This episode is special for me. My friend Sophia Deng has had a hell of a run as a startup operator at several of the most iconic tech companies of the last decade. But what I especially love about her is how thoughtful, opinionated, and raw she is about all the things she's learned. She's inspiring and her takes will challenge your thinking.

We covered a bunch of stuff in this episode including:

Why Sophia chose investment banking before pivoting to tech
Moving to SF with nothing lined up and fighting for an entry-level job at Instacart.
Stories, lessons, and unsung heroes from Instacart.
Operating experiences from Instacart, Ramp, Gigster, Remote, and beyond.
What makes the Ramp founder's special.
Why founders should be intentional about their company's cultural "Sun"
Transitioning from startup operator to startup founder

And much more.

Here's the link to "The Sun" Blog Post discussed in the episode: https://sophdeng.github.io/2022/04/30/the-sun.html

To follow Sophia’s work more closely, check out the links below:

Sophia's Twitter: https://x.com/sophdeng
Sophia's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soph-deng/
Sophia's Podcast: Game of Life Podcast
Sophia's Website: https://sophdeng.github.io/

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YOUTUBE VIDEO:
Click here to watch a video of this episode.

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CHAPTERS:
(00:00:00) Teaser
(00:01:06) About the Episode
(00:02:01) Introduction and Background
(00:03:21) Philosophy Major and Career Impact
(00:06:29) Transition to Finance and Tech
(00:09:03) Journey to Instacart
(00:12:13) Early Role at Instacart
(00:13:14) Career Transitions and Growth
(00:16:22) Gigster Experience and Learnings
(00:19:06) Joining Ramp and Company Culture
(00:23:11) The 'It Factor' in Founders
(00:25:43) Achievements at Ramp
(00:29:36) Remote Work and Operational Challenges
(00:33:02) Transitioning to Founder
(00:35:41) The Idea Maze and Founder Journey
(00:40:13) Confidence and Founder Experience
(00:46:48) The Sun Theory in Startups
(00:58:03) Reflections on Founding a Company
(01:03:55) Lessons from Startup Experience
(01:13:30) Founder Identity and Motivation
(01:25:15) Closing Thoughts and Contact Info
(01:34:42) Outro

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SOCIAL LINKS:
Website : https://www.operatorsonly.fm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrew__rea
LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrea1996/
Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzn92lHHiCAfg5RllEd-FAw

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