Six months ago, I "pivoted" my career: I swapped 20 years in the corporate world for experience in a technology startup. Since I made the change, many people have come to me for a cup of coffee. I decided to share what I've learned from the new economy. One thing's for sure: here, everything happens in the blink of an eye.
Think big and accelerate: while big companies struggle to grow by a few digits, startups can double every year. The market is maturing: according to the Brazilian Association of Startups (Abstartups), there are 12,000 in Brazil, 11 of which have become unicorns (reaching a market value of US$ 1 billion). The latest to join this group, Loft, took just 16 months to do so.
This growth is mainly due to the courage to choose a challenge to solve and accelerate learning, without fear of making mistakes, the famous "fail fast". In large companies, the innovation process depends on a series of validations in an attempt to avoid mistakes. As time is money for both sides, in startups the solution has already been put into practice - and it's the customer who is going to test it.
Putting it into practice: taking risks is part of the game. If risking the whole is too much, how about starting with parts, brands or a sector of the company?
For startups: planning can help with efficiency. It helps you scale your business faster, plan what you're going to test and gradually adjust your business model.
Culture at the heart of everything: I came from companies with strong cultures, rituals and modus operandi that were repeated for generations and in different regions of the world. I was charmed by Acesso Digital's culture, the truth and the concern to build it from the ground up. I see this in other startups too.
Putting it into practice: it's very important to know what you want to be and what you don't want to be. Define purpose, values and rituals to determine the company's actions and the type of talent it will attract.
There is a lot of exchange and benchmarking between startups. You can and should learn from those who have already lived through it. Cutting corners, copying and pasting. These exchanges would bring immense power to large companies.
Celebrate! Here, everyone knows when we've won over a client. The horn blows loudly and the stickers are shared on WhatsApp. Okay, we have 230 employees. But you can do this with your team, it makes all the difference!
People who wear the shirt: anyone who thinks that young people can't lead and inspire is mistaken. Diego Martins, our CEO, started the company at the age of 23. Although we also have young leaders in large companies, this is reflected in startups on a daily basis: fewer hierarchies and more eye-to-eye.
It's great to work with young people. They are questioners, dreamers, hungry to do and learn. Mixing with older people can accelerate growth: they bring knowledge of team management, strategies and processes.
Putting it into practice: bring power to the edges! In startups, there is much more autonomy: if you don't do it, it won't get done. The lean structure empowers and generates incredible energy. Think more about where you want to go and less about how. Let your team figure it out. They'll certainly do better because they're close to the operation.
Communicate! The job of leadership is to simplify and clarify. Because you have to talk about new directions, learnings and celebrations, there is a lot of transparency on this side. The more open the conversation, the more trust.
The startup ecosystem is maturing in Brazil. They will absorb more and more professionals from large companies. At the same time, large companies need to innovate quickly and be more agile in reacting to change. We already see a movement out there: they are getting closer to startups, either through partnerships or acquisitions. This mix will be good for business and the talents involved. Take a chance!
