Rolodex and LA HQ for call with Seattle start-up
Published by bruinbear on Tagged Internet Tidbits, Job Searchdel.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Ask Google Netscape Simpy Socializer StumbleUpon Technorati Windows Live Wists Yahoo!
After my whirlwind trip up to the Bay Area, it was time to get back to my Los Angeles roots and set up shop for some serious “pounding the pavement” for start-up job opportunities. Unfortunately, with the holiday weekend, I didn’t get back until nearly mid afternoon on Tuesday June 1st, leaving only a few days to take calls and get meetings in.
I kicked off my time back in LA sending out follow up emails with each of the Venture firms I met the previous week. This is highly recommended. Remember, these senior people took time out of their otherwise busy schedules to HELP you! These people BILL out their time typically for $3000 / hour. The least you could do is thank them for their time. I also began scheduling meetings via email with other contacts from my rolodex. This leads me to rule # 1 of getting a job at an early stage start-up.
GOLDEN RULE #1 - Reach out to your own network first!
Remember all of those contacts that you made over the past 10 years of your career? You know, the people that you did deals with in the past, worked on projects with, had a few drinks with at the Google dance? Well, its time to make good on all of their promises to “hook you up” once you were back on the market for a new opportunity. There is really no need to be bashful about this at all. Reconnecting with these old contacts helps you to reacquaint yourself with them and deepen your relationship beyond just the small talk that you had when you first met. Never forget that the professional world is 200 MM strong in the US and each of us is looking to build our own professional communities of people that we trust, enjoy working with, and can seek help from when needed. It’s really no different from the social world. We all want to connect with people and once we do, we are willing to do whatever it takes to help them out and support them. So go ahead and call your peeps!!!!
Wednesday, I took a call with Matt Hulett from mPire a comparison shopping start-up based out of Seattle to discuss potential opportunities within the company. (I spoke with Erica my wife about the prospects of her ever moving to Seattle and after my pitch about housing affordability versus California, she finally decided that it was at least a REMOTE possibility. I won’t hold my breadth!) I walked away from my call with Matt impressed. Though I cannot divulge any of the details of our conversation with regard to mPire’s strategy, I can say that their strategy is a compelling one, albeit unproven within the comparison shopping space to date. Matt is a dynamic leader that has “been there and done that” before with Atom Films and I walk away from our call fairly convinced that this time around there will be a positive ending for mPire as well.
Though the right fit position might not be there with mPire for now, I will no question be adding Matt to my rolodex as somebody I intend to continue to build a professional relationship with. Our paths our destined to cross again some day soon.
Tomorrow I will talk about an interesting dilemma regarding an opportunity with my old roommate from business school, angel funding and the cash flow problem.
Sphere: Related Content
Leave a Comment