My first year at GitBook

It’s been a year since I started working at GitBook, a startup in Lyon I had never heard about before applying. At the time, as head of operations, I became the first non-technical recruit, and the first female member of a team of 6 engineers! This year has been intense, thrilling at times, often challenging but always rewarding. What a ride!

The story of GitBook began under the Californian sun when Aaron and Samy, GitBook’s founders, in their coding house in Palo Alto, started working on a open source project.

Five years later, 11 people joined the adventure on their sides. Thanks our VCs for their support!

What was I looking for?

My background is full of experiences in finance roles, mainly in fast-growing international companies in Paris. I wanted to pursue my career in a similar work environment in Lyon. My wish was:

- To work in a company of international reach, developing its own product with a real strategy and ambition,

- To spend my work day with an amazing, passionate and enthusiastic team,

- To bring my experience and my skills to a tremendous entrepreneurial adventure!

GitBook was looking to hire an operations manager with many hats

Hiring an operations manager has a huge impact on a startup’s growth. The founders can focus on running the company instead of spending time on duties such as finance, grants, tax matters, recruitment, HR, process set up and many other duties.Hiring someone experimented, who can wear many hats, can make life easier for GitBook.

I would be this person.

After talking with each co-founders and having another call with the first developer of the company, I had the chance to meet the whole team in the office as the final step of the recruitment process. The goal of this step is to give the chance to interact with everyone on the team and check the culture fit. I felt at ease. These guys seemed to be nice, humble, funny and most importantly I could see myself working with them!

Few days later, I received an offer from GitBook that I accepted with pleasure.

A new chapter in my professional life starts at GitBook.

Ownership, testing and learning, being resilient

My role at GitBook requires to wear many hats and to switch contexts often.

I have learnt dealing with this during my previous work experiences. It is not a problem for me as far as, besides my job, I am involved in several projects and non profit organizations where I organize a wide variety of events. From day one, I have had the opportunity to build my function from the ground up and extend the scope of my work, by taking ownership of the topics I’m involved in. I like the concept of testing and learning, thinking out of the box. Let’s try new thing, iterate and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter, let’s learn the lessons of it and move on! It’s no big deal. I can only thank Aaron and Samy, the founders, for inspiring this powerful mindset and trust in the team! I really think this is part of GitBook’s DNA.

“What would it take to achieve a great year together?”

I love this question. I ask this question during my interviews. It means to project yourself, to foresee what we are willing to achieve and look back on your achievements along the year.

There was so much to create, to implement, to organize, to improve the life of a fast growing companies! And still today, everything we have done has only unveiled more opportunities to improve.

Life is a perpetual learning. I have learnt to switch contexts very often: to set up new tools, to work on grants, to manage financial and legal matters, to brainstorm on equity, to find a new office. Besides I have organized several events and offsites.

I have learnt to support the founders (and work with each of them!) on many topics, my point of view was taken into account and I was part of the decisions.

The learning is a huge source of fulfillment.

I feel my contribution was useful to the company in building the operations bases and to the team. I was able to make good use of my experience and my desire to drive GitBook to the next level.

Team first!

As Simon Sinek says:

“A team is not a group of people that work together, but a group of people that trust each other.”

He just described GitBook!

On top of all I could achieve, my thoughs go straight to my awesome (a bit crazy sometimes!) coworkers. All different personalities, but with the same passion, generosity, and spirit to give their best to this wonderful adventure. We had built many unforgettable memories together.

I remember during the last winter offsite in Val Thorens when we were walking and playing in the snow. After the raclette dinner (French molten cheese), I will never forget the evenings close to the fire when we were singing (or yelling!) with Johan, our tech lead, playing guitar: not only rock songs but also pop songs! My first trip in Marrakech was with these guys. Discovering the city and eating delicious moroccan dishes was a blast.

But no need to go far away from Lyon to build great memories: rock climbing, kayak session, paintball was pretty cool. As epicurean people, we are all glad to test new restaurants (Lyon is the gastronomic capital!). I’m looking forward having an improvisation theater session with the team.

It’s only the beginning but the happiness lies more in the journey than the destination.

So far so good, I can’t wait to participate to the next challenges of riding the GitBook rocket, in France and abroad! Stay tuned!

The best is yet to come!

Join our dream team, we are hiring: https://www.gitbook.com/about