Thursday, October 02, 2008

Signs you are no longer in a startup

You wake up one day and the company you started is no longer in it's infancy. This didn't really happen overnight but somehow it feels like it. I sat down with another local entrepreneur for a cup of coffee the other day and created this list of signs that you're no longer in startup mode. That doesn't mean you don't still have a sense of urgency or passion, just that you've passed into another phase of company building and all that comes with it.

  • You have meetings about meetings
  • You have revenues and are less worried about eyeballs or page views than revenue growth
  • There are people working at the company you haven't yet met
  • The whiteboards are better than the mylar sheet you can buy at home depot for $20
  • More than one conference room
  • The board is made up of more investors than entrepreneurs
  • Sales people
  • A second office somewhere else on the planet
  • COO
  • A formalized vacation policy
  • Not sure what other people at the company are doing over the weekend
  • Rotten food in the fridge. (also a sign that people are beginning to think that others will take care of things)
  • Printer is almost always out of paper when I go to print something (see previous point)
  • Someone you randomly meet at a conference has heard of your company
  • Other companies are calling your company seeking partnership
  • Expense checks are doled out on schedule
  • More than one floor in your office space
  • Company events have become more generalized to meet the interests of the larger group
  • You've become self conscious of saying "fuck" in the office
I'm certain there are at least 100 others I've left off...

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