Kickoff’s Post

Oh, how I have missed helping startups reach their goals! As most of you know, I stepped away from my last COO role at an edtech startup to deal with a prolonged illness. Now I am looking to return to project management, process improvement and advising new and small companies. If you know of a company that could use my skill set, or just want to catch up, I’d love to hear from you. Below is a little bit more about my experience and role preferences. Most of my background is in fintech and project/operations management. I was one of the initial hires for three of the five start-ups I’ve worked at and rose to the role of COO at two of them. I have also personally run development operations and held product management and marketing positions. Before moving to the tech world, I was a corporate and international banker. During my career break I formalized my experience and obtained a scrum certificate. I also created and taught a class for teens on time and project management. I became an expert writer of a regular blog on developments in economics and real estate. Last summer I joined a journalism startup, which leveraged my written communication skills and background in product definition. My broad skill set is best used to assist management in moving their company forward operationally. The exact role is less important than the impact it can have, but typical titles would be project manager, program manager, executive in residence or operations consultant. At this time, I am focused on part time work, with the expectation that I can increase hours sometime next year. I would prefer a hybrid or in person role. I am open to consulting engagements or regular employment. Thanks for taking the time to read this longer post. I hope to hear from you soon. 

A director of client services at a huge company knew he’d make it to VP in a few years. But he was done drifting. He knew he could do the job TODAY. So we repositioned his story and connected him with some key people. The outcome: → He landed a job as the COO of a series A startup → In a brand-new industry → For a company that wasn’t even looking to hire a COO He worked HARD to make this happen. It wasn’t magic. But once people decide to stop drifting and take control of their journey… Man. What a beautiful thing to see! #careers #careerdevelopment #jobsearch #hiring #careercoach

“I’m a seasoned and detail-oriented executive looking for a mission-driven company with a great culture in a space I’m excited about.” 😆 ^^ example of what NOT to say if you’re looking for your next thing. This gives the other person no real information about you or what opportunities to send your way. Try the Mission-Sector-Stage-Role framework instead. It turns your advocates into referral sources for job opportunities. Mission: What matters to you most in your next chapter? Sector: What industry, sector or problem space are you targeting? Stage: How big of a company would you like to join? Role: What would you like to spend your time doing? Some examples: - Series A-C climatetech startups where I can continue leading Product - 3x VP Growth at early-stage consumer marketplace businesses - Targeting a growth-stage B2B SaaS startup leading Strategic Finance while learning from a killer CFO - Early-stage generalist passionate about using AI to improve the accuracy of medical procedures - VP Eng for fintech startups, usually around Series B when they’re figuring out how to scale Empower your #networking contacts to help you: be specific about what you want next using the MSSR framework. Full Job Search Strategy workshop around this topic on the NEXT Careers website if you'd like to go deeper!

I was recently asked what is a main skill to become successful in health tech? I think this skill is also vital for having a happy family, staying healthy and almost in any area of our lifes. It's the ability to solve problems. Working as manager at Flo Health Inc: 1) i hire people who can solve problems better than others 2) i promote people who learned to solve problems outside their Job description 3) i try to be a person who can solve any problem even if "i don't know how to do it" and "its not my job" In my personal life where i try to balance between being top manager in a startup and a mother of 2 y.o. and a wife i follow the rule: N created problems < N solved problems So far is has been working well 😝 But better ask my peers 👶 👨 To sum up: Become a "problem solver" not a "problem generator" - you will be amazed with changes in your life! #management #femtech  #healthtech #womenshealth #doctorjobs #managementconsulting

𝗛𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀, 👋🏻👋🏻 Did you know that a staggering 70% of you don't actually need a full-time product manager? Shocking, right? Let me share a hiring strategy that’s so out of the box, I’d wager 99% of companies haven’t even considered it. 🤯 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁? Simple: Part-time work with health insurance only. Imagine the talent pool you'd be tapping into: 💎Hungry entrepreneurs who live and breathe innovation. 💎Aspiring product managers with sky-high potential and fresh perspectives. 💎Individuals with diverse backgrounds, bringing a myriad of experiences and ideas to the table. Now, here’s the golden nugget: 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 🌟 Personally? If I landed a role like that, I’d cling to it. It would amplify my impact, enable me to deliver diverse products concurrently, and keep my creative juices flowing. It’s not just about the flexibility; it's about the potential to create something revolutionary. In this chase for the "best", many companies are blinded by the allure of candidates from Big Tech or renowned startups. But here's the twist: these individuals often hop from one company to another every couple of years. They're in pursuit of that next shiny logo for their resume, not necessarily your company's success. Why not, for a change, consider people from "other" backgrounds? People who are often overlooked as being "risky" or "too entrepreneurial". From my vantage point, sometimes the riskiest hires are those from the most sought-after backgrounds. They're in the game for the logo, not the long run. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to reconsider our biases and rethink our hiring strategies. Agree with me? #technology #startups #ProductManagement #ProductManager #product

5 strong “No BS” reasons why you should consider doing at least one consumer-service role early in your career or while you’re a student. 1. Ground reality: You understand what’s up with a consumer who bought your product. Is the consumer satisfied by the value derived from your product? How is he/she perceiving it? No other role in a startup gives you a clear picture of how the enterprise is performing in real 2. Critical reasoning: while reporting, you start refining your critical reasoning skills by dealing with absolute and percentage figures, which helps you make strong arguments for future courses of action 3. Marketing and operations: The work you do will have a direct impact on these 2 verticals if you’re being led by sensible leaders. What needs to be worked on and positioned again with better SOPs can only be cracked through customer service 4. Consumer persona and sentiments: You get to see the raw and unfiltered sentiments of the consumers while dealing with them and ultimately make a case to the management if the enter[rise is actually connecting with the right TG. If not, you understand what is the ideal persona and how to ramp up the efforts to build the bridge 5. Impactful experience: No other role is more exciting than a consumer-facing role provided you are surrounded by mature peers. It helps you refine your interpersonal, conversational, and analytical skills at an unprecedented rate If you’re looking for a role that will refine your business acumen and help you understand an industry better, a consumer-service role is a great option early in your career. Highly recommended. A 👍would be much appreciated! Helps me with analyzing the writeups. :) #startup #customerservice #business

I'm sitting on a wealth of great #talent. Despite the tumultuous #tech labor market, finding true #startup operators with the kind of #scrappy #strategic #growthmindset to take things off your plate isn't easy and I know just the folks you need. So, I'm considering adding #staffing or #fractionalsupport to Bramble and Bird Consulting. Is anyone in my #network looking for a part time or consulting #programmanager, #projectmanager or #businessanalyst? If so, let's chat. #hiring #staffing #startupgrowth #operationsmanager #businessstrategy #projectexecution #talentdevelopment

For all the aspiring and current PMs, some solid advice here. #productmanagement

What's the ultimate game-changer for any business? For us, it's a no-brainer … 🧠 We believe hiring an #ExecutiveAssistant is the strategic move every founder and CEO needs to make to become #Superpowered, reduce reactivity, and maximize their impact. But here's the thing – not just any Executive Assistant will cut it. With over 15 years of experience transforming Executive Assistants into Rockstar Engagement Managers, we've identified the top 5 qualities crucial for success. 🎯 Did we miss something? Let us know what quality you would add in the comments! #Productivity #Startup #Founder