Building a startup from the earliest stages (think employee #1 and up) requires a specific mindset and approach to work. Often, there’s a lack of processes to guide you, a lack of clarity on roles, and minimal teammates to rely on and fall back on. The only given is a relentless pursuit of growth.
Early employees have to learn how to create processes, identify business opportunities, and take ownership of problems before they are assigned, while also learning to advocate for fair compensation and equity for themselves.
In this episode, I sit down with Nicole Zartarian, who has been an early-stage product leader and employee #1 at a healthcare startup. Nicole shares all that she learned while helping build a company from the earliest days into a flourishing business with a growing team. Nicole shares how she developed the ability to operate without a roadmap, learned the ropes from technical teams thanks to her innate curiosity, and turned uncertainty into an opportunity to build new skills.
We’ll explore how early employees can grow by becoming self-directed, why documenting your work is essential when moving into higher-impact roles, and how letting go of ownership can create space for tackling bigger challenges.
We also discuss how parenthood changed Nicole’s approach to prioritization and boundaries, and why early employees have a unique opportunity to influence company culture, policies, and the way teams work together.
Highlights:
- [00:00] Intro
- [01:14] Starting as Employee #1 with No Office and Vague Job Title
- [02:28] Self-Direction: Figuring Out What to Do When No One Tells You
- [04:00] Negotiating Equity Early with Help from a Trusted Mentor
- [07:13] Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Through Patient Teachers
- [10:47] Building Like Legos: The Joy of Creating from Scratch
- [11:06] Giving Away Your Legos: Delegating Without Losing Your Mind
- [14:13] Staying Adaptable Through Constant Change and New Hires
- [16:38] Balancing Parenthood with Startup Ambition
- [23:11] Creating Family-Friendly Policies That Benefit Everyone
- [25:31] Scripting Compensation Talks and Asking for More
- [27:23] Finding Your Fairy Godmother Mentor
- [28:09] Advice to Your Younger Self: Push Through Fear and Stay Bold
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What is Non-Founder Crew?
Non-Founder Crew is a show for employees navigating the unpredictable world of tech startups, from the moments of chaos and uncertainty to chasing impossible goals.
In each episode, host Alicia Thomas shares the lessons she learned after spending over a decade working in startups and the unspoken rules of surviving ~ and thriving ~ in a startup. You’ll also hear stories from experts and other non-founder employees who built their careers in the trenches of the startup world.
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