What Type Of Person Thrives In The Venture Capital Industry, According To An Executive Assistant At Boost VC

This is an interesting question because I'll first define "thrive." Having worked at different firms, I would argue there are people who thrive financially, but then there are also people who thrive holistically in life.

Speaking to people who thrive in this industry, I'll focus on what I've seen at the executive level. For managing directors or managing partners, there are multiple ways to thrive. The first, of course, is financially – performing well and making solid investment decisions.

With all investing, you can only do so much diligence, and multiple factors make a company successful or not. Most companies fail; it's common knowledge that within the first five years, they either make it or break it. Investors know this even with all the diligence and research they do, including interviewing founders and team members.

Someone thriving financially and in their role is usually working ridiculous hours and traveling quite a bit. If they have a family, they're not home much. This is why I emphasize perspective on thriving. You might be doing well in your job and for your company, but it's often at the expense of another area in your life.

I've been fortunate to see multiple versions of this from different managing directors. Some prioritize their work over other life areas, thriving career-wise but not necessarily in other ways. Then there are others, like my boss, who are thriving everywhere.

The reason is they know how to prioritize and leverage their time properly. Many people look at someone like my boss and say, "It's not fair; they make so much money." But why do you think that is? How did they get there? It's not because they wake up late and nap. We all have 24 hours in a day; it's how we use our time.

People who thrive in venture capital, or life in general, know how to use their time effectively. I've witnessed this with my boss, which is why I admire him. He prioritizes everything: his family time is protected and not touched on his calendar.

He also prioritizes his baby, Boost VC, what he has built from the ground up. Venture capital firms, contrary to what some may believe, are like startups; they began with little and have grown. He leverages his time exceptionally well.

People of his caliber push themselves beyond what the average person will. For example, he wakes up at 4:30 AM. I receive texts from him early, but I'm not expected to respond. He understands boundaries, which is great, as some bosses don't.

Those who thrive by achieving results they've never had must do things they've never done. Most people aren't willing to do that; they just want the outcome. If you want a multi-million or multi-billion dollar fund, you have to do multi-billion dollar things.

This doesn't mean going home to watch Netflix. It means waking up at 4:30 AM, perhaps dedicating two hours before your kids wake up to think, brainstorm, blog, or process your day. Then, you spend protected time with your kids, dropping them at school before the office.

People thrive in this business by not seeing it as work, but as a life mission or calling. Just like a founder starts a business, he comes into the office, and it's not work to him; it's his life. These are the people who truly thrive.

They understand it's not a job, but a vision they are casting and seeing into fruition daily. The moment it becomes just a job or work, you're not approaching things the right way.

It's really dependent on how someone views the word "thrive." I've seen people thrive financially and in their careers, looking great on paper, but not necessarily thriving holistically. I admire my boss for this because I want to thrive in the same way: at work, at home, with friends, and with my health.

Conversely, I've seen managing directors whose physical health takes a serious dive. They focus all their energy on their career, neglecting other areas of their life. It's like a three-legged stool; if you knock one leg out, the whole system falls over.

It's great to see people who hold firm to their boundaries and what they need to succeed. In any field, if people compromise in certain areas, they start failing and burning out, entering a negative cycle.

If you don't make time for yourself, that's why I love working for the team I do. We all have things on our calendars, like a partner being at the gym or me with my personal trainer. We make time for these things because we know we function better as people and as a unit when we prioritize what's important to us.

As far as thriving, I prefer that version. You can thrive money-wise, but what else in your life is failing because you're putting so much effort into one thing? It should be a multitude of things.