Today marks the 45th day since my role at Gong was made redundant and I started my LLC (Feb 5th). The universe works in weird ways. It could have been a day before or after but it wasn't.
So, why did I start my own LLC? Was it just so that I did not show a gap in my resume? Was this going to be a side hustle while I was looking for a new role?
OR
was this to do the things that the voice in my head said 'I wish I could..." And then there was the other voice - "but you are over 50 and this is not something people over 50 do, if you were meant to do this you would have done it by now".
I know the answer back in Feb was some combination of the 2 but I made the jump.
Here is a list of 'I wish I coulds'
Start my own company.
Be part of the founding team at a startup
Advise a startup founder
Have been a consultant and joined Deloitte out of college with my peers
Be the first seller at a startup
Become an expert on a new technological paradigm shift
Be a thought leader on LinkedIn
Coach the school tennis team
So, what does the 45 day report card look like -
The doubts still remain. Imposter syndrome is still there. That pesky voice - "you know you are just pretending to start your own company.. you are going to take a job"
I am becoming an expert on the ways GenAI can tackle GTM challenges (early days)
I have spoken to over 30 Founders and 3 VCs. Most through inbound or referrals.
I have a paying customer
I am helping a startup find their design partners to help determine product market fit.
I am advising a couple founders on their GTM strategy.
I am finding my voice on LinkedIn.
I am coming across some amazing companies and roles and so far holding firm to staying independent. This is hard as some of these are very interesting opportunities and I would enjoy them.
I am coaching the middle school tennis team
What does the business model look like -
GenAI is going to disrupt GTM (sales, pre-sales, post-sales). The technology in its current state is not there but the signs are there. If Sam Altman believes that there will be a 1 person company with a Billion dollar valuation, then it means somehow GTM for that company was handled by agents, assistants, co-pilots.
I have found a portfolio of companies (a couple product companies, a couple services companies, a couple strategy consulting companies) that are tackling this from a few different angles - the advantage of talking to 30 different founders is that I am getting a masterclass in what people are doing in this area.
This is critical as things are changing so fast and every organization is in a very different place when it comes to adopting GenAI. There is no one size fits all solution.
Most leaders don't have the time to figure out how GenAI can help their organizations in GTM but they all have problems that GenAI can solve. Even if they knew how they wanted to use GenAI to meet their needs, the ecosystem is so vast that they do not know where to start.
My role is to educate leaders on leveraging GenAI in GTM, identify tangible areas we can tackle and then bring the right product/solution to tackle that need. There are lots of people that can advice and strategize but then the execution is up to you. My goal is to help you with the strategy and the execution.
The one warning is that you need to be willing to experiment and learn. I don't want to make it seem like this is a solved problem.
Lastly, thanks to everyone who has been supporting me on this adventure, you have helped keep the imposter syndrome at bay and to my wife who keeps reminding me to be patient and take my time.