CEO of Stay AI 💗 | Helping 500+ Shopify subscription brands grow their revenue 📈 | Host of the Retention & Subscription Podcast 🎙 | Russian manicure enthusiast 💅
The first time I realized I was the adult in the room. The moment early in your career when you grow up to be a leader is hard, fast, and unexpected. In 2021, before Stay AI, I ran Lunar Solar Group’s retention service line and managed the NYC office. It was the back half of the COVID-19 era, and the team was ready so we returned to the office a few days a week. But people were still getting COVID, so it was also kinda scary to bring the team back. Like clockwork, one week after bringing everyone back and 5 days before Thanksgiving, an employee sent me a slack that they were in office yesterday but woke up not feeling well and tested positive. The first thing that popped into my head was, “I need to call an adult to figure out what the protocol is.” My co-founder Pierson Krass had just hopped on a plane without wifi, and our HR person was conveniently on vacation. I knew I only had 10-20 minutes before rumors started to swirl and I was sitting in the office with 25 employees. It immediately hit me that “I was the adult in the room.” I needed to make a call on how to tell everyone else in the office that they should get tested without causing panic. I knew immediate questions were going to be, “who was it”, “what team were they one”, “was I near that person”?? So I needed to decide what I could and couldn’t share. Also it was the middle of the workday so did I tell everyone to cancel calls and leave asap, was that dramatic or responsible? I realized no one was coming to tell me how to deal with this and there were no real guidelines to follow so I put on my “adult” hat and went into crisis response mode. I decided to send everyone home immediately, and I kept the sick person’s identity a secret in accordance with federal guidelines. Fortunately, everyone else was negative and I didn’t ruin anyone's Thanksgiving. When you choose to be a founder and hire your first employee, the carefree vibes go out the window. You are responsible for the team you build and you need to be ready. My recommendation for first-time founders is to expect that anything that can go wrong will go wrong and try to surround yourself with people who have been through it and can be great mentors in times of crisis. I’m really grateful for all the employees who have trusted me over the years at Lunar and Stay. You guys are the reason that I keep pushing, building, and being an adult 💕 #foundersjourney #startuplife #leadership
