From Corporate to Taxfix: ‘I was excited and terrified simultaneously’

“You should write a blog about how you transitioned from corporate to a start-up!” said one of my colleagues.“It is a great story that would inspire others.” I looked at him puzzled. A couple of days later, after having a moment to reflect on that, I realized that actually, this was quite an experience and a great story to share.

In 2018, after I was promoted three times and was leading a business team partnering with the biggest business unit within my former company, I realized I needed a change. Even though my ‘corporate journey’ had taught me how to be a leader, manager, business partner, and strategist, I was still missing the experience of building something from scratch and establishing a talent acquisition team from the ground up; I was craving that!

Armed with my corporate knowledge, I started connecting with some of my networks, letting them know that I would like to join a digital start-up. To my great surprise, a lot of them looked at me, perplexed. They told me that start-ups never hire from corporate, as very few people that have worked in larger structured organizations would find themselves well fit in the fluid and ever-changing start-up environment. With this in mind, I told myself I would not fail here.

I started researching what opportunities were out there. Rejections came left and right, most mentioning that my background was, as my friends said, too corporate.

‘One company from Berlin, however, really captured my attention with their sense of mission, exceptional leadership, and their ability to impact millions of users globally. That business was Taxfix.’

When I first heard of Taxfix, I thought to myself that taxes are so boring. I used to work with people that designed and marketed the coolest sneakers and streetwear, how would I find taxes inspiring?! However, I remember when I finished my first call with one of the founders, Mathis, I knew that Taxfix would be the right thing for me.

The sense of a challenge and opportunity ahead excited and terrified me simultaneously. Although some groundwork been done already, very little was established in talent acquisition, and the business demand to hire was only ramping up.

‘I still remember the months before my joining date thinking, did I bite off more than I could chew? What if I am not ready to build a completely new team from scratch?’

Or deliver a strategy that will propel the company to its successful future and fulfil its ever-growing appetite for world-class talent?

I am now coming up to my six-month mark with Taxfix. What an incredible journey it has been already! Nothing prepared me for the first couple of months, but I pulled from all my prior experiences, and what I did not know, I filled in with gut feelings and instincts. My corporate background gave me a great starting point. I knew how to deliver clarity, create a sense of out complexity, define the structure, establish roles and processes, as well as provide a vision that my team can unite behind. Mix in the dynamic, collaborative environment that Taxfix has, I was able to create an exceptional team that already has so much to celebrate! However, I was also really challenged.

‘I needed to learn to speed up and to respond faster than ever. If something doesn’t work out, I would rather fail fast, learn, and apply my findings the next time.’

And we are still growing! In addition to hiring some critical leadership roles, delivering unique candidate experiences, becoming business partners, and upskilling the business, we are having so much fun. We are really coming together to create a great team.

Be bold, join us, and let’s fix the tax system — one tax return at a time! Apply here or reach out to me on LinkedIn.