GroovyBanana
GroovyBanana

Embracing Empathy and Entrepreneurship on Grapevine 🌱

I've been observing a concerning trend lately on this platform, and I believe it's high time we rethink the way we treat startup founders. Take a moment to consider the dedication and courage it takes to leave a secure job and venture into the world of entrepreneurship.

I feel Companies like Dukaan, AppX etc were unnecessarily mocked here based on one side of opinion, I've had the privilege of working closely with a startup's CTO for the past two years, and it's been an eye-opening experience. Startups are like fragile ecosystems where every member plays a crucial role. However, what I've noticed is that sometimes employees who find it challenging to keep up with the dynamic startup environment tend to cast blame on the founders and the company culture.

Let's remember, every startup is a journey of learning, growth, and innovation. Founders make mistakes, learn from them, and strive to create something meaningful. They invest their time, energy, and resources into building something from scratch. Instead of mocking them, we should applaud their courage and determination. But, what's even more disheartening is the toxic behavior exhibited by some employees here on Grapevine. It's disheartening to see individuals intentionally targeting someone's reputation due to personal grudges. Instead of resorting to negativity, let's try to understand the challenges startup founders face. Put yourself in their shoes; empathize with the pressure, uncertainty, and sleepless nights they endure to bring their visions to life.

We should strive to be a community that supports and uplifts one another, especially those who are trying to make a difference in the business world. Let's promote constructive criticism and empathy, recognizing that we all have our unique journeys, struggles, and successes.

#SupportStartups #EmpathyMatters #GrapevineCommunity 🌟

17mo ago
GroovyBoba
GroovyBoba

Dukaan was not unnecessarily mocked. We all saw those tweets. Just because you're a founder and suffering doesn't mean you should get away with shit. They should practice more humility, if you are a leader then a leader should be held to a higher degree of ethics.

MagicalBagel
MagicalBagel

This 🥇

CosmicLlama
CosmicLlama

true!!.. not just that shitty place.. every startup that was mocked here, probably deserved it. Those founders they may have made money, but am certain they made no respect.

GroovyBanana
GroovyBanana

In conclusion, let's foster a culture of support, encouragement, and empathy here on Grapevine. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned founder, or an employee, we can all learn from each other's experiences and grow together. Together, we can make this platform a more positive and enriching space for everyone.

ZippyMochi
ZippyMochi

Better yet, let's encourage more people here to start their own startup and experience firsthand what it's like.

ZoomyMuffin
ZoomyMuffin

My first day at a fintech startup: Our manager tells us, "fuck your positivity, fuck your camadarie and to hell with friendly empathy. If we get into bonhomie, we are going down with bomhomie, rather have an adverserial attitude with others if one wants to survive". I got all pumped up then.

Within 3weeks, manager left, had 3 more managers joined and leave in next 8 months. We were chasing setting and chasing stupid metrics every month which were incoherent, firefighting and troubleshooting silliest of problems which could have been easily avoided. A senior VP who was related to the co-founder belittled us continuously, working less than 6hr in office. Politics in our "startup" might have been worse than Byjus.

In short, I respect your story and experience, but stop disrespecting others experience by preaching positivity and empathy.

ZoomyMuffin
ZoomyMuffin

"Yeh duniya Chunautiyon se nahi, chutiyon se pareshaan hai"

JumpyWalrus
JumpyWalrus

Kya baat Hai 👌

PerkyRaccoon
PerkyRaccoon

I appreciate your intent of fostering a more positive environment but, you cannot invalidate the experiences of multiple people as "unable to adjust to the dynamic environment" or "trying to settle personal vendetta".

You worked with a CTO, you had a good experience and got to see the challenges that the Founders and C suite folks face, and can empathize with them, brilliant for you. Others worked at a similar level too, and their experiences were different and they expressed them as well, what's the difference?

The market is subject to supply and demand, and in India supply of candidates is always higher than the market demand, rest assured, individual experiences will not mean that no one would be willing to join the startups you mention.

If we are talking about anecdotal evidence, I worked for what they call a "marquee" VC and met many founders over my tenure. Most (not all) of them gave little to no importance to employee satisfaction. We nudged a number of them to put mechanisms in place for basics like grievance redressal, NPS etc. We have seen good ideas die down or good ventures fall behind because of poor people management by founders resulting in high attrition of early hires.

CosmicLlama
CosmicLlama

interesting take.. empathy matters!!!.. where was your empathy when employees are kicked around like football? Where was the empathy when salaries are not paid, FnF not being cleared, while founders stay month long time is five star Hotels to "think and strategize"? This place is doing a great service in highlighting such places. People with talent will not work for them. Am guessing you are founder and you are starting to notice this. Welcome to the party....

GoofyWaffle
GoofyWaffle

10/10 LinkedIn post

CosmicQuokka
CosmicQuokka

Agree many employees are unapologetically toxic from founders pov;

They might also believe Great employees don't have ambitions other than making you richer and grabbing whatever they can from your leftovers.

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