2025 state of mind 🤯
Let’s do this 🏋️♀️
2025 has got off to an… eventful start! I’m sure we all anticipated some turbulence but speaking for myself, January quickly became a rollercoaster I was ready to get off of.
That said, we’re all continuously having to learn, adjust, and get better at finding solutions to the new problems we face. Some 2025 challenges I’d love for us to overcome include:
The VP Curse
Almost every VP I’ve chatted to in the last year, who works with consumer startups has confessed that in many ways, they wish they were still a Director - although they all weirdly wish they could keep their VP salaries… 😉
Career progression and gaining important sounding job titles obviously has its appeal. But if blondes have more fun (they don’t), it doesn’t seem like VPs do! The trade off seems to be:
More reporting ☹️
More decks 😒
More spreadsheets 🤮
Less “doing” 😩
Less creating 😢
Less breadth and variety of work 🫠
This is obviously a high class problem. But I do hope folks figure out what will fulfill them going forward. Do you stay the course? Go fractional? Look for a more engaging Director-level role? Explore therapy to interrogate why a VP title before age 30 mattered to you so much? All seem like potential viable pathways to me!
Hiring Being A “Risk”
Not hiring is often the biggest risk. Everyone wants to have confidence in the economy before taking the plunge and growing our teams. But even Goldilocks’ only criteria was that the temperature of the porridge was just right. Asking for the perfect luxury dining table, the ideal companion (might I suggest Stanley Tucci?), and ideal beachfront real estate might be pushing it!
If you’re building a venture but have no appetite for risk, you may as well pack up and go home. What matters when making a senior hire, is to feel confident they are a good fit for your circumstances. To help you achieve this, consider whether a potential hire:
Has experience at the stage your venture is at and is heading to. When your company is in the building or growing phase, hiring folks who have previously thrived in those stages just makes sense!
Requires category/product experience relevant to your company. Some roles need a pro who has deep industry-experience. Some need a fresh pair of eyes from a pro whose experience includes an array of categories.
Has experience that jives with your venture’s secret sauce. Is that secret sauce a well-branded practicality or an even more deeply resonant vibe? Away might be an example of the former. Billie is an example of the latter - it was culturally resonant in a way that especially spoke to women. Prioritize hiring folks whose experience best enhances your needs.
Has a career trajectory that clicks with what you need. If you’re in the building phase, people with something to prove and who would be making a step up are especially interesting on paper. Perhaps a VP turned fractional pro who misses “doing” might be a match! Or a safe pair of hands ahead of an upcoming exit might be what you need.
The biggest risk to really consider is opportunity cost. What can’t you do if a hire does turn out to be a bad fit? What impact isn’t being made if you delay hiring the best fit promptly? It really is as simple as that. Hiring is a crapshoot. Once you accept that, you can focus on having a good process, instead of fearing an undesirable outcome.
No more playing small, not in 2025. There’s too much at stake. Time to start playing for keeps.
*BU Event in Brooklyn Thursday 1/29!*
We're partnering with Prose on their Emerging Entrepreneurs Grant, culminating in an inspiring evening of celebration, connection, and community. Join us for a vibey evening of festivities! We'll be announcing the grant winner, and you should also expect an appearance from one or two BU members we've featured in previous BU Sessions events.
We have one or two spots still available - click here for info and to RSVP!
BU Community Wins
BIG love to Michelene Wilkerson! The cat is out of the bag after she announced that she’s building her new venture, Openspace. If you’re doing dope work to bring people together, fill out their Community Residency interest form here. ❤️
Shout out to Al Fine and Dame Products - their intimate moisturizer Play Balm took home the gold for Sexual Skincare Star at The Sexual Wellness Awards! 🥇
Emily Hollender is celebrating the 2 year anniversary of launching her business, Next Wave! Very inspiring, we love to see it! 🏄
Flowers for Julia Wysocka, who just announced that she’s joined huupe as Head of CX! 💐
Something to smile about - Lex CEO Jennifer Lewis celebrates that Thailand officially legalized gay marriage last week. Check out her post sharing how they celebrated this on Lex! 💚
Jobs
There are over 500 live job postings in the BU Job Board, all pulled in from across the consumer startup and scale up world. Remember to bookmark the link, set a reminder to make it your first stop for discovering job postings that are out there, and pay it forward by sharing the link with people you know who are actively looking or are curious.
Reach out via hello@blackunicorn.com especially if you’re interested in applying for any of our Featured Job posts, or if you would like to learn more about posting a Featured Job your company is recruiting for. Some new additions to the job board include:
Head of CX at Nourish 📱
SVP, Growth at Ritual 💊
Head of Social & Director, Performance Marketing at Food52 🥐
Catch you next time! 💚
JT
wow, Jason:
> Explore therapy to interrogate why a VP title before age 30 mattered to you so much?
WOW, don’t hurt us like this.
Man, the VP reality check hits hard, so many people chase the title only to find themselves drowning in decks instead of doing the work they love. Do you think the future of leadership is shifting toward more fractional and project based roles instead of these traditional career ladders?