It’s EASY to hire extraordinary startup talent. You just start 3 years ago.
Team Letter | November 5, 2023
November 5, 2023
Happy November and “Happy New Year,” Alpaca!
I am so excited to kick off our 14 month year with you all this week! Last week’s planning session was a fantastic start to the new year, and I am really excited about the opportunities we have to make BIG things happen in 2024 with some time in 2023 to achieve them. Just to remind us, our big goals for the year are:
Repeatable revenue growth
Professional product: A full beautiful suite of packs combined with a software platform that delivers insights and surveys to our customers.
Full funnel: A consistently full, nurtured funnel, from awareness to customer advocates
I cannot WAIT to see what we accomplish with these goals! But every big goal starts with an aligned and remarkable team, and that’s where I want to focus today.
When I was at Flywheel, we often got the question “how do you hire talent for start-ups in Omaha?” Around here, there is a perception that software developers, designers, marketers, and product folks are scarce, since we aren’t in silicon valley and we don’t have a huge ecosystem for startups.
Our answer at Flywheel was always this: “It’s EASY to hire extraordinary startup talent. You just start 3 years ago.”
This was a jokey way to respond but the message was real: you grow your own talent. You take a chance on smart people with high potential early in their careers, and then give them the resources, time, and mentors to help them grow into extraordinary contributors.
At Flywheel, I watched it happen over and over and over. A marketing intern developed into a manager of software engineers (one of the only females in that role in Omaha, btw). A young talent recruiter grew into the Head of People Operations, overseeing a team of 14. A young woman still in college became the company’s photographer and went on to become an exceptional marketing leader (I think you might know her!?).
It’s probably the best thing I learned there: that growing your own talent requires more time and energy than hiring the start-up “rockstars” out there with years of experience, but in the end, it pays off for both the company and the people you hire.
It makes me exceptionally proud to be congratulating two extraordinarily talented people for their one-year Alpaca anniversaries this week, Avalon and Kaitlynn. Each of them came to Alpaca last year at a moment where we needed help but we didn’t even fully know what that looked like, or what it might mean. They got on board with the mission quickly, came in, rolled up their sleeves, and did the hard work of Alpaca operations. Under Marina’s kind and nurturing leadership, they got to work quickly and made a big impact, right away.
And in time, each of these stellar contributors began to grow in their own ways.
We watched Kaitlynn’s personality emerge in reels and in Canva, and suddenly, our content started to level up as she added her unique voice to our story. Our pack inserts got a little more… Mariah? (in the best possible way), and our team meetings got a little more fun. Under Kimberly’s excellent mentorship, Kaitlynn built a library of content this summer, and then took on some BIG work in social media this back-to-school season. Our social media game is stronger becuase of Kaitlynn, and I know she’s seeing the effects because she told me in a 1:1 “I’m really proud of our grid.” I am too – and I’m really proud of Kaitlynn for stepping up and taking a chance on herself. Now, Kaitlynn’s about to learn email marketing, and I have a feeling she’s going to crush it.
Avalon is growing in a different way, and in a myriad of ways. When Avalon walked in and introduced themselves the first time, I had to lean in to be sure I caught it - I could barely hear their voice. But from the beginning, they were willing and able to do anything asked of them. They learned to make boxes, build packs, create a clean and productive space, and work with a team to achieve our goals. We came to be able to rely on Avalon to achieve our shipping dreams, to efficiently prepare our space, and to order pack supplies. And with each little operations milestone, we’ve started to hear Avalon’s voice a little bit more, literally and figuratively! I love how our packs have begun to include some new, delicious treats that Avalon has personally sourced, and I think our team outings and meetings have a little more of Avalon’s unique, creative, and…quirky? (in the best possible way) energy every month. I don’t think we even quite know the depths of Avalon’s intellect and the ways it will help us build Alpaca, but I’m sure excited to see it emerge and grow.
For people early in their careers, the best thing we can each do is to offer them opportunities, trust, and support, and I am so proud of our entire team for being that for one another, and specifically for Kaitlynn and Avalon. In time, I know we’ll look back and think about Avalon and Kaitlynn, two of the earliest Alpaca team members, and we will marvel at the leaders they have become.
Please join me in congratulating these two beautiful humans this week for their wonderful contributions and ongoing growth at Alpaca – we are so lucky to have you, Kaitlynn and Avalon!
Onward for a wonderful week!
KB