What is a startup operator?
a.k.a. the most ill-defined, but important role every startup needs
I’ve been a startup operator for over 8 years now, and if I had a penny dollar1 for every time I’ve been asked “So you’re in operations… what do you actually do?,” I wouldn’t be hustling to make my equity worth something. 😉
While my answer has changed over the years, I’ve never felt fully satisfied with the generalist descriptors, including:
“I wear many hats… from strategy to customer support”
“I’m the Swiss Army knife of the company who figures things out”
“I connect the dots in our team and make things run more smoothly”
The truth is, despite being a prior startup co-founder and now COO at Abridge, I’ve always felt some insecurity in not having a crisp definition of what my role entails, especially when the responsibilities and the challenges constantly change. Unlike a subject matter expert who continues to hone and master their skills over time, I find myself continuing to reinvent myself and my role, depending on the current needs of the business and its people.
At the same time, no two days are the same, and that’s one of the most exciting parts about this role. I continuously shift from operating at 30,000 feet high, to street-level. For example, on any given day I could be leading a strategy session, figuring out a Slack workflow integration, providing feedback on a press release, or ordering a laptop for a new employee.
But, one thing is for sure: as a startup operator, my job is to leverage my generalist skillset to make the company successful. I shapeshift as needed. I get shit done.
Someone recently told me, “If you’ve met one operator, you’ve met one operator.” And to some extent, I think this is true. But I also believe there are many common skills, challenges, and questions startup operators face. The trouble is that startup operators are often n=1 within a given startup (especially at an early stage), and there aren’t as many opportunities to share knowledge within a smaller company.
That’s why I’m creating this space — a place to aggregate tactical advice that helps startup operators accelerate our collective learnings. As a pragmatic dreamer, my hope is that together, we can find a way to go faster and move decades in a day.
If you’re facing any current challenges in your role as an operator, I’d love to hear them in the comments! Thanks for reading, and looking forward to what’s next, together!
… because it’s 2022 and inflation 🤷🏻♀️
Excited for this Substack!! Congrats on getting the first post out.
Are you still working there? My startup is looking for an operator. We will blow your mind.