Dear founders and friends,
As we enter a period of uncertainty, I wanted to offer both a word of encouragement and a few suggestions for ways that Worklife can help in the coming weeks.
First things first, I remain incredibly optimistic and excited for every company in our portfolio and our broader category.
We have a collective vision to reimagine work through better tools and services. Now is our time to shine.
In the coming weeks, we will experience unexpected demand for our products, increased stress on our technology and new expectations from our users.
I trust that we will rise to the occasion and we will continue to share insights from our investors, customers, and most importantly our teammates.
As a reminder, we have a Slack channel and my DMs are always open. Please use both as a resource at any time.
WorkOS CEO Michael Grinich reminded me today that “any crew can sail in good weather. But it takes a different type of crew to sail through a storm.”
Please use this time to build a strong internal culture and lean on myself and other investors as questions, concerns and new opportunities to support individual employees arise.
No ask is too small and we are all hands on deck at this time.
Secondly, please thank every single person who touches your business.
Every Engineer, Customer Success Manager and especially freelancers and contractors who face a high degree of uncertainty while juggling multiple projects and clients.
It’s my hope that we continue to build world class cultures and over deliver on our value and empathy for individuals who directly and indirectly impact our business and the value we deliver to our customers.
A few reminders for the week:
1. Worklife puts people above all else
Now more than ever, our people are our priority.
Please check on teammates daily and consider creating a safe space to ask questions on Slack or other internal tools.
I am available for office hours this week and I will happily join group discussions, AMAs and any efforts to boost employee morale.
Worklife is calmly and efficiently navigating the uncertainty ahead with a team-first mentality.
We will be scheduling time with portfolio founders as needed to help with product prioritization, customer introductions and ways to help out in the coming weeks as we navigate changes to our businesses.
2. Worklife is strategically a focused fund with a collective of sector-aligned operators behind us.
In the coming weeks, many of us will begin business continuity planning for the first time.
Over the last few years, we have operated in an ecosystem where capital has freely flowed and many aspects of our business have come together quite easily.
As the market pulls us in new directions and we begin to re-evaluate our cash flow and core fundamentals of the business, please give Worklife a heads up before making any changes that impact individuals on your team.
With a nimble, focused fund we are in a unique position to help individuals support multiple portfolio companies or soft land at another Worklife company with a shared vision and team culture.
We’re here to help and we are committed to every individual that’s joined us on this journey so far.
3. Worklife will continue to operate with the same commitment and level of service to our portfolio companies and the broader ecosystem of operators who are reimagining work through better tools & services.
Venture firms share a lot of similarities to enterprise and workplace tech, we are only successful if the companies we serve are equally as successful.
I am incredibly thankful to have invested in your company and continue to be committed to help you grow, even in the most uncertain times.
In the coming weeks, please use myself and our collective of operators to help you if you feel unsure at any point in time or simply want a second opinion. We're here to help and we’re on your side.
Onward and upward,
Brianne
