Krista: "At 25... I had just moved to London and I was starting all over.
I came out of college and had a pretty good job. I started working at my step-dad’s company and worked my way up to a pretty senior position. And then suddenly was starting all over at the bottom of a digital agency.
I think in the end... I really just thought I knew so much. Sometimes I wish I had known that I... that there is so much to know and experience. I thought I had something to prove. I thought I could prove it by doing my own thing instead of asking more questions and getting the benefit of other people's experience. I don't know if I would have listened to anyone when I was 25 because I was young and headstrong...
I came out of college and had a pretty good job. I started working at my step-dad’s company and worked my way up to a pretty senior position. And then suddenly was starting all over at the bottom of a digital agency.
I think in the end... I really just thought I knew so much. Sometimes I wish I had known that I... that there is so much to know and experience. I thought I had something to prove. I thought I could prove it by doing my own thing instead of asking more questions and getting the benefit of other people's experience. I don't know if I would have listened to anyone when I was 25 because I was young and headstrong...
It's really only been in the past couple of years that I feel incredibly comfortable in how much I don't know. It takes times and experience. Now that I'm 35 I find that there's nothing I'd rather do than talk to someone who is 55 about things they've learned and have them tell me how much I don't know.
I will say I worked a lot. I worked a lot and didn't care what I got paid. I just loved being part of something. I easily worked 80 hours a week through my mid and late 20s. Sometimes now I realize that I don't have work-life balance or hobbies... but every one of those extra hours over 40 just gave me more experience. I've worked more physical hours than most people my age and I'm proud of that because every hour you are learning or experiencing something new. Success in business has so much to do with experience."
Kate: "Do you think if you could go back and tell your 25 year old self to be more humble and ask more questions, she would have listened?"
Krista: "Hah. Probably not knowing me.
Here’s what I will say -- When I was turning 30 I had the privilege to work under the Director of my agency. Working with her was amazing. Finally I worked for this boss that just gave it to me straight about what I was good at and not good at and forced me to question myself. She told me things that stuck with me and I listened. What she taught me, I still think about now as I'm a CEO.
There's something about working with women... In my younger years I’d always felt threatened or some sense of competition with women older and more experienced than me. There I was this 25-year-old who had no clue and just worked a lot having a sense of competition…
I guess in the end I do just wish someone had really take me under their wing. You know if someone said, “come with me, I’ll show you the ropes around here.” A great mentor would have made a difference. A really senior female to take me in. Although coming up at that time in London agencies, there really were no women at the top to take me in anyway. It was incredibly male dominated.”
Kate: “Is that something you try and do for your current team members now? Take the younger ones in under your wing? I’m sure you’re incredibly busy as a CEO…”
Krista: “I do try to spend time with our younger team members.
It’s not all 25 year olds. I think the ego I had when I was 25 was just totally unwarranted. You know, I had done well in school, people had told me I was smart my whole life, and I worked really hard and I was just like, "oh I'll be CEO tomorrow that’ll be fine." But let me tell you I'm glad I'm doing this at 35 and not 25.”
Kate: “Uh oh… because you know I’m leaving my job to start a company in January…”
Krista: “Yeah, I don't know if it was really a universal age thing. I just had to get to a certain place where I don't question that I'm the best CEO for P2Bi. That doesn't mean I have all the answers. As long as I'm listening and learning and questioning and moving forward we'll get there. That feels less 100% on my shoulders. I feel less like our success depends on me knowing everything. And that's a big change from my 20s or 30s. Now in board meetings, I’ll have people say, “You did [this] and I thought it was a terrible idea why did you do that?” When I was 25 I would have been like “Who do you think you are? I'm the CEO.”
One last piece of advice for you as you start your own company --
Hire people who intimidate you because they're so smart and talented. If someone makes you feel like "holy moly, they're so incredible" and then they come work for you, THAT means something. That means you have something. They wouldn’t just work anywhere. That's how I think about it and it makes all the difference. And all the sudden you're in the room with 7-8 smart people and you hired them and they’re helping you build something even better than you could have otherwise. That’s the room you want to be in.”
I will say I worked a lot. I worked a lot and didn't care what I got paid. I just loved being part of something. I easily worked 80 hours a week through my mid and late 20s. Sometimes now I realize that I don't have work-life balance or hobbies... but every one of those extra hours over 40 just gave me more experience. I've worked more physical hours than most people my age and I'm proud of that because every hour you are learning or experiencing something new. Success in business has so much to do with experience."
Kate: "Do you think if you could go back and tell your 25 year old self to be more humble and ask more questions, she would have listened?"
Krista: "Hah. Probably not knowing me.
Here’s what I will say -- When I was turning 30 I had the privilege to work under the Director of my agency. Working with her was amazing. Finally I worked for this boss that just gave it to me straight about what I was good at and not good at and forced me to question myself. She told me things that stuck with me and I listened. What she taught me, I still think about now as I'm a CEO.
There's something about working with women... In my younger years I’d always felt threatened or some sense of competition with women older and more experienced than me. There I was this 25-year-old who had no clue and just worked a lot having a sense of competition…
I guess in the end I do just wish someone had really take me under their wing. You know if someone said, “come with me, I’ll show you the ropes around here.” A great mentor would have made a difference. A really senior female to take me in. Although coming up at that time in London agencies, there really were no women at the top to take me in anyway. It was incredibly male dominated.”
Kate: “Is that something you try and do for your current team members now? Take the younger ones in under your wing? I’m sure you’re incredibly busy as a CEO…”
Krista: “I do try to spend time with our younger team members.
It’s not all 25 year olds. I think the ego I had when I was 25 was just totally unwarranted. You know, I had done well in school, people had told me I was smart my whole life, and I worked really hard and I was just like, "oh I'll be CEO tomorrow that’ll be fine." But let me tell you I'm glad I'm doing this at 35 and not 25.”
Kate: “Uh oh… because you know I’m leaving my job to start a company in January…”
Krista: “Yeah, I don't know if it was really a universal age thing. I just had to get to a certain place where I don't question that I'm the best CEO for P2Bi. That doesn't mean I have all the answers. As long as I'm listening and learning and questioning and moving forward we'll get there. That feels less 100% on my shoulders. I feel less like our success depends on me knowing everything. And that's a big change from my 20s or 30s. Now in board meetings, I’ll have people say, “You did [this] and I thought it was a terrible idea why did you do that?” When I was 25 I would have been like “Who do you think you are? I'm the CEO.”
One last piece of advice for you as you start your own company --
Hire people who intimidate you because they're so smart and talented. If someone makes you feel like "holy moly, they're so incredible" and then they come work for you, THAT means something. That means you have something. They wouldn’t just work anywhere. That's how I think about it and it makes all the difference. And all the sudden you're in the room with 7-8 smart people and you hired them and they’re helping you build something even better than you could have otherwise. That’s the room you want to be in.”