When you’re building a new company, opportunity awaits at each stage of the journey. This is especially true at the beginning when everyone is wearing multiple hats and there aren’t enough bodies to tackle problems that arise. During these inflection points, employees have a choice. They can focus on the work to be done as defined by their job descriptions. Or they can raise their hand, put on a new hat, and create solutions to problems that lie outside of their expertise. 

Our latest guest on Aspiring Ops is an individual who never shied away from raising her hand. She is someone who truly enjoys the challenge of taking on new projects, learning on the fly, and building a diverse skill set along the way. We are so excited to welcome Brynn Michelich, Chief of Staff at Jellyvision, to the show!

Though Brynn never originally set out to be in software (does anyone?), she quickly found a home after joining Jellyvision as a project manager over thirteen years ago. Since then, she’s been able to scale herself alongside the company through various roles across Product, Operations, and now as Chief of Staff.

In this episode, we discuss how volunteering to take on new initiatives allowed Brynn to unlock her career path as Jellyvision built itself from the ground up. Press play below to dive into this week’s episode.

If you’d like to replay your favorite moment, use the show notes below:

🛣️ 0:00-3:43 From Project Management to Chief of Staff

🌱 3:44-5:41 Focusing on Personal Growth and Taking on New Opportunities

3️⃣ 5:42-8:50 Three Phases of Growth Every Successful Startup Will Go Through

⚖️ 8:51-13:03 Striking a Balance between Standardization and Innovation

🗒️ 13:04-16:05 Key Takeaways from 2020 and What’s Top of Mind Heading into 2021

🏆 16:06-18:00 Jellyvision’s Approach to Annual Planning and Rolling It Out to the Team

🤝 18:01-20:13 Best Ways to Create Alignment throughout Every Layer of the Company

✍️ 20:14-23:39 Advice for Anyone Who Wants to Get Their Start in Operations

👩‍💼 23:40-26:00 The Chief of Staff Being an Extension of the CEO

🔮 26:01-27:20 Changes in Operations that Will Unfold in the Next Ten Years

🏖️ 27:21-28:49 Selling T-Shirts on the Beach

🔓 28:50-31:09 Early Growth Accelerators that Helped Brynn Unlock Her Potential

There were so many excellent takeaways Brynn shared with our team, and we had a difficult time boiling it down to just one thing for our listeners. But after thinking about it, there was one point of the conversation we kept obsessing over. Brynn had an amazing quote she shared with us about how Jellyvision creates buy-in and alignment through every layer of the business. If you don't quite remember it, take a look at the graphic below.

Every company and leader talks about alignment. But it’s so hard to get right. The emphasis Jellyvision puts on following up with individuals and reiterating the mission and goals they’ve set out to achieve can make all the difference. It reinforces the importance of making sure employees understand the role they’re playing in an organization and how it fits into the broader direction the company is steering toward. You might sound like a broken record at times, but the results will shine through. 

Brynn, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with our team and the Aspiring Ops audience. Your story and journey throughout Jellyvision is so unique and we enjoyed every second of it. 

Interested in learning more about what Jellyvision? Check out their site here.

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