What They Don’t Tell You About Startup Metrics (Until It’s Too Late)
Most startups measure the wrong thing. Here's how to fix it, starting today!
Read More
Most startups measure the wrong thing. Here's how to fix it, starting today!
Read MoreI was focused on the wrong metrics for a decade.
Like most startups, we religiously tracked subscription revenue, renewal rates, # of customers, average deal size, plus alllll the product usage.
Does this sound familiar?
How well are they using the product??
How many users?
How often are they logging in?
How many in-app actions are they taking?
Do they like our product?
How many support tickets do they submit?
Let’s set up alerts for customers not using the product so we can reach out!
These are all good ideas. You do want to track these to measure the health of your business.
But they miss the most important point.
Which will be SO OBVIOUS after you hear it.
That’s how I felt when Francis Cordon opened my eyes to what really matters…
Here’s the most important thing to measure related to customer success (and ultimately the overall health of your business).
It’s not how much are they like or use your product.
It’s things like:
Are you making your customers better at their jobs?
What mission-critical business metric are you improving for your customer?
What does your customer get measured on?
While I was busy tracking how many emails customers sent, the customers were looking at how much revenue they created for the business.
We could even track revenue generation in our product — but that wasn’t the metric we looked at to understand customer success! 🤦♀️
Quick and dirty examples to get the wheels turning.
Marketing software → are your marketing power users generating revenue?
Faster website software → do you have more online sales?
Financial management software → is your net worth/income/saving growing? do you sleep better at night? 😉
Vertical CRM software → are revenue/profits growing?
You’ll see that it’s rarely about “efficiency” and it’s never about the functionality of the product. Yes, your product does cool automation. Users don’t care. (I know! I’m sorry!!! I love your product baby too!!) They care how your product helps them achieve something even more important that “good product adoption.” 😉
Happy to brainstorm for your business if you’re stuck. Just shoot me a note!
Save yourself a decade.
Start now aligning everyone in the company to the metric that customers care about.
Not the in-product or revenue-related proxy metric that your company cares about.
Ideally, you want to show this North Star metric to your customer in the product.
If you’re not there yet, start leveraging Customer Win Slides asap (a good idea anyway!).
I’ve never heard from a single company who didn’t have great results from Customer Win Slides.
Yes, you still need to think about pricing and go-to-market strategy and build a good product and all those things.
But at the core, if you are helping your customer be better at the thing they truly care about, you will have a great business!
P.S. Want more customer success advice, lessons, and templates? Check out the complete guide.
What do you wish you learned 10 years ago? What startup lesson seemed so obvious in hindsight? What do you measure to track your customer’s (true!) success?
Enjoying the O’Daily? Don’t be shy. Share with a friend!
How do you build a billion dollar company? Bring a lot of energy and momentum for days, weeks, and years. Here's how.
Read MoreHow do you build a billion dollar company?
One day at a time.
Over 10 years.
That’s 3,650 days. (3,653 if you’re counting leap years!)
How do you last that long and have energy to tackle every day?
❌ NO: Spend 10 years grinding — sitting at a desk, in a dark room, staring at a screen.
❌ NO: Do “healthy” things that feel like another job.
❌ NO: Sacrifice your physical and mental well-being and burn out after a few years.
✅ YES: Do things you enjoy along the way that bring you health and momentum!
Here’s 4 ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a founder — while still having fun along the way!
Cross-my-heart-hope-to-die-stick-a-needle-in-my-eye, I PROMISE, you can find healthy foods that you like.
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t sit around eating raw broccoli for every meal.
BLECH.
I put olive oil and salt on that broccoli and roast the heck out of it!
Show me an adult who can’t find a roasted vegetable they like, and I’ll show you Warren Buffett or Donald Trump.
(That was a fast food joke, not a political one, okay, people?? Those two are notorious fast food lovers.)
Here are some of my favorite quick, nutritious lunches, healthy fast food options, and easy recipes.
Hate everything mentioned there?
That’s cool.
Tell ChatGPT what foods you like and ask for healthy recipes that can be made in 20 minutes or less. “Healthy” can be defined as certain carb/fat/protein splits or calorie count or however you want to be eating.
AI is my favorite meal planner!
I love my Whoop.
Every morning I get a score!
Hellooooo, dopamine hit.
(And it’s related to health instead of social media metrics! 😅)
Oura ring, Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, Reframe App, step counter…there’s 100 ways to turn health into a game!
If a tracker doesn’t do it for you, how about joining Atlanta Ventures for our (very unofficial, is-it-even-happening) six-pack challenge?
Here’s the game (as borrowed from the genius/sadist Shawn Tucker):
6 months to get “6 pack” abdominals or you pay everyone else who is participating $1000.
Now, none of us really have $1000 sitting around which means…SIX PACK OR ELSE!
(Comment below to join the “fun” 😂)
Okay, if trackers and peer pressure don’t sound like games to you, here’s one more option: play an actual game.
Tennis, pickleball, kickball, basketball, soccer, squash, frisbee, gung fu, and thousands more.
Social connection is really important.
Social connection outside of your startup is really, really important.
Do something healthy and make it social:
Play a game with friends.
Eat healthy food with friends.
Join a sports league or training facility.
Sign up for a race and train with a group.
Become friends with people who like healthy things.
Go on an organized outdoor adventure trip.
Come to a Founder Funder Jog - duuuuuuuh!
Yeah, it’s not rocket science. But neither are startups. (Well, unless they are.)
Doing things with friends gives you accountability, makes it more fun, and fills your emotional cup!
Everyone has a few things that make or break their well-being. They are different for everyone.
I’d like to get something off my chest:
Meditating stresses me out and I never do it.
Yes, yes, I know it’s good for me. I’m doing it wrong. I need to practice. Blah blah blah.
It’s not my thing.
Getting a good night’s sleep…now THAT’S my thing. All grumpy days can be directly correlated to me sleeping poorly.
So, here’s the question — what are your personal keys to success that help you have a great day, feel good, and bring the energy?
If you don’t know, it’s a good reason to test things out. Here’s how I like to test things!
Here’s a few categories to trigger ideas. Within each are sub-categories, e.g. try out different types of exercise.
Exercise
Morning sunlight
Sleep
Meditation/Prayer
Certain foods or supplements
Schedule/Calendar
If you’re looking for ideas, here’s a few things that work for me:
Standing desk with walking pad (if you’ve seen me on Zoom, you know…)
Red Light (s/o Kathryn Farrell!)
Less alcohol (use Reframe to cut back and try my fave non-alcoholic beer)
Walk my kids to school (sunshine, fresh air, exercise, family time)
(NOTE: I added these slowly over time! Don’t try everything at once. 😂)
Want more?? Check out the The Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide to Staying Healthy!
What are some of your favorite ways to make healthy habits fun? What worked for you? What’s the most fun healthy thing you do??
Brilliant founder getting in their own way? Try these 3 things today.
Read MoreI recently spoke to someone working with a brilliant founder who was getting in their own way.
The founder wasn’t open to new ideas or different perspectives and it was hurting the company.
How do you reach someone who won’t listen or shuts down other people’s suggestions????
Replace “founder” with “boss,” “co-worker,” “my teenager.”
Or maybe instead of reporting to the founder, you are an investor (hypothetically speaking of course) who can’t “tell” someone what to do but wants gently steer in a positive direction.
Here are 3 strategies I’ve found helpful when working with strong-willed founders (or anyone!) — as a startup COO, tech investor, and general human being.
You almost never change someone's mind by telling them what to do.
But you can change someone's mind by asking them thoughtful questions so they realize what to do.
And think it's their idea.
There's a reason why therapists (and business coaches!) ask questions.
And it's not because they don't know the answer. 😉
Having someone else come up with the answer, say it in their own words, feel ownership, use their own wisdom — is wildly important for buy-in and change.
Furthermore, it’s possible that you don’t have the exact right answer. Maybe you don’t fully understand the situation or maybe they have an even better idea than what you’re thinking of.
Asking questions can uncover all sorts of brilliant solutions!
You know what the title of this section should have been???
What happens if you ask more questions?
What are good questions to ask?
What helps change your mind?
See how much more fun questions are than directives???!!!!!
Did it trigger any great ideas?? 😉
If you know me, you've probably heard me suggest this before:
"Can you do it as a test?"
Yes, of course, at Atlanta Ventures, we love to run tests around business ideas (examples here and here).
It works for internal projects as well!
If you have a new idea or you’re hitting a lot of objections, instead of trying to change everyone’s mind, suggest an experiment.
“What if we try [XYZ] for [30] days? I could run a quick test doing [ABC] for [$1000] with the goal of [123].”
Designate a specific amount of time, money, resources, and what a successful outcome would be. Here’s a step-by-step process and template and a description of SMART goals.
It’s low risk for the business and — very important — the ego!
No one is directly challenged, no one is “wrong,” no one has to communicate a change in strategy.
It’s a low-key, short-term experiment with clear parameters.
Who doesn’t love to try new things and look at the results?
A brilliant HR leader (hi Carey Bongard!) taught me this one…
Whenever possible, phrase feedback or coaching as “more”:
Why are we pouring money into that dumpster fire? Let’s do more of what’s working well.
Be less negative. Can you give even more positive feedback?
Don’t focus on the details. Do more strategic, big picture work.
You’re not communicating enough. Communicate more across the company.
You are going rogue and it’s causing problems. More collaboration with the engineering team.
Humans are much better at doing more of something than less.
Feels abundant, expansive, and positive.
Especially good for someone who:
reacts poorly to constructive feedback
you want to influence and inspire in a positive way
is your boss 😉
Do more “more”!
Spoiler Alert: these strategies work on direct reports, anyone in your organization, even family members.
In a shocking turn of events, most people don't like being bossed around and aren’t going to do what you say even when you’re right!
(I know. It was a terrible realization for me too. The world would be so much better if everyone just did what I say!!! 😜)
I should also be clear that there is a HUGE upside to that annoying stubbornness you’re dealing with.
It means someone has high conviction, they don’t give up easily, and they’re not swayed by others or peer pressure.
When dealing with humans, it’s always a mix of good, bad, and messy!
Just like a startup. 😉
Have you used any of these strategies? Do you have other tips for helping to shift a stubborn individual? Founders, have you ever been hard to convince?? 😁😉🙋♀️
I’d love to help more entrepreneurs! If you’re enjoying the O’Daily, please share with a founder or startup leader who would enjoy practical tips and #momjokes. 😁😁😁
A lot of U.S. families head out on Spring Break this month.
Which makes it a great time to reshare my favorite quote from founder and investor, Alex Friedman!!
Idk who needs this but I’ve seen a few startups fail because of founder burn out. I haven’t seen any startups fail because a founder took a couple days off.
I’d even go so far as to say, often the biggest business “ah-ha” moments happen when you’re away from the day-to-day grind — even if it’s 24 or 48 hours!
One of my other favorite quotes is from Tim Ferris:
What one thing, if done, could render all other things irrelevant?
It’s hard to see clearly when you’re in the weeds. Everything is urgent and important. You’re just trying to get through your inbox, Slack, and meetings.
With a bit of space, all the sudden you realize:
a customer insight that’s been staring you in the face
things in your schedule that don’t make sense
the industry you need to start looking at
problematic customers you need to fire
the mission critical senior leader to bring on
which sales strategies are working
what KPIs matter the most
and a million other things that are obvious as soon as your subconscious takes over!
Give yourself and your company extra fire power this month — by taking time away.
Do it right now. Block a whole day on your calendar. Plan a camping trip. Have a friend “force” you to do something fun for a weekend. Leave your phone at home.
Your soul — and your business — will be better for it.
(Pass this along to a founder who needs the reminder!)
Any fun stories about a great business “unlock” that happened when you took time off? I’d love to hear them (or share them below)!
Step-by-step instructions plus current job openings at great startups.
Read MoreYour Ultimate Startup Career Guide is here!
Do you or someone you know want to break into startups??
Do you love working for startups and want to find a role at the next rocket ship?
Are you wondering how to grow your career at a startup where things like “internal job boards” or “promotion paths” are unheard of?
Are you a founder who is tired of getting asked by that random high school friend, how do I get a tech job, and want to reply with a single blog link?!? 😉
Here is my best advice from 15+ years of moving up the startup jungle gym (it’s not a ladder, people!), hiring over 100 direct reports, and interviewing thousands of people.
(Don’t worry. I hate networking too. Here’s my anti-networking advice.)
**BONUS** I’m including a section of current open roles at startups I know and recommend.
How to Break Into Tech—Or Find A New Role In The Biz
Read this one first. Especially if you don’t have a startup or tech job but want one! I’ve helped dozens of folks get tech jobs with these strategies.
7 Ways to Find Your Startup Dream Job
If you’re applying to jobs on websites, you’re doing it wrong.
Here's What Startup Leadership Looks Like
How to move up quickly and become an invaluable employee. Hint: it’s the soft skills not the hard ones.
4 Stages to Expect After Joining a Startup
If it feels messy, that’s normal. A high-growth startup told me this article is required reading for new hires!
7 Steps to Create Your Own Startup Role
I’ve shaped my perfect role at multiple companies — and had a blast along the way. Here’s what works when there’s no playbook.
Want to dive even deeper?
Here’s advice I’ve given to startup leaders on hiring and career growth over the years!
Understanding how startups evaluate candidates can help you in the interview process and beyond.
How To Hire Stellar Startup Interns (applies to all hires!)
In-House or Outsourced? Here's How to Find the Right Fit (+ 5 Contractors We Love)
Need to Hire But Don't Have Funding? 8 Scrappy Ways To Get S**t Done!
I’ve been lucky enough to see and work for many great startups.
I’ve also had a front row seat to F500 companies. And I read business news.
Which is why I say:
All jobs are “risky”!
Industries come and go. Large companies do layoffs or cut products and teams regularly and unexpectedly. Businesses lose important customers and adjust headcount. Pandemics hit. Political priorities change.
What’s not risky?
Your attitude and skills.
Investing in yourself.
Doing work you love.
In my experience, smart go-getters, when hit with unexpected job changes, land on their feet quickly, regardless of industry or company size!
It’s hard to predict how any job or company will work out.
IMO - doing interesting work with good people is always a smart choice, wherever that takes you!
Startups have a ton of upside too.
Financial, yes, but also getting to take on big projects that you’re not “qualified” for that build your resume, confidence, and skill set.
So if you need some talking points for yourself or your family, remind them that everything’s risky. Might as well go for it. 😉
Just a sampling of jobs I’ve heard about recently from founders I know and trust (as of March 2025 - things move fast at startups so act now!).
If a great company is hiring, get a seat on the rocketship!
If you’re a startup that’s hiring, please link to open roles in the comments!
Hypepotamus Job Board and Atlanta Tech Village Job Board are also great resources.
If you’re a startup who told me about a role and I didn’t list it here, apologies in advance. I’m a tired mom of 2 who is training for a marathon, working full time, and writing a blog post every week. No intentional slights, just a fallible human brain! 😂
Great Startups Who Are Hiring
Carpool Logistics - 9 open roles w/special shoutout for Exec Assistant/Chief of Staff for my ops generalists 😉
Dr. Noze Best - Customer Success Manager, Social Media & Influencer Manager
P.S. More on Undaunted & The Perlant here and Carpool just raised $12M Series A!
If you apply to one of these, let me know! I’ll put in a good word for an O’Daily reader. 😉
Share other startup job listings below and add any favorite advice for breaking into startups or growing your career at one!
Here are some wild and crazy hiring strategies that top startups use.
Read MoreHere are some wild and crazy startup hiring strategies.
And by wild and crazy, I mean, not-that-crazy but easy to overlook when you get caught up in the whirlwind of hiring.
If you’ve recently raised money or brought in a slew of customers, you’re thinking about how to grow the team.
I’m a huge fan of using low/no-cost options as much as possible and really analyzing if you need a full-time hire or not.
Here are 4 more strategies I’ve seen work phenomenally well for startups!
Call me crazy but I love a hiring plan where new hires get “unlocked” when you reach certain revenue milestones.
Some investors want you to hire quickly so you can grow and scale.
Yes, of course! Put the influx of cash to good use. If you wanted to grow organically, don’t raise venture capital.
But also, having a measured approach can be educational and motivational for the team (“We get to hire more people when we hit revenue numbers”) and save a lot of heartache (“We scaled too quickly and now need to let people go”).
You can, of course, blend the two approaches also. Hire aggressively with revenue safe guards or contingencies on the plan.
I spoke to a founder who was considering hiring for a commission-only business development role.
Me: “It’s hard to find someone for a role like that.”
Founder: “I have someone great who is a friend of a friend.”
Me: “WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO???? Hire them today!!!!”
Time, effort, and likelihood of finding The Person are always factors in startup hiring!
If you know someone great for a role, that is wildly different than when you have to create, post and promote a job, then do 100 interviews, and maybe find someone.
Of course, sometimes, you need a specific, senior hire, you know it will take a while, and that’s just the price you pay for someone who is mission critical to scaling.
(But maybe you can contract out parts of the work for now or look for someone junior with high potential…?)
Opportunistic hires also factor into decisions and planning. If someone amazing drops into your lap, it may be smart to reprioritize or hire ahead!
Speaking of opportunistic hiring…could two part-time roles be done by one person with a unique background?
Maybe a customer success hire also loves event planning so they could handle customers and conference planning?
The HR person who also edits blogs and owns recruiting.
The marketing manager who onboards customers.
The inside sales rep who does social media.
(All real examples btw!)
Not forever, of course, but getting creative and leveraging the strengths of your team is key in the early days.
Be open to that combo role and people who can wear multiple hats.
If your office manager wants to do some cold calling or respond to support tickets, sounds great to me!
Do you want to be able to adjust your monthly burn quickly if needed? Are you running an experiment or have very seasonal needs for some functions?
It might be more cost-effective to hire in-house but some founders use contractors or consultants so they can adjust priorities or spend quickly.
It’s much easier to tweak spend on a project, adjust deliverables, or not renew a monthly contract than regularly hiring, firing, or cutting pay.
It’s WAY better for company morale and can cost less long term when you factor in severance pay, onboarding costs, and recruiter fees.
Have you leveraged any of these strategies? Do you have other hiring strategies you’d recommend? I’d love to hear what worked or didn’t work!
If you’re a woman who is thinking about starting a company, here’s my top advice!
Read MoreIf you’re a woman who is thinking about starting a company, here’s my top advice!
Spoiler alert: applies to founders of all genders, ages, sizes, shapes, backgrounds, sock length, everyone!
My not-so-secret BHAG is 10 unicorn companies ($1B valuation or higher) founded by women in the Southeast in the next 10 years.
I’ve written about strategies that unicorn founders embrace (part 1, part 2) and how male leaders can support women.
There’s a lot of unique challenges women face like, say, centuries of discrimination and being responsible for carrying on the human race. (Ahem, help on the homefront please!)
But if you get certain things right early on, the path to success is a little smoother.
Smart people (aka founders) take every advantage they can get!
If you’ve never heard me on my soapbox (presentation slides with summary) or you’re in the trenches and need a friendly reminder, here’s my top 5 pieces of advice I share alllll the time!
Building a business is tough. Ask any founder of any size company.
It’s hard to build a big business. But it’s hard to build a small business too!
We’ve seen first hand with companies like Salesloft and Calendly. Yes, the founders are amazing and worked their ass off. But that’s true of founders of smaller companies too!
It’s not 100x harder to build a company 100x bigger.
But the impact is 100x bigger.
So…why not go big???
Building a big business means:
more job creation
helping more customers
bigger impact in the world
larger wealth creation for you, your employees, philanthropic interests
How do you build big?
It starts with your intention and ambition.
When you set your sights higher, it changes how you act, think, and plan!
Hopefully you’re tired of hearing me say this!
Great founders who pick small markets will never build a big company. They have limited themselves from day 1.
Pick a BIG market!
Here’s the math:
$1B valuation usually means ~$100M in ARR with very high growth potential.
Presumably, one day, you could be at $1B ARR. Yes, B as in billion.
So how big does the market need to be for you to make $1B of revenue?
Bigger than $1B!
Even the world’s greatest businesses don’t have 100% of a market. 50% is incredible. 10% is amazing.
So, you need a market that’s at least tens of billions.
Okay, got it. But how do you pick a big market?
At Atlanta Ventures, we like markets that are small but growing so we grow as the market grows. Ideally, something that will be really big in 3-5 years.
Examples are robotics, “third spaces,” video AI, sales AI, and things (like dev tooling) that help companies make more money!
Bonus points for B2B SaaS. Investors love B2B SaaS companies for a reason. High margin, good CAC, low churn.
Lastly, your product doesn’t need to be unique! Market is way more important.
Sounds obvious but you would be shocked at how many founders don’t talk about money!
To build a great business, you have to stay focused on:
what people will pay for (the value you create)
how you make money (have a viable business model)
learning quickly (understand what’s normal or possible)
The fastest way to do this is making money (revenue, business metrics, contract terms, pricing) part of everyday conversation.
Here’s common ways founders can (and should!) talk about money:
every day at your company (even if you don’t have revenue!)
weekly, during a metrics review
at events with other business people
Great entrepreneurs do this practically automatically.
When I’m around top founders, the conversation always turns to sales, profit, business models, and growth plans. People ask about and share specifics!
At any stage of your startup journey, talking about money is one of the best ways to learn and improve your business!
You know what’s hard?
Learning to read.
Having a baby.
Paying off debt.
Getting into college.
Playing sports.
Learning something new.
Doing things you’re scared of.
Dealing with loss or mental illness.
Building a company is hard too.
BUT YOU DO HARD THINGS ALL THE TIME.
Most things seem overwhelming at first, when they are unknown, or if you think about them in totality.
You don’t build a billion dollar business overnight. You build it over 10 years, one day, one customer, one feature, one problem at a time.
I have often talked to people doing insanely hard things (e.g. founding and running 2 bootstrapped companies with a newborn at home) who shy away from building a venture-scale company because it would be “too hard.”
It’s hilarious in that not-funny-at-all kind of way because if you look at what they’re doing or already accomplished…they move mountains daily and think it’s normal!
If you’re feeling intimidated or worried, think back to all the hard shit you’ve done.
Building a business is hard but YOU DO HARD THINGS ALL THE TIME!!!
I’ve said it 100x and I’ll say it again:
Act and communicate with confidence (even if you don’t feel it).
Understand the unwritten rules of VC to feel more confident.
Use these 3 tips to build credibility with anyone.
To get better, you have to be the worst. Get started.
If money is the love language of investors, confidence is the secret currency.
You don’t need to feel confident every moment. But you do need to project confidence around customers, investors, and employees. When you believe, they believe.
It’s palpable, infectious (in a good way 😜), and — drumroll please — YOU CAN IMPROVE IT with practice and awareness.
Founders, what was the most helpful advice when you got started? Investors, what advice do you share with founders? Any tips especially for or from women founders?
Money is the language of business. Here's how to have a not-awkward conversation about it!
Read MoreTalking about money is SO IMPORTANT.
Possibly the easiest and most impactful way to improve your startup or make more money.
I spell it out with these 5 examples.
But how do you actually do it if you’re not used to money talk?
“Talking” really means “asking questions” which leads to helpful conversations!
What are the unwritten rules about these questions and conversations?
Here are my best how-to tips to get a money conversation started!
Get the information that will help you negotiate better deals, understand term sheets, pay (or ask for) market rate salaries, and 100 other benefits of talking about money!
If you’re new to asking about finances, contracts, margin, revenue, or other money and business topics, here’s 5 suggestions to get started!
Keep it to an intimate conversation or small group to start. Often people can’t share info in public settings but they can (or will) privately.
Important: don’t believe the news!
Often what’s reported publicly is not the full story. Get the nuanced info from an insider.
Of course you are asking about money. And of course they are going to answer you. You don’t need to be apologetic or act like it’s confidential.
Asking questions in a neutral, matter-of-fact way is a key business skill!
It may take a few tries to nail the right tone. That’s okay!
Just get started (ideally with a founder friend or mentor) so you can get the awkward ones out of the way.
If you’re not sure how someone will react, an indirect money question is a good warm up:
What’s a typical salary for a role like that?
What kinds of offers did you see when you raised money?
What’s the price range per square foot for property like this?
You’re not asking personal financial specifics. It’s a general, informational question.
You can even ask about non-money numbers to start:
How many sales people do you have? How quickly are you hiring?
Approx how many deals per quarter are you closing?
How many locations do you have? Do they vary in size or pretty standard?
Here’s the funny part.
Most (business) people will immediately jump in and say:
Oh, I’ll just tell you. Here’s what we paid. Here are the terms we negotiated. Here’s our margin. And this is what we’re going to do this quarter and next quarter.
Seriously.
Business people love to talk about money!
Occasionally, someone will give me a vague or general answer. UGH. Annoying.
Then I explain:
I love hearing about the specifics so I can learn and share with other founders so they know what is normal.
Floodgates unlocked!
If you explain that you want to learn, you love business, you’re building a startup and want to negotiate well for all involved, I guarantee people will share!
I do NOT recommend talking about money at the next church potluck or school party.
(Or at least feel them out carefully — see #3!)
A lot of people fall into the “money is private” category. Or, sadly, the “I don’t understand money” category.
I DO think the world would be a better place if we could talk more honestly and openly about money.
(Note: posting expensive things on social media is NOT the same as talking about money!)
I encourage everyone, especially people historically excluded from financial systems (ahem, women and people of color), to normalize talking about money and sharing financial information!
High tide raises all boats. Expensive boats. Like yachts.
How much did that yacht cost, btw? 😉
When you go out to lunch with business friends and only talk about revenue, COGS, and growth projections…
When you get a great holiday gift and start asking questions about the cost and time to make 30 homemade cookie cakes…
When you go to a store, meet the owner, and ask what their highest volume and margin items are…
CONGRATULATIONS!
You’re a money conversationalist and certified business nerd.
What strategies do you use to broach sensitive business topics? Do you find that people share information if you ask? What’s the most random money conversation you’ve had??
Your startup is your baby. Here's how to plan for human babies at your startup too!
Read MoreYour startup is your baby.
Sometimes people at startups have human babies too!
You want to do the right thing, but money is tight, parental leave policies can be daunting, and you’re still a teeny company!
I’ve been through 2 parental leaves at startups (2-for-2 as the first woman to go on leave), plus seen or supported many friends and colleagues.
I’ve shared tips on prepping for leave:
And tips for scrappy startups to support new parents:
Today we cover 6 key considerations for parental leave at startups (and beyond!)
Especially if:
you don’t have kids
you have kids but forgot everything about the first year (all hands go up 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️)
you have kids but weren’t at a startup so it was totally different
Whether you’re the expecting parent or someone on your team has a baby on the way, here are 6 insights to help with planning and parental leave!
P.S. Unrelated But Fun!
Fresh, new Substack from Front Porch Venture Partners, a VC firm here in the Southeast. I had a great time as Joe Mancini’s first guest! Check it out here.
Okay, back to babies…
As the COO and first woman to go on parental leave, I was in a weird spot.
I was trying to balance company interests with what would help my family.
I didn’t want to be seen as selfish, especially not when I was already feeling vulnerable in my career as a pregnant woman. (“Is she going to come back after the baby? Will she be the same?? What’s she even going to do when she’s back?”)
It was way harder to advocate for myself as the policy maker and recipient than it was for me to advocate for others!
#PROTIP
Understand the pros/cons of asking someone to design their own leave
Talk to other parents (outside your company) about their leave experiences and company policies
Ask other founders
Ask questions about leave proposals to understand the thought process, what was added or cut, and why
Be as generous as you can or suggest to make something better; people always remember when you did more than you had to, especially at pivotal life moments!
Some people want to be totally disconnected. Others get more stressed not knowing what’s going on at work.
There’s no “right” way to do parental leave.
Supporting what a parent actually wants (not what you think is best) is truly the most supportive thing!
#PROTIP
Be flexible where you can. It’s your startup superpower!
Don’t “leave-shame” or compare people’s leaves (or returns-to-work) on your team. Support everyone’s choices.
The best laid plans…get punched in the face by tiny humans!
Maybe it’s an unexpected c-section or maternal health issue. (Check out Mere Health! 😉)
Maybe a medical or lactation issue means more doctor appointments (aka a 3 hour undertaking with a baby 😂).
Maybe a new parent thought they could do a few hours per week but turns out that feeding a baby takes 8 hours/day.
(MATH: 8 feeds/day * 1 hr/feed * 7 days/week = 56 hours/week. Yep, it’s like a startup job!)
#PROTIP
Be open to plans changing. You’re good at this! #startups
If a new parent reaches out about a change in their leave plans, they’re probably already having a tough time. They will always remember your support.
Excuse me while I get on my soapbox.
THE BEST WAY TO HELP WORKING MOMS IS TO GIVE WORKING DADS MORE LEAVE.
(Yes, talking about male-female relationships specifically because of this research. Same-sex marriages divide labor more evenly. )
When Dads have more leave, they get a chance to be the default parent.
Multiple benefits to this:
Moms return to work with less stress and more focus and energy to fully re-engage. Baby is home with Dad and no childcare logistics (yet).
Dads learn the details of baby schedules, feeding, sleep patterns, and all the other kid logistics. Making it easier to take more ownership going forward!
If you want more women to stay in the workforce long term (at your company or in general), think about the Dads too!
#PROTIP
Give Dads the same leave as Moms
Correct terms are: “birthing parent and non-birthing parent” or “primary caregiver and secondary caregiver”
Is now a good time to mention adoption, fostering, surrogacy and other ways that families grow?? Be inclusive in your language and planning!
I was surprised to find out my maternity leave paystub was based on last year’s W2 and not my current salary (which can vary wildly at a high growth startup).
Not a fun surprise tbh. 🙃
It wasn’t the company’s fault. It was how the short term disability was paid out. I had assumed and didn’t confirm. ALWAYS CONFIRM!
#PROTIP
Help expecting parents get specifics about their pay before going out
Start the process several months prior because it may take a while, especially for commission-based roles, if they’re the “first,” or it’s administered by a third party (like short term disability provider).
You know what’s harder than parental leave and newborns?
Working full-time with a tiny baby!
Daycare, doctor appointments, feedings, cleaning bottles and pumps, nighttime wake-ups, and having no time to yourself…are all new things that parents are navigating when they return to work!
Not to mention finding time to bathe yourself, wear adult clothes (without spit up stains), and cook food.
Those are just the tactical items.
There’s also an emotional tsunami:
Can I still do good work?
Is my baby ok?
Am I doing the right thing?
How do I find the time to get it all done?
What the f do I wear because none of my clothes fit?? Do I really have to buy new clothes??!! Where can I buy a black muu-muu?? When do I have time to shop??? (Insert Fashivly 😂)
Often the hardest time with an infant is the transition back to work.
#PROTIP:
Schedule flexibility is HUGE — working from home, leaving early/arriving late to accommodate daycare schedules (or spend more daytime hours with your baby!), or heading out in a hurry to get a sick kid.
If a woman is breastfeeding, she may need to pump (~3x/day for 30 minutes) during the workday — in addition to the other new responsibilities and logistics listed above. CDC has a great write up.
When in doubt → meals.
When someone is having a baby, it’s a great time to be a little more patient, flexible, and generous.
A great performer before a baby will be a great performer after a baby too!
It may take an adjustment and a little time but they’ll be back.
If you’re wondering who on your team is absolutely destrominating their priority list…follow the goldfish crumbs to the desk of a working parent!
Necessity breeds efficiency!
What have you seen work well for parental leave at startups? Any advice for expecting parents at startups? If you had a baby while at a startup, what do you wish you would have known?
Real strategies used by founders that are low cost or free!
Read MoreWe’ve shared a lot of resources about startup hiring:
3 Simple Strategies For Employee Onboarding (Template Included!)
How To Hire Stellar Startup Interns (applies to all hires!)
…to name a few 😜
But we have never dug into the important underlying topic:
SHOULD you hire?
And of course:
What do you do when you want to hire but can’t afford to?
Which is actually every startup at some point because resources are constrained and there’s always too much to do!
We keep it scrappy ourselves in our venture studio. We have a small full-time team and many experiments and companies at different stages at any given time. Gotta stay creative and lean when getting stuff done!
Here’s an overview (aka friendly reminder and sanity check?!?) of hiring tradeoffs plus 8 free or low cost ways to get things done without a full-time hire!
First things first — do you even need to hire?
The best startups, regardless of their financial position, are always careful and intentional about hiring.
More cash cushion and budgetary flexibility
Move faster, less bureaucracy
Fewer systems, processes, meetings, emails
Fewer people to manage the additional people (hiring results in more hiring)
Higher pay, better benefits
Avoiding layoffs. When you do layoffs (which is different than firing someone because of performance), people lose trust and top performers start looking elsewhere.
Increased workload, stress, risk of employee attrition
Less career mobility (no new roles opening)
Slower product, sales, or company growth
But it’s always great to explore all options before pulling the trigger on a new role!
Duhhhhhhh. Can you build an internal tool quickly with Cursor, spin up a CustomGPT, or use an “out-of-the-box” AI tool (aka a wrapper) for your specific use case like creating presentations, analyzing data, prepping for sales calls, or building beautiful videos?
Can you buy or build a tool that solves the problem or does 90% of the work? (See “Use AI'“ above 😁) Zapier for anything is a great start. It may take a bit of time to research and implement but hiring humans takes time too!
Duckbill is $100/mo. And Jacey Cadet has a 50% discount code for you ;)
They can do scheduling, calendar invites, research, travel reservations, gift ordering, and anything else you can think of online.
Cheaper and more effective (for now) than Agentic AI.
I love the idea of “requiring” employees to have a virtual assistant and see who can use their assistant the most.
Technically it is hiring, but there’s no better startup ROI than interns. (More here on why I love interns and how to vet and hire top intern talent!)
You can find them for sales, marketing, engineering, anything. They are also eager to learn and can dig in on a new technology or subject when others don’t have bandwidth.
(Contractors can also be very cost-effective depending on the person and project!)
Can you trade work-for-work with another founder? I know a founder who bartered sales training for an app build!
Or maybe you can offer career coaching, work experience, and a great reference to a recent college grad in exchange for a few social posts per week?
You have skills and talents that can help others. Post on LinkedIn or ask your network for what you need.
Pre-sell your product or sell a solution that’s manual behind-the-scenes while you get enough revenue to build the tech version. Not exactly doing the work but a good way to validate that it makes sense to hire and generate the cash to do so.
Pay for results only. I know of several founders who have found interns, friends, or side hustlers willing to cold call or set demos in commission-only roles. Not a forever thing but a great way to test a market or strategy before hiring.
Sometimes a founder or the team gets fixated on “needing” a role and loses sight of the big picture. Is this work still a priority? Should it be a priority? If you don’t hire, what happens? Does this role generate revenue or pay for itself quickly?
Even startups with plenty of money use these strategies frequently.
Keep your hustle muscle strong! 💪💪💪
The best businesses (regardless of cash position) stay focused on efficiency, speed, budget, and ROI.
Do you have other scrappy ways to get stuff done? Other tools, services, or fun stories? Founders are the best at creatively solving problems! Share what has worked for you.
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