Genevieve Sheehan

Just heard from a friend who’s been at a FAANG for the past few years: “we are in a much better financial standpoint than before joining them”. This statement underscores a basic truth. While startups might be great from a culture and impact perspective, working for a handful of years at one of the Magnificent 7 is the absolute best, near-riskless way in tech to get to a level of financial security that allows you to feel comfortable taking significantly more risks in your career. If you have significant upcoming financial liabilities, consider the FAANG : Mag7 path, if just for a few years. It might not be the most exciting and fulfilling option (though many friends say the work is great) but it’s definitely the most pragmatic. Don’t blindly drink the kool aid; instead do what’s right for your personal situation.

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If you’re an early-stage founder, finding out what your customers *really* want so you can build the right product is critical. I’m excited to share some of First Round Capital's PMF Method program with Gagan Biyani on Friday! Gagan has founded 3 companies including Udemy, Sprig, and Maven. We’re hosting this live conversation for product leaders & founders on how to reach PMF. You’ll learn: - How to identify your customers' real problems - How to test demand by selling before building - When to write code vs. build a no-code MVP RSVP to join on June 14th (it’s free): https://bit.ly/3VBAK69

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"Every single founder and leader NEEDS to be in the details. Founders and leaders have unique insights, an understanding of the business, and an outsized level of care toward the business." - This!! 🎯 'Founder Mode' brings a unique eagle-eye vision to the company, ensuring that details are not lost even when looking at things from a high and comprehensive level. It is the perfect blend of the 'full company' AND the 'heavy on granular details' perspectives, critical for sound decision-making.

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As an early-stage Chief of Staff, I often talk to folks who are looking for CoS roles. I get asked a lot of similar questions and want to share my answers for anyone who's pursuing this path: 1️⃣ What does a CoS actually do? CoS's are all different. At a company as young as Aomni, Chief of Staff is a "white space" generalist role, meaning I take on any business priorities that our founder/future execs don't own themselves. Today that means Ops, Sales (in partnership w CEO), Marketing, Customer Support and certain Product tasks. 2️⃣ How can I find CoS opportunities at startups? I don't think it's a good use of time to apply cold. This is because CoS hiring at startups is highly trust-based and the market is crazy rn. Unless you have a sterling resume, you're going to lose out to competitors in the CEO's network already. Instead, leverage your network to develop relationships. Look for opportunities to start on a freelance basis where you can build trust before the job is even posted. Consider different roles at the right company where you can evolve into a CoS over time. 3️⃣ How can I stand out to hiring managers? Same thing as #2 -- it's all about relationships. Demonstrate that you can perform well in the role and add value as a trusted partner to the CEO/exec team, whatever that takes. 4️⃣ What's the hardest part of the CoS role? The biggest thing is stress. You don't have the same level of responsibility as the CEO, of course, but the pressure they experience reaches you via osmosis. I'm always trying to improve how I manage stress. 5️⃣ Do I need to have consulting or banking experience, or an MBA? Absolutely not. My somewhat irrational and biased opinion is that these experiences are actually anti-signals about one's fit for the job at a startup (probably not the same at a big company). Many people with these backgrounds are uncomfortable without structure, inflexible and unwilling to do grunt work. Effective CoS's at startups are highly curious learners, resourceful operators and great first-principles thinkers. As long as you can demonstrate these traits you're golden. --- I also want to shout out some communities that anyone in this space should have on their radar: Ask a Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff Network and Generalist World are 3 of my faves. Always happy to answer questions and support new and aspiring CoS's in any way I can!

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I had lunch yesterday with a revered VC that's been investing for 10+ years and known as one of the GOATs. I asked if his behavior/communication changes towards founders doing well compared to those that are struggling: "I'm extra hard on founders doing well to help them reach their full potential and founders struggling I tend to be more comforting. I find that struggling founders have enough anxiety so why should I add to it?" Everybody has their own style but given the fluidity of company building and founder maturation, this comment feels incredibly short-sighted: - Biggest problem is that it removes the human element and categorizes founders into success buckets. Not only is this a debilitating way to act as an investor but how can you even attempt to maximize founder potential without leaning into the human element of this impossible job? - Implies that a founder facing difficulties doesn't want to be challenged and pushed to focus on the biggest issue(s) to improve their business. This is false. - Perpetuates the notoriously laissez-faire VC attitude and work ethic that founders feel when times are tough. I think the time a VC shines is when there are issues and you're able to tap into your experience, acumen, and network to bring real value. Track records can be blinding and this will never be the experience any founder has when working with 640 Oxford.

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What does it really mean to be a Founding Engineer? Sure, there's the functional side—juggling core product development, aligning the technical vision with the product roadmap, and solving the many challenges that come with building from scratch before Product-Market Fit is even in sight. But there's more. 💡 It means embracing the chaos—leaning into experimentation, and being comfortable with the messiness that comes with building something entirely new. 💪 It means having real agency—owning not just the technical decisions, but influencing the product, the business, and everything in between. 🌱 And most importantly, it means laying the foundation of the team, with a direct and lasting impact on the culture and the company's future. If you're ready for an adventure that will challenge you to your core, I'm looking for founding engineers for category-defining B2B SaaS companies in #education, #climate, #agenticAI, and #healthcare 👀 Link to check out the opportunities in the first comment! #foundingengineer #startuplife #innovation #AI #startups #b2bsaas

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Strategic alignment across product and field is complex and not easy to get right, but it's a pleasure to work alongside Brett Crane, Trevor Jett (Childers), and Jarod Greene. It's wonderful to be in conversation with them, sharing what we have learned, in this webinar: https://lnkd.in/gc-qp7Hk

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Triangle startup ecosystem - first thanks for the incredible generosity that you showed over the last 2wks to help folks impacted by Helene. Here's a last update on our Hurricane Helene relief efforts with a final 'how can you help' ask. The TL;DR - our nascent effort has matured and morphed into the WCEN. The most urgent need has moved from supplies to funding the teams out on the ground that need specialty items like gas, oxygen tanks, starlinks, etc. There's a gofundme, this is a certified 501(c)(3) here-> https://lnkd.in/e4NdxuW8 What is the WCEN you ask?!.... o There were several operating groups that were able to grassroots consolidate efforts under the Western Carolina Emergency Network (WCEN) umbrella and they have a website up that is improving every day: https://lnkd.in/ePYP6_JJ o WCEN's goal is to provide services to survivors until temporary infrastructure can be re-built. There are over 1m people in Western NC without shelter and basic necessities. o WCEN is providing: -> Reconnaissance -> Search + Rescue ( + Recovery) -> Rapid Supply Response / Air Support -> Medical Care o WCEN has these network partners: -> Operation Airdrop Inc- Air support including planes and helicopters -> Carolina Calvary - Coordinator for Operation Airdrop -> Razor Nation - ATV support -> Restoration Church @restoration church - Josh Brown and Ryan Honeycutt- supply collection sites and delivery -> Apex Defense - Search and Rescue, Security -> Lincoln County Airport - Pilot coordinator -> AJ - Heavy Lift Drone support -> GSDF team - C&C logistics, Special Forces team coordinator -> Reagan Madison Inc. team- Back office, infrastructure, and fundraising,FOB coordination (Crystal Suazo, CPA - who looped this together and we connected with here on LI!) -> WRTE, Inc - Legal, tax, fiduciary support -> Christina Marie Noel - Christina Noel + volunteers - Strategic marketing & communications -> United National Weather Team - Medical support with ATV abilities if anyone, especially corps would like to donate $, volunteers, trucks, etc. please contact William McGuire (on the ground items), Rebecca Ross / Jess Porta (Triangle-based corp donations/logistics). We're getting the last truck of items at Raleigh Founded out and future donations should be made at: Electric Supply Co 207 Bickett Blvd Raleigh NC, 27608 Want more ideas on how to have an impact? https://lnkd.in/euNxS8kd Thanks again everyone!

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Stop obsessing over launch tiers and focus on launch cadence. I've interviewed a lot of product marketers lately, many of them great. But my eyes always glaze over when I ask about their approach to product launches and they whip out a spreadsheet or walk me through their "framework" for prioritizing launches based on a tiered approach. This isn't necessarily wrong, it's just not going to differentiate you from other PMM candidates. And it's not going to help you wield influence and drive impact within your company if you do get the job. One of the most impactful things you CAN do is put a stake in the ground around launch cadence. At LivePerson, for example, we've committed to doing two major product launches per year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. We call our launch events Spark – and they're as much about sparking action internally as they are about bringing our new products and capabilities to market. A semi-annual launch cadence acts as a forcing function and rallying point for the entire organization. It drives urgency and accountability around everything from product development and adoption to sales enablement and operations to customer marketing and success. The Spark model also encourages a strategic storytelling approach to GTM. Instead of launching capabilities as one-offs (informed by product availability and those silly "tiers"), a predictable launch cadence allows us to think thematically and focus on outcomes rather than inputs, solutions rather than specs. Our Fall launch, for instance, will hone in on the Assist phase of our Conversational Flywheel which is all about the agent experience and how brands can spark a better CX by empowering their people with AI and other agent-centric technology. We'll be launching some transformative new products and some smaller stuff that will make agents happier and more efficient but that might have gotten lost in a tier-based launch framework. More on that soon. For now, it's time to keep that rhythm going 🥁 #productmarketing #gotomarket

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Product Market Fit, a new framework. I've been working on this for a little while now and figured it's time to "eat my own dogfood" and test it out in the market. In this framework I provide a visual outline of the journey from "day zero" to PMF. Along the way founders must iterate on their product as well as their market to close the Product Market Gap in order to get to PMF. More details in the article. Let me know what you think 🙏 https://lnkd.in/gyF8V--x

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At Beacon Angels, we see a lot of companies with an interesting idea that talk about their 'market traction' but have yet to achieve meaningful revenue results. We also see portfolio companies returning to us with a need for additional capital to 'pivot'. Those companies are still searching for product-market fit...and it's crucial to their success.

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Sharing real stories from the trenches of product management. First topic - balancing big visions 🌟 with building MVPs that actually solve problems 💡 Would love to hear your thoughts! 👇 https://lnkd.in/einzrwbZ #ProductManagement #MVP #Startups

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It’s my favorite time of the year—time for #Apartmentalize! It’s a great chance to hear from our clients about their challenges and success so that we can apply that information to our product roadmap. We’ve got two great reasons to stop booth #625. RentTalks. is back this year with new research and actionable tips that will help owners, operators, and leasing teams. Plus, I hear we’ve got the best giveaway --> The Rent. Leasing Era Giveaway! One lucky winner will experience One. Epic. Night. seeing Taylor Swift in Miami October 19th. 🎙 🎵 You’ll already be at the booth for RentTalks., so don’t forget to throw your hat in the ring! Check out the RentTalks. lineup: Thursday, June 20th  - Unlocking Renter Wants: Attract & Engage Your Ideal Renter in 2024 @ 1:30 PM with Revai Irwin Seiler & Tracey Del Moral - AI-Powered Marketing: Hacks for Every Stage of the Renter Journey @ 2:30 PM with Caleb Wright & Taylor Fulton - From Attract to Convert: The Nurturing & Touring Powerhouse @ 3:30 PM with Caleb Wright & Me! - Building Trust: Why Fee Transparency is the Key to Converting Renters @ 4:30 PM with Revai Irwin Seiler & Me! Friday, June 21st  - Beyond the Box: Uncover Multifamily Marketing Inspiration Outside Your Industry @ 10:00 AM with Kathy Neumann & Tracey Del Moral - ROI Revealed: Optimizing Your Multifamily Marketing Spend for -Conversions in 2024 @ 11:00 AM with Revai Irwin Seiler& Taylor Fulton - Budget Season Decoded: Where Marketing Meets Finance @ 12:00 PM with Kathy Neumann & Taylor Fulton Join us to hear more about the latest trends in shaping the renter's journey. I’ll see you there!

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🤔 It may be an unpopular opinion, but I think it's always best to be first to the party 🥳 Innovation is the engine of growth, and the partnership between MikMak and DoorDash is a testament to this principle. This first-of-its-kind integration is a game-changer, revolutionizing how consumers shop and brands sell. Imagine this: you're scrolling through your favorite social media platform, see an ad for a product you love, and within moments, you can have it delivered to your doorstep via DoorDash. This is the power of MikMak's integration with DoorDash, a seamless fusion of social commerce and on-demand delivery. But this partnership isn't just about convenience; it's about empowering brands with valuable data and insights. MikMak's closed-loop attribution provides a granular understanding of consumer behavior, enabling brands to optimize their marketing strategies and drive sales. 🚀 This is the future of omnichannel shopping, a world where every interaction is a potential purchase, and every purchase is a data point. MikMak and DoorDash are leading the charge, and I'm excited to see where this journey takes us. 🗞️ Read the Press Release here: https://lnkd.in/e-VqFtSb? #MikMak #DoorDash #Omnichannel #ecommerce #innovation #marketing #attribution #data #insights #partnership #futureofretail

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Here's my commits/week vs. customers added. Not a perfect metric for total product effort, but a decent proxy. I get so excited about building products because, compared to consulting, there is unlimited upside. A fixed amount of product effort can make unbounded money while you sleep. (And yeah, I'm not factoring in time spent on customer support. Obviously that's rising with customer count and at some point requires hiring staff. But you get the point.)

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The path to 10x work from Andrew Chen: "Open yourself up to serendipity by expanding your world and experiences. Reject core loops and checklists, embrace serendipity." Sounds like the path to 10x Life, Andrew Chen.

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Some great insights from our VP of Product, Chris Allsopp on building a platform designed for a diverse set of users. "...We implemented a consistent design language across the platform while allowing for customizable views and access levels. We've created a fluid platform where actions on one side seamlessly influence another." This quote from Chris does a great job encapsulating one of our core values at Growthware of creating a fluid platform. Click the link in the comments to read the full article. #ui #ux #saas

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Looking for a contract project (10 hours/week) where I'd love to help you go from 0 to 1 with an LLM-powered product or feature quickly. A bit about me: - Launched https://jakeai.org/ and went from idea to first revenue in 2 weeks. - Built two bootstrapped startups that generated a total of $200K in revenue. The first one was an AI analyst for business angels. The second one was a hilarious chatbot psychologist, Josef Freudman. - ex LLM-product builder at Reface🇺🇦, a16z-backed gen AI company. What I can help with: - Taking LLM-powered products from 0 to 1 fast - literally taking an idea and validating/iterating it. - Validating and implementing an LLM-powered feature in your product. Who I can help the most: - Startups that want to launch and get their first customers. - Startups and companies exploring the launch of a new product or feature. If this sounds like something that could help you out, feel free to message me here on LinkedIn or by email: [email protected]

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What is Product Marketing? This is a super helpful answer to a question that most early-stage CEOs should be asking, but few are.

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