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Ooshma Garg

09/08/18

@ Y Combinator

I learned the hard lesson that whoever pays you kind of owns you and determines how your product evolves, which led to a misalignment with my original mission of helping students find good jobs.

Video

A Conversation with Ooshma Garg - Moderated by Adora Cheung

@ Y Combinator

A Conversation with Ooshma Garg - Moderated by Adora Cheung

09/08/18

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After graduating, I focused entirely on my startup but struggled to achieve profitability, which taught me the importance of having paying customers.

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I learned that the technology co-founders I initially brought in weren't the right fit and didn't have the skills to take the business where I wanted it to go, so I had to fire them.

Michael Seibel

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I wasted $50,000 on customizing employment agreements with a first-year lawyer who was learning on the job, which was not a good use of funds.

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After quitting my corporate job due to lack of learning, I joined a startup where I learned valuable lessons about what not to do in business.

Mathilde Collin

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I learned that I should hire people who are better than me in areas where I need help, rather than expecting them to figure things out for me.

Brian Halligan

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I realized I wasn't good at product management and had to let go of that role to allow someone more qualified to lead product development.

Brian Chesky

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Learning to hire and manage effectively became crucial as I transitioned from building a product to building a company that creates products.

Tom Preston-Werner

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Experiencing bad companies can provide valuable lessons on what not to do in your own startup.

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I learned from painful experiences that having control over your company is vital, as it allows you to navigate through uncertainties and make necessary pivots.