Tuesday, April 19, 2011

So You want to Date a Start-up CEO !!!


If you live in the Bay, you just can't avoid running into someone who
will introduce themselves as the CEO / Founder/ Executive of a
Start-up...Your chances of dating one, let’s say it’s greater than anywhere else in the world! =)
Perhaps you ask yourself- is this what I really want? The answer may
be: "hey, he is smart, intelligent (went to an Ivy league School), and

can  be the potential next-future Zuckerberg,” but there’s always a

catch!
Here are some things you should KNOW before you start dreaming away
and dating this fellow:
  • He works hard and plays harder (make sure you are on the same schedule)!
  • Most of his communication will be conducted via Skype, iPhone (txt, FaceTime), iPad, GoogleVoice… you get the gist of it. And, if you aren't tech savvy, it’s highly recommended to start  learning about the various technologies by downloading different applications / software’s to connect and be “intouch” with Mr. Prince Charming.
  •  He may book you in his calendar, so be prepared to receive a date request via Google calendar, Outlook, FB event  invite… or be waiting to hear from the PA or EA (Personal Assistant/Executive Assistant): No, I'm not kidding! It’s not the glamour and romance one expects, but as we learn in economics, time is money!
  • Don't be surprised if you get the last minute cancellations to your birthday party, vacations. If you break down and cry, this is probably what you will hear: "I have obligations.” So, get the tough skin out and get used to it!
  •  Last but not least, don't be shocked if he shows up at an event /date in Jeans, Flip Flops and a T-shirt…make it your responsibility to give him some glimpse what Fashionista means! ;-)
If I haven’t scared you off yet and you are still keen to date a Startup founder, please educate yourself by reading the following:
Silicon Prairie News, TechCrunch, Venturebeat, GigaOm; I hope you already do!!! With this said, I am presuming you already have one or more of the following “i’s”  from Apple as well: iPhone, iPad, iPad2, iPod, and
have an account with the App Store; if you don’t know what that is, then don’t even bother looking any further…. Please turnaround and date a non-techie man-- for your own sake and sanity!
A final note to keep in mind, familiarize yourself with Tech terminologies such as: Pivot, Cloud, UX, UI, and Developer; trust me, this will take you far! After all, he does want to have a conversation about work once in a while with you (actually alll the time).

Ready to face it head on? Well, Good Luck and see you at the next Tech event! ;-)

Yours truly,

S.