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Reflecting on the first 5 years of @tallpoppyhq (!!) – the first of many little notes like this, I expect.

There are 5 jobs to be done in the very earliest days of a #startup:

?? Hacker (coder/implementer)
? Hustler (#sales, #fundraising, partnerships and other funnel-driven work)
?? Subject Matter Expert (someone who has an unfair advantage in the product area)
? #Product Person (someone who can translate customer needs and the SME's thoughts into stuff the hacker can implement)
?? Ops (someone to keep the lights on; HR, finance, office, etc.)

These might all be the same person, they might be 5 people - but they all need to get done. The "hustler" work is a VERY different shape of work than a lot of techy folks are used to doing – it took me a long time to adapt my brain to the mindset of being the one pushing a deal forward. I'm still learning, really.