Ground Up Ventures’ Post

::dusts off Start a Post:: Woah. As a long time LinkedIn 👀 observer 👀 , I've rarely posted here - still feeling the effects of re-reading my own cringey Facebook statuses from 2007 whenever they pop-up on Memories. Just over one year ago, I accepted a promotion from Product Manager into my first leadership position as Director of Product Integral., and I’m so grateful to have support from our leadership team + the Renegade network on my ever-continuing learning journey. Earlier this summer, I graduated from Renegade Accelerator, an eight-week course guided by the talented Amy Jo Martin and Britt Burns Hiller. With the help of my incredible small group - we delved into personal stories, our strengths, our individual brand essence, and were faced with the question “what’s the worst that can happen?” when sharing our goals with each other. While I enjoy lurking 👀 and reading 📚 , it's made possible because of the time others put into sharing their insights and experiences. My future-self would scold my present-self for not adding to the dialogue and seeing what fun could happen. So here I am. One of my Accelerator goals was to really own my career journey, knowledge, and takeaways. While my experiences might not be ✨ Silicon Valley shiny, ✨ I'd like to share some of them. Cheers to accountability. More to come.

I've worked more than 12+ hours during my early career years and still do.  (Not promoting the hustle culture) And I never regret it. Today, I’m a product manager and founding member at Livofy. Here are the top 3 lessons from the past 5 years that transformed my journey (Will help you, too) - 📍 Ownership fuels growth Why do most people live as employees only for years?  The reason is avoiding Ownership. Take on responsibilities and be accountable; you'll be the owner of the work. 📍Embrace the Power of Networking I surround myself with people wiser than me to get direct access to their guides and experiences. Opportunities lie in conversations. 📍 Adaptability is a Superpower Success lies in the progressive approach. So, I ensure to keep myself updated and adapt to the changes rather than freaking out about them. These lessons have been my guiding stars in my journey. Taking Ownership opens you to possibilities beyond your expectations. When everyone focuses on getting the work done, be the one to take charge, network, and adapt to get your life in your favour. PS: How do you keep yourself updated? 

I was asked several times this week if it was hard to go from being a CMO, to starting from point zero launching a company. The answer is simple: No, it wasn’t. Though I loved my time as a CMO and in marketing, to the point the company we started, Champion, is about solving problems for that profession, I never really considered myself a CMO. Labels are easy to come by in our careers... The ‘demand gen person’ maybe. The hacker. The financial mind. A guru of this, or a rockstar at that. It’s easy to let those labels just define our path. Particularly if we're successful in something (whatever definition of that) and worked hard for it, the label that perhaps we were once proud to receive, can start feel more like a shackle. The more we tie our identity to a label, the harder it becomes to leave that label behind. I've always found it to be a helpful reminder: We aren't our jobs. Nor our titles. Nor our past successes or failures. Nor any other label we give ourselves (maybe it's as simple as... I'm not creative! Or, I'm just not talented at learning new languages!). We are us, blank slates if we choose to be, capable of much more than the labels we're given or give ourselves. And knowing that makes it easier, when the time is right, to detach and open the doors to new adventure.

The best thing I did when starting my career 👇 Never work from home. Here are a few reasons why... 1️⃣ Raise awareness of different roles Working from home only allows you to interact with the functions that you partner with regularly. By going into the office, you can see and learn about business areas you didn’t know existed, which can accelerate your career progression. I started at Lawpath in a purely marketing role that rarely interacted with the Product function. By going into the office and informally chatting to our product manager, I understood there was a gap in feature launch strategy, leading to my interest in product marketing and GTM. 2️⃣ Improved learning velocity Contact time spent with more senior managers is correlated with rate of learning. By going into the office, you increase your contact time and fasten your feedback loop beyond virtual meetings. I went from not knowing a thing about Google Ads to owning the strategy of an account spending $10k/month within 6 months of starting thanks to me being able to ask questions at anytime. 3️⃣ Build your network Being in an office environment, you interact with folks outside of your department more informally, leaving time to better understand their role and if it suits you. I never would’ve understood how my work plays into a wider marketing team if I didn’t go into the office and see what other team members worked on after standup. -- P.S. shout-out to the two best managers I could've ever asked for in my first role Tom Willis Samitha Sajan

#AssetRush is not your typical finance event! With a unique format and dynamic atmosphere, we’re changing the game and setting ourselves apart from the rest. Here’s how: - Engaging 5-minute presentations - Skilled moderation Damian Horner combines the festival atmosphere with serious topics - Top-notch production values, surpassing typical finance events - High-quality international networking opportunities 💡 Benefits of participating in AssetRush include professional coaching, exposure to 1000+ enthusiastic attendees, high-quality video and image content, a teaser video with Damian Horner, and a high-quality booth provided by AssetRush. 🎊 And the best part? AssetRush is not as stiff as other events. We’re all about creating an active and exciting atmosphere that encourages networking, learning, and innovation. Join us and see for yourself! https://hubs.ly/Q02kPCKD0 #alternativeinvestments #innovation #diversification #networking

Before taking an ops job, particularly at a smaller company, Ask them: 🔄 - How many ops folks were in the role before you? 🔑 - What key initiatives did they work on? 🧩 - What parts of the role were they very good at? �� - What parts of your tech stack did they implement? It will give you an idea of the culture, the way they envision the role, their investment in tech, and what parts of the revenue operation are likely in pretty good shape. You may also catch a few red flags 🚩🚩🚩 Or inform your 90-day plan Any and all of the above will help you make the right decision.

Since founding KidsKnowBest I’ve always felt I wanted to use my voice to inspire other founders, employers, employees and anyone that wants to be founders but never got the chance, about what it’s like to start and attempt to scale a business. I think I’ve been vocal and for the most part completely honest about the journey. Some months are harder than others. We’ve been going through a lot of change as a business, some inspiring and exciting, some more challenging. I feel that I’m uniquely blessed to have so many friends and peers I can learn from and I can open up to. But we’re all susceptible to the wider macro environment, we’re all trying, we’re all fighting and we all care. I think coming off the back of various trade events has been a real eye opener to the tough times people have on various levels. And not everyone has an output to be open and can find solutions. I am thinking of starting a quarterly event - scale TBC, but wanted to gauge people’s interest, please feel free to engage with this post, comment, share etc if you would be, you can also DM me if preferred. (Chatham house rules may apply).

The process of refining your responsibilities as Co-Founders is interesting once your headcount really begins to grow. When it was just Rishabh and I, the daily responsibilities would be very fluid — it was just whatever needed to get done + whomever had the bandwidth. Now, I’m involved in almost everything but marketing and finance, but to a different extent in each area: • Sales Demos • Account management team • Product and engineering It’s something to keep in mind for every early-stage founder or executive. The role itself is in constant flux. As your company grows, the role will become increasingly flexible, but the daily tasks themselves will become increasingly defined. My advice: Just enjoy each stage of company progress as it comes.

😨 What I didn't realize before diving into self-employment and founding my own company... Last year, after a decade in a rewarding career that offered enough growth and excitement, I hit a breaking point. This led to a, so-called "bold decision": to start my own venture, merging my love outdoors with my expertise in marketing management. Now, I work independently, have my own desk in a co-working space, without the day-to-day interaction with colleagues or a team to lean on. Here’s what this journey has taught me (random order): 💡 I'm not an expert in anything. I need to look for answers and second-guess every decision. Expertise is very elusive. 💡 I miss the guidance and support of a manager during stressful times or when overwhelmed by tasks. 💡 Task prioritization is a struggle when I'm on my own. 💡 Managing my schedule and roadmaps challenges my focus. 💡 Ideation comes naturally to me; execution, not so much. 💡 Ignorance was bliss regarding the extent of taxes paid by myself and my company. 💡 Access to an organization's resources, like a knowledge hub and expert teams, is something I took for granted. 💡 There's comfort in having someone else do your presentation slides. 💡 I miss the security of a fixed salary, along with benefits like holiday allowance, paid vacation, pension, and private healthcare. 💡 I didn't know office equipment was so expensive. 💡 I didn't know sofware and licenses were so expensive. 💡 It was great to be around people who were smarter and more experienced than me. 💡 I battle feelings of being underqualified and give in to imposter syndrome. 💡 The sense of personal responsibility is magnified outside the structure of a team or larger organization. 💡 Finding time for personal development and learning is very challenging. 💡 I can't negotiate and I can't sell. 💡 My friends see me as cool. 💡 Those I work for appreciate my contribution and admire my capabilities. 💡 The need for a mentor and guidance is clearer than ever. Despite everything, the companies I’m pouring my heart into are smashing it with record results. It’s nice a pat on the back. So, I’m sticking around on this for a while - there’s a whole lot more to learn.

🎉 Employee Spotlight 🎉 This week, we’re thrilled to spotlight Zachary Neri, a newly promoted Associate on our Investor Relations team at CenterSquare! With a wealth of experience and passion for fostering strong client relationships, Zach plays a key role in ensuring our investors remain informed and engaged. Whether it be delivering insightful investor communications, or assisting in the execution of business development strategies, Zach consistently goes above and beyond to drive the success of our firm and we are grateful for his outstanding contributions. Read on to learn more about Zach. 1. How do you approach personal growth and continuous learning in your role? Once you master the core responsibilities of your role, continue to push boundaries to expand upon your knowledge. Ask questions to better understand different processes and reflect on the “why” to identify potential opportunities for enhancements. Test out different ideas in order to make things more efficient for your team. 2. What is one professional skill you would like to develop or are actively developing? Communication is a skill that I always focus on developing. It is important to display excellent communication skills in relations with colleagues and clients. Communication is crucial to foster collaboration and create a cohesive team. It promotes transparency and ultimately enhances productivity and organizational success. I believe it is the single most essential skill that I will always continue to develop. 3. If you could share some advice with your younger self, what would it be? Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Do not be afraid to take on different tasks and opportunities that may present themselves because you feel a certain level of uncertainty. Develop a growth mindset and embrace the challenges of the unknown to strive to be the best version of yourself. 4. As a child, what career did you want to have when you “grew up?” When I was younger, I wanted to become a veterinarian. I grew up with dogs since I was born and loved spending time with all of them. I wanted a job being surrounded by animals and taking care of them. 5. What is at the top of your bucket list? As an avid soccer fan, I want to attend a World Cup game. Luckily, in 2026, Philadelphia will be hosting games and I will be going to multiples matches. #EmployeeSpotlight #Teamwork #InvestorRelations #Achievement