This week we interviewed the brilliant Luisa who we placed at a tech start-up over a year ago. As Operations Manager her role is extremely fast-paced and ever changing. Luisa’s energy is second to none and she plays a key part in the growing success of the business.
Describe your job in 3 words
Challenging, varied & exciting.
What is it like to work for a tech start-up? How is it different from your past roles?
This role is so different to anything I’d ever done before as I was the third member of the team to join, so have been responsible for setting the company up from scratch alongside the Founder. I had no idea how much work goes into building the foundations of a business, as I was used to joining one that already had an office, a legal team, accountants, staff, as well as an established product or service. Here there wasn’t any of that and so I’ve had to learn on the job which hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve found the experience invaluable. I have a new found respect for anyone who gives starting their own company a go- it’s really really hard working, but it’s also extremely rewarding- we’ve just closed our first round of funding which was a rollercoaster of emotions (and paperwork!) but so important and exciting for the business as we go on to the next phase of learning and building.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I love being involved in so many different aspects of the business and being given the opportunity to help make some of the big decisions alongside the Founder. There’s a lot more responsibility here than I’ve had previously and I like that I have a voice that’s heard- it really does make a difference to feel valued and part of a team working towards the same goal. I also really like how varied my days are- it keeps me interested and on my toes, whilst allowing me to keep learning. There’s no such thing as a boring day here!
Any bad days?
Bad days are usually the stressful ones; working to almost impossible deadlines often on complex legal documents whilst juggling product development calls with designers in the US whilst trying to fix a jam in the printer…but we always get there in the end. And what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?
What makes a great Operations Manager in your opinion? Any tips for anyone who would like to pursue this career?
I think the most important focus for an Ops Manager is to understand what is a priority for the business at that point in time, and how to actively manage the critical elements involved to meet those needs. In a start-up this will obviously be different from large corporations, but ensuring you’re delivering on time whilst continuously striving for ways to improve- whether that’s updating copy for the website, recruiting the right team members or securing competitive rates for a new supplier. I come from an EA background so I’m quite used to juggling a busy workload and staying organised which has been really useful to my role here, so I’d definitely recommend having that skillset, alongside being commercially focused and highly observant- the buck stops at my desk a lot of the time so it’s my job to always read the small print!
If you weren’t Operations Manager what would your dream job be?
I’d like to be a business psychologist or to own an Italian deli so that I could spent my days cooking and eating! Heaven!
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