3 Things I learned while working ‘behind the scenes’ at StartX
By Joel Burke — @joelburke2014
After six months volunteering at StartX, I’ve seen some things.
Before I start, I’ll spoil this much for you: there’s no horrible scandal. But because StartX has a lean paid staff, it gives volunteers a lot of responsibility. Which means that volunteers like me can truly get an inside look into how StartX runs. In my time here, I’ve gotten visibility on a variety of projects and initiatives for the operations of StartX (the organization itself, not the companies going through StartX.)
And though my focus has been on marketing initiatives, I have participated in many activities that are put on for the founder community, seen how companies are selected to join StartX, attended workshops on how to brainstorm effectively, and much more.
Here are the top three things I’ve learned since joining StartX.
People > Everything Else: My most important takeaway is that you should value people over everything else. This means that you need to surround yourself with good people- cofounders, advisors, friends, and family. You might be thinking “oh, big deal, that’s no secret.” But taking this maxim to heart and seeing the results have been a revelation for me. And then there’s the oft-forgotten part: that surrounding yourself with good people means that you, yourself, need to be ‘good people’ too. If you are an entrepreneur, your greatest asset is your team and your community, and you’re certainly part of that. Stakeholders in your company are less invested in an idea, and more in your team’s ability to surmount any obstacles and to be successful.
Harder Work = Better Luck: I came to StartX and Silicon Valley from Nevada and I was immediately awed by the quality and quantity of world-class entrepreneurs. I was curious to learn why there are so many high quality entrepreneurs in one area. Is there something in the water? Or is it simply that all the best and the brightest have congregated here? In the end, I’ve concluded there’s no magic, and it’s definitely not about raw talent or fancy credentials. While these entrepreneurs have many characteristics, above all it seemed that they were incredibly motivated and hardworking. They weren’t counting on anything but themselves to help them become successful, and since they weren’t counting on a stroke of good luck, they worked even harder and made their own.
Experience < Hustle: Working with startups (or in any small, scrappy organization), you’ll find that you have to wear a whole lot of hats. Having someone who is an expert in their field is great. But it’s tough to make a company work with two people when no one knows how to make a website or network with investors, or do the books, or do market research or somehow tackle part of the universe of things that a company needs to do. The good news is that I’m not talking about some sort of unicorn polymath prodigy types. This versatility isn’t a skillset; it’s an attitude. In a startup, when confronted with a task or a challenge, saying “that’s not in my job description,” will get you nowhere. Instead, encourage an attitude where people can say “I haven’t done that before, but I’ll figure it out.”
StartX and Silicon Valley offered me these lessons in the context of startups. But the truth is that these are lessons I can apply to many areas of my life. And, if you think about it, Silicon Valley is an appropriate place to learn these things, fast; I don’t know of another place with such a high concentration of ambitious people taking matters into their own hands — starting companies in droves, and attracting brilliant and extremely hardworking peers to do the same. Even if you never plan on owning your own business, coming to Silicon Valley and getting involved in an organization like StartX will be an invaluable experience and could quite possibly change your perspective on a great many things.
