Five things I’ve learned in my first year working at Product Hunt
Today marks my one year anniversary working at Product Hunt. These are five things I’ve learned that I hope will help you grow in your career.
Going from full time founder to side hustler doesn’t mean you’ve failed — in fact it could help your business
When Emily and Ryan first started talking to me about joining the community team they both agreed that Hustle Crew could remain a priority in my life. Ryan explicitly said he wanted to increase the number of women makers in the Product Hunt community and that Hustle Crew could help with that. It has! We’ve seen the number of women in our community increase significantly. I’ve also delivered Hustle Crew training to AngelList teams in New York and San Francisco which has led to more tech companies taking interest in my inclusion work.
If you work at Product Hunt / AngelList you will meet a lot of tech celebrities 😎
The novelty of reporting into Ryan Hoover has still not worn off, its one of my fave things about my job. I’ve learned loads from being around a leader like him who has hit a number of tech milestones (like getting into YC, exiting a startup, starting a fund…) But Ryan isn’t the only tech celeb in the Product Hunt / AngelList family. My first time in the SF office I was grabbing some candy in our open plan kitchen when Naval recommended I go for another treat instead. It’s not every day I get snack advice from a tech billionaire. Moments later I was working on a sofa when I looked up to find him and Sam Altman casually chatting away. There have been dozens more tech celeb sightings since then. In short — its the perfect place for a tech fangirl like me.
Remote work probably gets more out of independent high achievers — but don’t overdo it
The Product Hunt team is full of of talented people. Ryan hires people from all backgrounds who are really good at their jobs so we can be left to work on our projects unattended and still excel. We stay connected over Slack and regular Zoom meetings. The combination of independence and ability means we often end up working more than we would in an office to deliver the standard of work our community deserves. Remote workers, please remember to take vacation days and time out to invest in your wellbeing. I’m grateful I get DMs from my team mates all the time, quick check-ins to make sure I’m OK ❤️.
Trusting each person in your team gives you the motivation and willpower to deliver your best
Despite working in some of the most well known tech companies in the world like Amazon and Groupon — until now I’ve never had the pleasure of being in a team where I trusted every individual equally to deliver the same effort that I do. Working on Product Hunt Makers has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. Each week we tackle new challenges with interesting solutions. I know each contributor has my back like I have theirs. It fills me with a tireless energy to make the project a success. I wish every person felt like that about the people they collaborate with at work.
Working for a company where inclusion is valued from the top down brings people together and gets the best out of them
In the 12 months since I’ve joined the company I’ve had conversations with almost everyone — including multiple with AngelList CEO Kevin Laws — about how to ensure we are hiring the best people regardless of their background/identity, and also ensure that we create a culture where all sorts of people can be equally equipped to be their most productive. I feel like every leader is accountable to doing better on this front. Changes are happening. Since I joined more women and POC have joined the company. We are becoming more representative of the society we serve each day.
