All of our Advice for working at a startup articles

People & Culture

The IC’s Guide to Driving Career Conversations — 25 Tips for Purposeful Career Planning

Top startup leaders and operators share a tactical manual with 25 tips for direct reports to take charge of career conversations with their managers.

Starting Up

Advice for the Pre-Product-Market Fit Days — This Founder’s Playbook for Pivoting with Purpose

CEO Tara Viswanathan shares her biggest lessons from the early years of building Rupa Health — including how to pivot your way into the right product and build the winning team.

Starting Up

The Startup Happiness Formula — This 3X Founder Shares His Approach to Figuring Out What to Build Next

Repeat founder Waseem Daher, co-founder and CEO of Pilot, has founded three startups with the same group of co-founders. He pays particular attention to Pilot’s first year — including validating the idea, choosing an ICP, and outlining the product roadmap for a company that can go the distance.

Starting Up

An Exact Breakdown of How One CEO Spent His First Two Years of Company-Building

Sam Corcos, co-founder & CEO of Levels, tracked exactly how he spent the two years since founding the company for a rare inside look at being a startup leader.

People & Culture

Joining a Startup for the First Time? 30 Actionable Tips From Folks Who've Been There

Top startup leaders and operators share their best tips for new startup employees, including hitting the ground running, how to prioritize what to work on, and growing your career.

Design

The Ultimate Guide to the Founding Designer Role

We summarized the most tactical, honest pieces of advice from a group of design experts on what it really takes to be a startup's first design hire — from choosing the right startup to join to excelling in the role and growing your team.

Management

A Founder's Guide to Writing Well

There's a long list of most frequently-cited skills for becoming a successful entrepreneur. One that rarely makes the list is effective writing. Upstart CEO Dave Girouard pens this thoughtful case for the importance of strong writing in the startup world — and his tips for leveling up.

People & Culture

When “Grin and Bear It” Isn't the Right Answer — This Behavioral Scientist Shares What to Do Instead

Author and behavioral scientist Matt Wallaert shares how two studies (on holding a pen and carrying around a box of chocolate) can shape our outlook when we're faced with a crisis.

Management

The Founder's Field Guide for Navigating a Crisis — Advice from Recession-Era Leaders, Investors and CEOs Currently at the Helm

We've tapped First Round partners, recession-era founders and our community of CEOs to put together the most comprehensive guide available about what it takes to lead a startup during this economic crisis. From extending your runway and reducing burn to supporting your team, this guide tackles the t

Management

This Founder Built Startups in 2008, 2016 and 2018. Here’s What He’s Learned About Resiliency

Bob Moore's first brush with life as a founder started in 2008—three days before Lehman Brothers collapsed. Since he cut his teeth as a first-time founder in turbulent times, he's gone on to build two other companies. Here, Moore shares the lessons he's learned along the way.

Must-reads

The 30 Best Pieces of Advice for Entrepreneurs in 2019

We've rounded up 30 standout, must-share insights from the profiles we published over the last year. Read on for the most impactful pieces of advice we heard in 2019 — presented with hopes that you can apply them to make your next decade even brighter.

People & Culture

How to Fix the Co-Founder Fights You’re Sick of Having — Lessons from Couples Therapist Esther Perel

Renowned couples therapist Esther Perel now has her sights trained on helping a different kind of pair: co-founders in the startup world. Here, she reveals her playbook for resolving recurring conflicts and communication failures between co-founders by sharing her favorite techniques for getting to