How to work with an early stage startup founder !? (2024)

How to work with an early stage startup founder !? (1)

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Dudy Cohen How to work with an early stage startup founder !? (2)

Dudy Cohen

Startups Account Executive @ Amazon Web Services (AWS) ☁️

Published Aug 7, 2023

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After a year and a half at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and a level promotion (!) I thought about sharing a bit of my experience so far.

My role at AWS is to assist the growth and development of early stage startups. As part of our early stage startups team, one of our main focus is to help early stage start-ups grow on AWS but what is more important, is to act as their partner throughout their journey, both from a technology point of view as well as from a business point of view.

I am excited to be able to use my skills and experience to help early-stage startup founders succeed.I see it as an opportunity to be part of something exciting and new, and to help build a company from the ground up from the perspective of a strategic partner who will only care about helping to make the company successful and nothing else.

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In this post, I decided to share some of the knowledge that I have gained from working with this unique persona called a founder of a startup. Here are 10 tips on how to work successfully with founders of an early stage startup.

  1. Be clear about the value your can create for the founder. What are your responsibilities to the company? What are the expectations of the founders? Make sure that everyone is on the same page about what you are there to do.
  2. Go beyond your scope of role and responsibilities. Founders wear many hats, do so as well.
  3. Be patient and understanding. Early stage startups are often chaotic and unpredictable. Founders are under a lot of pressure to make things work, and they may not always have the time or resources to do everything perfectly.
  4. Be supportive and encouraging. Founders need a lot of support to get their companies off the ground. Help them to stay focused on their goals and to overcome challenges.
  5. Be realistic about expectations, early stage startups are high risk. According the Crunch-base 90% of startups will fails, even startups that got their first check will not succeed. Be realistic with founders about the risks involved and help them to make informed decisions.
  6. Listen and adapt. Early stage startups are constantly changing. Learn new things and to adapt to change. Be open to feedback and be willing to make mistakes.
  7. If you are not passionate about the company's vision, it will be difficult to succeed. If you can't imagine how the founders will get there, be passionate about the company's milestones. Make sure that you believe in what the company is doing and that you are excited to be a part of it.
  8. Do your research. Before you work with a founder, take the time to learn about their company and their industry. What is their product or service? Who are their target customers? What are the competitive landscape? The more you know about the company, the better equipped you will be to help them succeed.
  9. Take risks, it worth it. Jeff Bezos said, “Failure and invention are inseparable twins.”
  10. Tell me your 10th.

If you are willing to put in the hard work and dedication, working with early stage founders can be super rewarding experience, you can be part of something new.

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Monica Kochar

Math Learning, Assessment and Product Strategist

5mo

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Thanks 👍 Looking forward to the 10th from someone.

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Omri Gilad

Reduce K8s costs by up to 80% | Account Executive at ScaleOps

8mo

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Great stuff!

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Tom Yehezkel

SOC Analyst

8mo

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Good job Dudy 👏🏼

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Levi Saada

Driving Digital Transformation @ MongoDB Israel ☁️

8mo

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Super insightful Dudy

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Mohammed Abou Seif

Account Executive - helping startups grow

8mo

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Well done!!!

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How to work with an early stage startup founder !? (2024)

FAQs

How to work with an early stage startup founder !? ›

Be patient and understanding. Early stage startups are often chaotic and unpredictable. Founders

Founders
“The term 'founder' describes your relationship to the history of the business,” William Pietri, Startup CTO, and Lean Startup expert, says. Founders are the key to an organizational growth and high performance. They must raise money, provide resources, and advertise the company.
https://www.linkedin.com › pulse › what-so-special-founders-s...
are under a lot of pressure to make things work, and they may not always have the time or resources to do everything perfectly. Be supportive and encouraging.

How do I connect to early stage startups? ›

Start by connecting with a few startup incubators or accelerators, small business development centres, etc. Once you have identified potential mentors or startup founders, you can request them to have a brief interview with them. Make a list of all the essential questions you need to ask.

Should you work for an early stage startup? ›

Depends whether you want to be a fish in an ocean, or a pond. The learning is a lot more faster and hands on, in start ups. You get to work with the senior management directly and you can make a difference, if you want to. If you are looking for a stable job with guaranteed monthly salary, then join a corporate.

What is the personality type of a startup founder? ›

Specific personality traits give founders an edge.

The two traits with the biggest impact on startup success are conscientiousness and neuroticism. Conscientiousness is helpful in the early-fundraising stage when planning and attention-to-detail are critical.

How much salary should a startup founder take? ›

The median founder salary for startups with five or fewer employees was $93,000, while the median for more than 50 employees was $200,000. The highest salary for fewer than five was $500,000, and the highest salary for more than 50 was $400,000.

How to connect with startup founders? ›

First, consider attending startup events. These events are often designed to connect startup founders with potential investors, customers, and employees. By attending these events, you'll be able to meet a lot of startup founders in one place and get a sense of whatthey are working on.

When should I leave an early stage startup? ›

If you find yourself craving established processes and already-defined objectives, you may prefer to work at later-stage startups and the company that you're currently working at is too early in its life. Another sign is that you're unhappy with the level of impact that you bring to the product.

Do early stage startups pay well? ›

Working for a startup almost always involves taking a salary cut, i.e. being paid lower than market rate. However, startup employees expect to receive other forms of compensation—usually equity in the company—with the hope that these will make up for the lost wages in the long run.

What is the failure rate of early stage startups? ›

The failure rate for new startups is currently 90%. 10% of new businesses don't survive the first year. First-time startup founders have a success rate of 18%.

What is the average age of first startup? ›

The study reveals that the average age of successful startup founders is between 35-45.

What is the mindset of a startup founder? ›

Adopting a startup mindset means focusing on the here and now, not worrying about what tomorrow will look like. Don't get distracted by worrying about the unknown, use your curiosity as motivation to learn and be ready for a lot of lessons.

What skills are required for startup founder? ›

A startup founder must have a solid understanding of financial management. They need to be able to create and manage budgets, forecast cash flow, and make sound financial decisions. Being able to effectively allocate resources and monitor financial performance is vital for the long-term sustainability of the business.

What is the difference between a startup and a founder? ›

A founder is someone who has an idea for a business or product and transforms that idea into a company. Startups often feature multiple partners with unique skills and build a company's groundwork before hiring their first employee. An entrepreneur starts or invests in a company as a source of income.

How many hours should a startup founder work? ›

While it's a myth that every startup requires you to work overtime every week, most startup employees put in 50-60 hours per week, and many founders put in 60-100 per week. Your body ultimately needs sleep, food, relaxation, and even boredom to function properly.

What is a reasonable salary for a startup? ›

Startup Salary
Annual SalaryHourly Wage
Top Earners$111,000$53
75th Percentile$95,500$46
Average$87,849$42
25th Percentile$78,000$38

How to find very early stage startups? ›

Another option is to search for local entrepreneur groups in your region. Many universities offer mentorship programs and even have startup pitch competitions. These programs are typically best if you're looking for early-stage investment opportunities as these founders are college students just getting started.

How to find early stage founders? ›

How To Find a Co-Founder or Early Startup Team Member
  1. Write a job description for the person you're seeking. ...
  2. Consider people who you've worked well with in the past. ...
  3. Every conversation is an opportunity to connect with a potential co-founder or team member. ...
  4. Work your network.

Is joining early stage startup good? ›

Being an early employee at a startup can be incredibly lucrative and a chance to grow generational wealth — how exciting! In early companies, resources are limited and that may reduce how much cash compensation a startup can offer.

How do I find emerging startups? ›

One of the most effective ways to find fast-growing startups to join is by using tools like Crunchbase and AngelList. These online platforms provide comprehensive databases of startups, including information on their founders, funding rounds, and key metrics like revenue and growth.

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