but rather delivering better value to our customers.
🎭 Juggling Roles:
Being part of a startup often involves switching between many roles. It can be hectic, but it helps to understand the organization better.
- I switched between running daily standups, product cycle planning, onboarding, and strategy sessions.
- It had been a while since I ran a daily, but going back to basics reminds me of the importance of being capable of diving deep into the challenges that teams face.
- It also helps foster a sense of unity and shared purpose in the team.
Lessons Learned
🎓 Living the Product-Driven Ethos: This week, I had the honor of hosting our company all-hands, where we had a chance to talk about what makes us product-driven. The ‘product team’ isn’t a small group huddled in a corner. It’s all of us. From sales to support, we all interact with the product, influence its direction, and share in its outcomes.
🌎 Context is Key: Tech teams are perceived differently depending on the region. Recognizing these cultural nuances is critical as we continue to grow. We’re not just acknowledging differences; we’re learning to bridge them. Just like with the product-driven concept, bridging the cultural gap that positions the tech team as something beyond an internal consulting group is key to shipping impactful products from LatAm.
Looking Forward
👨💻 Revamping Data: We’re buckling down to overhaul our data infrastructure. The goal? Accessible, coherent, and clear data that everyone can use. With Sebastian and Elizabeth leading the charge, I’m confident we’re on the right track.
🌱 Onwards and Upwards: Our crew is going to keep expanding. With our bolstered engineering team, we’re ready to embrace whatever challenges and victories come our way.
Before I sign off, I have an exciting announcement. I’ve partnered with James Turnbull to launch the first cohort of our engineering leadership course, ‘Managing the Chaos — Effective Engineering Leadership for High Growth Startups.’ Only a few spots are left in this introductory cohort, and we’re offering them at a reduced price. So, if you’re interested, act fast!
Also, for those of you who have asked, here’s the link to the first edition of “Treble Tech — In Review.” I hope it helps provide some context and inspiration!
Until next week,
🤘buriticá
