What A Head Of Finance And Business Operations At TigerEye Labs Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Startup Industry
Yuri, Head of Finance and Business Operations at TigerEye Labs, Inc., found the startup world "even harder than it seems," despite their experience and the company's resources, highlighting the challenges in "nail[ing] the product" and achieving goals. However, the significant impact and ownership felt from successes in a smaller company were exceptionally "rewarding," a stark contrast to prior roles in larger corporations.
Executive/Leadership, Overcoming Challenges, Resilience, Hard Truths, Industry Realities
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Yuri Yakubov
Head of Finance and Business Operations
TigerEye Labs, Inc.
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley MBA, Haas School of Business
Business & Related
Technology
Finance
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. The startup world is even harder than it initially seems, even with a talented team and sufficient funding.
2. Success in a startup provides a strong sense of ownership and is very rewarding, unlike larger companies where individual impact can be limited.
3. Working in a startup requires navigating significant challenges, but the learning experiences and rewards are substantial and unique compared to larger companies
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would've told you before you entered the industry?
It's even harder than it seems. I thought I knew startups were going to be hard, but it's really hard, in a fun, good way.
There are hard things that you learn from, and this is definitely one of them. Even working with a talented team, repeat founders, and having a lot of funding, it's hard to nail the product and get to where you need to be.
That's the downside and the upside. But it's also really rewarding when you see successes.
I've mostly worked at big companies before this. When you're at a big company, and it has a good earnings report, you're one of 12,000 people. Even in a senior role, there's only so much impact you have.
Working at a small company is really fun when you succeed. You really feel ownership, and it's very rewarding.