Her Story
About Cindy
My formal title is Executive Assistant, but I'm really more of a Chief of Staff to the founder. My role encompasses his whole world - I oversee his personal and business aspects for the company and his personal life. I balance his business priorities with his personal needs, really just being a gatekeeper to all things Lightspeed and managing the day-to-day flow and function of the things that he needs to prioritize. I've been in this role with someone for over 20 years, managing every aspect of their life. I feel like your success is tied to their success. When I started at Lightspeed, we were 30 people, maybe under a billion dollars in assets under management. Now we're almost 200 people with significantly more revenue under management. The playing field of venture has changed from where I started to where I am today. We've grown from this boutique firm into this institution, where we didn't just give some really innovative and smart entrepreneurs money to build something - now venture is coming in and nurturing and doing all the things necessary to support our entrepreneurs and their vision to bring it to fruition. I've built a lot of strong relationships in Silicon Valley by being a great problem solver and being open to learning new things, wearing many hats. My background is not typical EA work - I've done events management, operations, resource analysis, a combination of a lot of different things.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cindy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think my success is that I love challenges and I love to problem solve. It's the ability to think on your feet and look at every situation with a can-do attitude and never taking no for an answer. I've built strong relationships in Silicon Valley by being a great problem solver and being open to learning new things, wearing many hats. I think what's really shaped my journey is the playground that is Silicon Valley - the relationships I've built, the lessons I've learned, the experiences I've gained through trial and error, and just really going with the flow.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think the best career advice I've ever received is always being open and willing to learn new things. The challenge is part of growth.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You have to really love the job, because it's 24x7. I think if you're open to learning, problem solving, working with challenging personalities, and really just loving the lifestyle, it could be exciting. You do learn a lot and you get to meet some really amazing people.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Accountability and authenticity are most important to me. I know those two things are not synonymous to success, necessarily, but what I realized in the world that is considered your career and the people you interact with, being authentic to who you are as a person and how you represent yourself day-to-day and the people you interact with, it's really pivotal to your key to success. I think in the world of business, a lot of people have certain motives, and I think staying true to yourself stays true to your course - your goals and who you are as a person. The people you encounter and the lives you touch - work isn't always just work. There has to be more meaning to that, in terms of the lives and people you interact with.
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