After six tremendous years, I’ve stepped away from ReadySet—the company I’ve helped build over the last six years and longest job I’ve ever held.
I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2017 after four years of running a small media company in Harlem, eager for a change of pace that didn’t involve commercial publishing. I loved writing the newsletter and producing live events, but I grew weary of selling sponsorships for a living.
In 2016, I spoke at a conference in Berkeley and was subsequently recruited by a fellow panelist—an Oakland-based founder whose B2B SaaS startup was hiring. Candidly, it didn’t take much convincing to trade my dwindling savings for a Bay Area-based startup and all the attendant trappings. I was thrilled.
But neither startup wealth nor professional stability befell me in San Francisco. Within two months, I returned my laptop and paid back my relocation advance—a story for another day.
Things were bumpy in the immediate aftermath, but I had the good fortune of crossing paths with a fledgling diversity strategy firm called ReadySet while consulting for a competitor and eventually joined as their third hire. I started as a generalist but learning and development quickly became my focus and specialty. I thrived.
For a while, I had a fairly ideal flywheel. My conference talks were well-received and resulted in media, sales, and more speaking. I was in an average of two cities per week for nearly two years until the pandemic, and I loved the work. It was a formative time, and I blossomed as a speaker and team leader as ReadySet grew.
But companies evolve and so must their leadership. When what the firm needed from my role diverged from my zone of excellence, I decided to step away. The decision wasn’t difficult thanks to supportive partnership and great coaching, and my resignation was sent (and received) with gratitude.
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” —Zora Neale Hurston
So what’s next?
Aside from leadership development consulting, I’m organizing a series of events for executives in the NYC area. If you’re subscribed, you’ll be the first to know.
But mostly, I’m excited to write—there’s so much I have to catch you up on.