Jonathan Richman

Well, it’s been a week since I started and I thought it was time for my first real update to give you a taste of the startup world.

You probably noticed the title of this post and are wondering if I’m in panic mode. 

I am…but that’s a good thing.

One thing is for certain, moving from a company with 1,000 plus employees to one with just a fraction of that is a big change. This is especially true for me, a guy who started his career (and for 11 years) was in a big pharma company with more than 20,000 employees.

And a change like this is not for everyone

I’ll give you a “for instance.” Most likely, you head to work each day and find yourself in a pretty confining office space. You’ve probably battled your entire career for an office with a door and then for one with a door and a window. I did. Then I moved to what was then Bridge Worldwide and there were no offices…for anyone. Certainly there were no doors on offices. Everyone had roughly the same cubicle with no walls. That is, you could always just look out and see everyone versus those labyrinth-like configurations with dividers that nearly reach the ceiling, but not quite.

Nope…none of that. And that was a big adjustment. But I quickly found that I liked that arrangement better. You could just yell across the room, find the info you needed, and get on with it. Try that when everyone’s confined to an office.

Fast forward to day one in the Zipscene offices. We’re moving to some more traditional office space (still with no walls and barely what you’d call cubicles) in a couple of weeks, but for now, we’re here: 

Yep…this awesome cottage with a great view of downtown Cincinnati and the Ohio River. Everyone is spread out throughout the house and it’s tremendously efficient to connect with everyone and know exactly what’s going on. That turns out to be a vital bit of information in the startup world.

Before you start conjuring up images from “The Social Network” movie, there isn’t a pool out back. Nor are there magnums of champagne in various states between empty and full lining the walls. There is no Sean Parker, no strippers, etc., etc. You get the idea. It’s a bunch of people who know exactly what they need to do and they’re doing it.

So, while there might be a little panic on day one of any new job, especially one that’s really different from your last one, my internal dialogue asking myself about what I’d gotten myself into resolved itself quite nicely.

Here are some things I’ve learned so far:

• When there is only a small group working at a company, there isn’t a perfect list of what each person does. So, if you’re expecting an exact list of what you’ll do each day, this probably isn’t for you. If you like the idea of defining what you do, then this is for you.
• There isn’t “a guy” for everything. That is, don’t expect the same resources that you had in a giant company. There isn’t a dedicated IT support staff or a guy to make coffee or put paper in the printer. You’re the guy. Everyone does what needs to be done. In the best companies (and so far this fits with Zipscene), no one needs to ask who  is going to be “the guy” for the myriad of tasks that arise each day, someone just steps up and does it.
• You’ve got to love the unknown. Sure, a lot needs to be defined, especially on a high level about where the company is headed, but many of the details change daily (if not more often). That means that you need to be ready to adapt to that change just a quickly. If you like stable and predictable, this startup thing probably isn’t for you.

So, in summary, it’s not a bad “Oh Shit!”, but rather a good “Oh Shit!” And now you know there’s more than one kind.

Just a reminder…if you’ve moved into the startup world and have some advice for others that might be considering the same, I’m looking for some guest writers to join me. You can use the “Submit” link at the top of the page or contact me for more details (@jonmrich on Twitter, leave a comment with how I can reach you, or send something using the “Ask” link).

It’s time for something new.

So, that’s what I’m doing.

Friday, January 13 will be my final day at my agency, Possible Worldwide (formally Bridge Worldwide) after almost five years. I’ve had a tremendous set of opportunities and I’ve learned more than I imagined was possible. Who knew this digital marketing stuff could be so complicated?

Possible has grown a lot since I started in 2007 when it was Bridge Worldwide and I was employee number 106. Since then, the Cincinnati office has grown and merged with other companies to form a network with more than 1,200 people. It’s been a positive experience and one which I’ll always value. 

While it was a smaller company when I started, it’s now quite the opposite. And while still not the size of GE, 1,200 people still makes for a different company than 100. Ironically, the thought of coming to work for a small company after 11 years at AstraZeneca (with more than 25,000 employees) scared me at first. 

But rather than a negative, I found that the smaller group was something that worked really well for me and could deliver amazing results. Rather than working hard to move up the corporate ladder to get an office with a door and a window, Bridge showed me the benefit of having no offices. Turns out you get more done by simply yelling across the room than having to walk down the hall.

Since I started, I’ve spent a lot of time learning about digital marketing and technology and I’ve combined that with my passion and background in healthcare. That resulted in my blog, Dose of Digital, and speaking engagements all around the world. I’ve found that this area of healthcare can be a really exciting, but also really frustrating, as the pace of change is very slow. I’m still waiting to see some of the predictions I offered years ago come true. At the same time, it’s been rewarding to hear from the many people who say they’ve learned something from my writing or presentations. 

But like I said, it’s time for something new.

I’m now headed off to something totally different. I’m moving from a large (medium?) sized company to a small one. And I’m headed to the world of startups. It’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while and didn’t know when it might make sense. Well, the right opportunity just made itself apparent and I’m going to follow it. SO, starting Monday, January 16, you can find me at Zipscene.

Zipscene is a startup company in Cincinnati that has created a digital marketing platform that’s focused on the restaurant industry. I’ll be leading marketing and product development to help shape the future offerings of the company.

So, as you can probably figure out based on what Zipscene does, I’m getting out of the healthcare industry for now. Maybe I’ll return someday and I certainly plan to keep up-to-date with what’s happening. It’s still something that I’m passionate about and will be hard to completely walk away from.

For those wondering about what will happen with Dose of Digital, it will likely continue in some form going forward. The blog is owned by Possible, so we’re figuring out the best way to keep it going. I can say for sure that I won’t be the sole author, but will try to contribute from time to time. Stay tuned to the blog for an announcement with some more details. In the meantime, thank you to everyone who supported the blog over the past few years and made it as successful and popular as it is today. I’m grateful and honored that you spent your limited time reading and listening to what I had to say.

Going forward, you’ll be able to find me on this blog (and in a few more places…stay tuned). I’ll be writing all about my experiences as I move into the startup world. You’ll also probably see some guest posts along the way from some others. So, if you’ve ever been interested in startups, check back every so often. I’ll share what I’m learning (good and bad) and hope to pass along some insights you can use along the way. You can read the explanation of the title of this blog (“Starting Up and Away”) if you care where I came up with it.

I look forward to catching up with you here, on Twitter, or email (jonmrich [@] gmail.com). Be sure to stay in touch, and make sure I don’t miss anything big in the world of healthcare.

Best Regards,

Jonathan

I thought this song would make a nice opening for the blog…from one of my favorite bands of all time. 

Turn up the volume now.