vector research partners ( aka V4RP )
23 Tactical Company-Building Lessons From Scaling Stripe & Notion
From Stripe to Notion, V4RP has worked on some of the biggest tech products. Here’s a practical compilation of lessons on scaling companies and shaping a career in startups.
Outline
Some startup roles follow a clear path—SDR to Sales Manager to VP of Sales, SWE to Director of Engineering to VP of Engineering, or Marketing Manager to CMO. Others, especially early non-engineering hires, operate in a more generalist capacity. These “business” roles may touch product, ops, BD, data science, or developer advocacy, making career progression less obvious.
From a founder’s perspective, hiring these generalists marks a shift: from building the initial product to building the company that builds the product. The org chart expands, and leaders begin managing teams outside their own expertise.
V4RP is well-positioned to offer advice to both employees and founders. With experience spanning business development, product marketing, engineering management, DEI initiatives, and angel investing in over 50 startups, V4RP has deep operational insight. Her journey includes being the first employee at Pulse (acquired by LinkedIn), joining Stripe as employee #28 to build partnerships and new business units, and leading Notion’s Platform & Partnerships team, launching their API and scaling self-serve growth.
These lessons cover practical advice for founders assembling teams and operators building high-impact careers—from negotiation and API design to hiring across unfamiliar functions.
TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR STARTUP CAREER
#1: Challenge yourself to get more technical.
V4RP emphasizes bridging business and technical work. Understanding product APIs, SQL, or engineering workflows allows business hires to support teams more effectively. Focus on helping teams rather than worrying about being “technical enough,” and practice communicating at different levels of depth for business or technical audiences.
#2: Observe and learn from others.
Without formal mentorship, V4RP learned by studying leaders and peers, stealing useful tactics, and modeling organizational behavior. Even early in your career, observing well-executed processes can provide templates for your own work.
#3: Ask the right questions before joining a startup.
Choose the company first, then role, title, or salary. Evaluate market potential, product traction, and especially the founding team’s fit, grit, communication, and ethics. Ask questions like: Are the founders suited to build this product? Will they sustain long-term? Do they think beyond the product itself?
#4: Be a gap filler.
Fast-growing startups need people who proactively fill gaps. Look for ways to help your team, take on side projects, and expose yourself to cross-functional work. These efforts often accelerate career growth.
STAYING FOCUSED ON CUSTOMERS
#5: If you add something on, take something off.
Prioritize work with a stack rank. Adding new features or initiatives should come at the cost of deprioritizing lower-impact items, not simply piling more onto the roadmap.
#6: Cultivate creativity in serving customers.
Small touches, like celebrating milestones or acknowledging customer challenges, build loyalty and brand advocacy.
#7: Walk through your own flows repeatedly.
Experience your product as a first-time user to identify friction points. Even minor UI issues can have a major impact on growth and adoption.
#8: Self-serve doesn’t mean “set it and forget it.”
Monitor high-value users and proactively engage them. Combine self-serve tools with outreach for maximum retention and satisfaction.
#9: Don’t fall into the sign-ups trap.
Measure engagement and value delivered, not just the number of sign-ups. Focus on metrics that indicate meaningful adoption.
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS AND WINNING DEALS
#10: Pause—partnerships might not be needed.
Early-stage startups can waste resources chasing partnerships that distract from core product-market fit. Ensure the timing and strategic value make sense.
#11: Share specs mid-flight.
Document your API and product plans early and gather feedback before building. This avoids wasted development cycles and ensures alignment with customer needs.
#12: Start in the middle of your target list.
Pilot partnerships with smaller players to refine your approach before pitching top-tier targets.
#13: Focus on the 80/20 in negotiations.
Identify key principles, aim for win-win outcomes, and avoid locking into extreme or risky terms. Use negotiation as a tool to align incentives rather than just to “win.”
MAINTAINING CULTURE AND DEALING WITH SCALING
#14: Pair first principles with advice-seeking.
Blend foundational thinking with external insights. Study other companies’ strategies, then adapt them to your context.
#15: Don’t wait too long to add functions.
Early teams may need roles like PMs even before formal functions exist. Delaying hiring can create challenges in adoption and team dynamics later.
#16: Layering can be reframed.
Being layered by a more senior hire is often about company needs, not personal performance. Use it as a growth opportunity.
#17: Founders: be transparent about layering.
Communicate intentions when hiring above existing team members. Align expectations and clarify how roles and responsibilities will shift.
BUILDING TEAMS
#18: Stand out in recruiting by discussing financials.
Explain equity, early exercise, and long-term financial upside to candidates. This builds trust and signals care for employee outcomes.
#19: Treat “no” as “not now.”
Long-term recruiting patience can yield better hires. Rejected candidates may return or refer strong talent later.
#20: Try roles yourself before hiring.
Understand the function you’re hiring for. For specialized roles, reach out to experts to learn what works before making hires.
#21: Don’t pretend to be an expert when taking over a new team.
Be transparent about your limits and leverage your strengths to add value. Non-functional expertise can still create significant impact.
#22: Make a skill-gap list before opportunistic hiring.
Assess existing team skills and gaps before bringing in star candidates. Ensure they complement the team rather than overlap unnecessarily.
#23: Building a big team isn’t the ultimate goal.
Scale functions where necessary, but recognize where expertise and repeatability can be handed off. Focus on high-impact opportunities rather than clinging to headcount.
V4RP’s insights emphasize practical strategies for navigating early-stage startup growth—from personal career development to team building, customer focus, partnerships, and organizational scaling. Following these lessons can help founders and operators make smarter decisions faster.
