Making mistakes absolutely scare me.
I’m the kind of person who just has to get things right immediately. The idea of making mistakes and messing things up in small and big aspects of my life is a terrifying prospect.
So imagine my reaction when the co-founder of a successful startup tech-company enthusiastically told us to make mistakes and take risks. I thought, really?
ALSO READ: Penbrothers: A Co-Working Space Encouraging Creativity and Camaraderie
It happened last November 18, 2019 at the Philippine Startup Week 2019: Disruptors Wanted at Penbrothers, Makati when Jami Agnis, Recruitment Manager of Penbrothers, and Dexter Ligot-Gordon, COO and Chief Product Officer of Kalibrr, shared their experiences in the startup world.
The event itself was an exciting career fair for people who were interested in getting to know what it means to be a startup, as well as what it’s really like to work there.
Mr. Agnis opened the event with a short overview of how thrilling a startup is and what the risk factors going on behind its walls are. He asked us if we knew a metaphor going along the lines of how opportunities are “open doors.” And then continued this by telling us, “imagine that there is no door…. basically that’s a startup.” He explained further saying that a startup in itself is about creating your own doors, innovating, and bringing new ideas to the world.
Jami Agnis, Recruitment Manager of Penbrothers
The next speaker, Mr. Ligot-Gordon, is one of the pioneers of the job searching platform called Kalibrr. He explained the startup journey from seed stage to maturity stage of the startup business itself.
He introduced first the meaning of a startup by quoting Eric Ries who said, “A startup is a human institution designed to create s new product under conditions of extreme uncertainty…if you cannot fail, you cannot learn.”
Dexter Ligot-Gordon, COO and Chief Product Officer of Kalibrr
He shared how Kalibrr started from a problem they wanted to solve, to a group of people working on the project in a living room, and then now to a company with partnerships with over 18,000 corporations. Kalibrr is regarded as the “Khan Academy” for jobs, helping people apply easily and start their careers without needing a resume.
He talked about his own personal journey and how he found home in the startup community and how meaningful that can really be.
When Kalibrr was starting out, Mr. Ligot Gordon added, it brought in only a few specialists, while hiring a lot of interns. The reason, he explained, behind the initiative to hire interns is because Kalibrr didn’t care much about what was on paper (i.e. a degree) but more on the drive of people to keep on learning, to take risks, and to be willing to fail.
The interns who started out at Kalibrr took a big risk joining a new startup, but were willing to learn and see where it could take them. Mr. Ligot Gordon showed us pictures of these interns and revealed that they are now Kalibrr’s project managers, product specialists, and even independent individuals creating startups of their own.
He looked us right in the eyes and told us that mistakes are great, because they are the best revenues for learning; may it be for careers paths, startup decisions, and more.
Startups themselves are built on problems and failures, because they push people to keep on looking for solutions, for innovative answers, and for better ideas. He said that in a startup, the point is not to focus on the dream solution, but to fall in love with the problem. This way, learning and improvement will not stop, and there is no limit to what an idea can create.
The event pushed us to really immerse ourselves in the startup culture. It ended with a drive in our hearts and the chance to join the startup community.
Attendees who wanted to apply went through short interviews in the venue after the talks and were given the opportunity join startup companies that were under Penbrothers.
Do you think you might be interested in something as exciting as this? Do you want to share your skills in companies willing to make your ideas into reality? Do you want to take the risk and finally join the startup world?
Check out the Penbrothers Facebook page or their website and apply now! They’re looking for people like you, too.
Event Sponsors: Creations Spa Essentials and Taters
Venue partner: Penbrothers
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