I feel like this is a general problem that people who join startups in really early stages face. They get hired to do a function, then once the startup picks up, someone more senior gets hired and they’re practically demoted.
This is happening third time to me, but still haven’t figured how to deal with it. The first time, someone from Stanford got hired and I felt really insecure about it. We got along pretty well but I couldn’t take that we were of the same age and this person was managing me despite me being around in the company for longer.
That person left, my function was changed as well and again after a year, I was layered by another person.
I just joined a new company four months ago and feel like the same thing is about to happen. I know they’re hiring someone. Makes me feel anxious about how I’ll lose ownership of things I’ve been doing and I haven’t even gotten the chance to prove myself yet.
Do I just wait it out? Or talk to the founders about it? I understand where they come from, they do what’s best for the company. But I feel like I should look out for myself as well.
The common denominator across companies is you! There is something that the people don't see in you.
Just talk it out with them, ask for feedback, learn and grow more and convince them that you have the necessary things to lead.
Once you have it, regardless of whether you stay here or not, you'll get what you are looking for
I do agree with you. I’ve always been the person who scaled from 0 to 1, not beyond that. I don’t have the experience and haven’t really had the chance to do it beyond that. That’s what irks me the most. The fact that I’ve been able to build up from nothing, but when it’s something, I’m not the one scaling it up.
I might not be as good as someone with 10 years of experience. I’m just not sure if that’s how it works and I have to trust the process or just ask for more work.
It's fine that you haven't been able to reach there. But don't play with victim personality. Figure out whats wrong and work towards fixing it
Depends on the stage the company is in.
0-1 is a different structure than 1-10 / 10-100.
Some expertise only comes with experience and so this is a common phenomenon.
How much experience do you have?
5 years now. I’ve always focused on 0 to 1, never beyond that. That’s why I feel like I understand when the founders want to hire somebody with more experience, have been there and done that.
But if this keeps happening to me and my responsibilities get cut down all the time, I don’t know how to get there.
Join a Series C startup next. You'll understand the difference of context, expertise needed and skills required.
In 0-1 journeys with the amount of experience you have, it'll continue to happen for a few more years.
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