My next challenge!
"Do you want a job?" - my buddy Marco
A few days after getting laid off, a good friend of mine asked if I'd be interested in working with him again. Initially, I was hesitant. It was an early-stage startup, which meant a considerable amount of uncertainty. I was already imagining the sleepless nights, the pay cut, how much elbow grease was going to be needed, and all that goes into getting a business off the ground. But Marco is a good friend and I'll always listen to what he has to say.
"How does Vietnamese sound?"
We meet for lunch and talk about how life has been. We hadn't seen each other in a while, so it was good to hear about his family and all that was going on. Then we finally got to talking about the business. And we just kept talking and talking. What was supposed to be a quick lunch turned into an afternoon of us going over the challenges he was facing and how they just needed some help to build out the vision. Every problem seemed incredibly interesting. My mind was starting to race with solutions and ideas that we could implement. Those worries about sleepless night didn't seem so bad after all.
"You should meet my CEO. I think you'll really like her."
Lauren was incredibly sharp and personal. I had a long list of questions that she was easily able to answer, which put my mind at ease. When I hear "AI company" nowadays, I think "cash grab". However, it was obvious that Lauren was passionate about this project, as it's a tool she uses every day. She doesn't have the luxury of staying away from the product. Having your CEO anchored to what you're building keeps everyone incredibly honest, and she was honest. "We're not there yet, but we're confident we can be." I was hooked.
"When can you start?"
What sold me on Zinnia were the people. Everyone that I talked to was driven to build something great. It was a culture that I wanted to be a part of and help shape. With such a small team, I knew that I was going to be pushed outside of my comfort zone, but with the right people, that challenge becomes managable. I'm taking off another month to enjoy some vacation that I've had planned, but I can't wait to hit the ground running in June.
Thank you so much to all those who have been reaching out to me with different job offers and personal encouragement. I appreciate all of you!