W2 to 1099 to Founder: My Path to Mylance

My professional journey has taken me from management consulting to reviewing background checks at Uber to launching a consulting business and eventually founding Mylance. Along the way, I've learned valuable lessons and encountered challenges that have shaped my approach to entrepreneurship and gotten me where I am today. In this blog, I'll share some insights and experiences from my path that hopefully help inspire your journey. 

Going from mechanical engineering to consulting

My journey began at Duke University, where I studied Mechanical Engineering. After graduation, I jumped into the business world, joining a boutique management consulting firm called Kaiser Associates. Through this experience, I learned the basics of business and gained an understanding of the key factors for success.  However, after a year and a half, I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me and that I wanted something more fast-paced.

Expanding Uber's presence: from Raleigh to Charlotte and beyond‍

In 2013, a simple Uber ride to the airport changed my career trajectory. Compared to taking a taxi, I was impressed by the experience, and applied to work at Uber, and in mid-2014, I joined the company. At that time, Uber wasn’t a household name, and many advised me against joining. But I saw potential in the company, loved the colleagues I interviewed with, and thought the worst-case scenario would be returning to consulting. So I took the leap.

I joined as a Driver Operations Manager overseeing the Raleigh market for the Rides business. In my first year, I spent my time growing the market, which meant everything from reviewing background checks and answering driver emails, to setting pricing and navigating marketplace dynamics. My initial role wasn’t a big one, but I grew in it and over the first two years, we expanded to Durham, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, and other cities in North Carolina. Eventually, I managed all of North Carolina, including the significant market of Charlotte.

The challenges and successes of launching Uber Eats in a new market

After two years in the Rides business and being promoted to manage a team, I was eventually offered the opportunity to launch Uber Eats in Miami. The stakes were high: launching a new market took on a lot of responsibility, and if the launch didn’t go well, I’d likely be fired. Yet, I knew I had to accept the role. 

I had six weeks to hire a team, acquire 100 restaurants, and set up the marketing plan to acquire eaters. It was a hectic, stressful period, but it ended up being quite successful—we received over 1,000 orders on our first day!

Despite the success, I faced a setback when I applied for the GM role in Miami. I was rejected because I didn’t have an MBA or enough managerial experience, which was frustrating given my direct experience being a leader already in this market. This experience taught me an important lesson: companies focus on their own interests and growth, often overlooking individual employees' personal ambitions. I realized that to achieve my goals, I needed to align my ambitions with the company’s best interests. 

Expanding into Europe

Undeterred, I leveraged my Uber Eats launch experience and applied for the GM role in Madrid for Uber Eats, even though I wasn’t fluent in Spanish. This got me on the phone with a recruiter, and I pitched my expertise in Uber Eats launches, highlighting that very few people in the company had this knowledge. Upon the Regional General Manager hearing about my experience launching Uber Eats in Miami, I was brought on board to help grow this business line in Europe. I didn’t have an official title or role yet, but that was OK with me. 

I flew to Amsterdam and spent a few months there, assisting markets like the UK, France, Milan, and Madrid to push those launches forward. Eventually, I got to choose one market, and I went with Milan due to easier regulations. For three months, I traveled to Milan weekly to launch the service in the city. It was incredibly difficult without speaking Italian and with no Uber presence, but we succeeded. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience.

Joining Uber Freight

After several months of living out of a suitcase, I was ready for my next challenge, this time back in the States. I networked around the company, and heard rumors about us launching a Freight Brokerage based out of SF. I spoke to enough of the right people, and was asked to join the team. Again, I would have no idea about my title, salary, role, etc. But I was eager to help and figured if I did a good job, I would be taken care of. I was right. 

As one of the first team members, I worked hard and eventually became the Head of Carrier Operations. This role involved automations and data acquisition, and I led a team responsible for getting everything onto the app.

Transitioning to entrepreneurship

After four and a half years at Uber, in October 2018, I decided I had spent enough time building businesses for someone else, and it was time to go out on my own. So, I quit! I took a few months off to travel and spend time with family before figuring out what was next. 

I knew I wanted to start a company but didn’t have an idea I was passionate about. So, I thought, why not try working part-time? I figured I could find a client who needed 10 to 20 hours of work a week. It would give me some income while I figured things out. I started networking and putting myself out into the market. 

I looked through my LinkedIn inbox, and found 12 people in my LinkedIn inbox who had previously reached out asking if I would consider working for them. I responded to all of them, saying, "I'm not open to full-time right now, but I can help you out part-time given my Uber experience." Eleven of those people either ignored me or rejected me, but one company showed interest. I got on the phone with the recruiter and eventually, the COO, and one thing led to another. I sent over a proposal, made up some rates, and, despite having no idea what I was doing at the time, I got the role.

The role was as a part-time Head of Operations, working 25 hours a week, charging $250 an hour with 90% in cash and 10% in equity. Before COVID, I would visit weekly and work on-site, with a few hours of remote work throughout the week. Leveraging my experience launching Uber Eats in different markets, I guided their self-driving car food delivery marketplace, ensuring a mistake-free launch critical for their fundraising. This first consulting client experience laid the foundation for my future endeavors.

Founding Mylance

Over the next two years, I replicated the consulting model, finding clients through my network, LinkedIn, cold outreach, and content creation. I shared my story on LinkedIn, and colleagues from Uber started reaching out for advice. During one of these conversations, I helped a former colleague with her business, charging a small cut of her revenue. We worked together in real-time, where I would guide her through tasks like honing her niche, identifying her ideal customer, writing outreach notes, setting up a business development pipeline, and determining her pricing. This hands-on approach led to the creation of Mylance.

As I continued to share my experiences and help others, I realized there was a growing demand for structured support in building consulting businesses. I started by offering cohort-based courses, which eventually evolved into asynchronous courses to accommodate different schedules. Alongside the courses, we built a supportive community where consultants could share insights and experiences. We also developed software for lead generation, a bookkeeping offering, and a high-end $12,000 coaching product designed to help clients secure their first client.

What I learned along the way‍

Throughout my journey, I've learned several critical lessons that have shaped my approach to business and leadership. Most importantly, taking risks and pushing for what you want are essential for growth. Whether it was leaving a stable consulting job to join a then-unknown startup like Uber or moving to Europe, these bold decisions pushed me out of my comfort zone and led to substantial personal and professional development. 

Adaptability is also crucial—being able to pivot and seize new opportunities often holds the key to success. Additionally, building a strong network cannot be overstated. While many of my opportunities didn't come directly from my network, the connections I nurtured over the years provided invaluable support and guidance.

What Mylance offers today

Today, Mylance focuses on lead generation and thought leadership content on LinkedIn for high-end consultants. We help set up calls with decision-makers in your ideal customer profile and create compelling content for LinkedIn.

If you found my story interesting, I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn. Share this blog with a friend, check out Mylance, and join our free community full of templates, resources, and workshops.

Mylance 

This value-added article was written by Mylance. Mylance specializes in identifying the highest quality, most curated leads for your fractional business. We use 5 different criteria to identify companies and decision-makers who are likely to need your expertise:

1. Matches your niche / unique expertise.
2. Likely to have the budget.
3. Gaps on their team in your function.
4. Are fractional-friendly.
5. Have warm connections from your network.

To apply for access, submit an application and we'll evaluate your fit for the service. If you’re not ready for lead generation, we also have a free, vetted community for top fractional talent that includes workshops, a rates database, networking, and a lot of free resources to support your fractional business.

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