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“I’ve been surprised how few legit senior candidates are building relationships with talent teams at VCs.” Top GTM Recruiter The key role talent partners play Talent Partners work at VC and Private Equity firms and play a critical role in helping their portfolio companies find the best talent. Talent Partners can help you with: Company Introductions: If you find a portfolio company you want to get into (even if they don't have a role), getting connected through the talent partners is a great strategy as a) they get credit for making the introduction b) the company interprets the introduction as an endorsement from their investor. Connections to Recruiters: VCs have deep relationships with recruiters and know which are seeing the best roles / run the best searches. Top recruiters get >40% of their clients from talent partner referrals so they will always welcome candidate referrals. Unposted Roles:  They work closely with portfolio companies and know all current (and upcoming) executive roles at these companies. "Every VC has a job board but be aware that they typically don’t list exec roles. These boards are most often just pulled from their portfolio company job boards. True executive roles are rarely posted ." VC Talent Partner How talent partners work In many ways, VC talent partners operate like recruiters - many were recruiters in a past life!. Read our article on recruiters first  as most insights also apply to VC talent partners. Here are some additional highlights: High bar for talent: Similar to recruiters, VC talent partners have a quick eye for backgrounds. They are looking for top 10% talent and if you don’t have the right background, VC talent partners may not be a channel you should spend a lot of cycles on. Focus on the right stage firms: Early stage talent teams help their portfolio recruit founding engineers and AEs while late stage ones are focused on exec talent. See article on company stages to understand this focus and leverage our VC database to target the right firms . Do your homework: If you have a call scheduled with a talent partner, make sure to research their portfolio. You can use the Whispered Company Insights for this (filter by Investor). Know the companies that are aligned with your focus and come prepared to share why you are interested in them. Have a list of target companies : Many firms source talent for existing portfolio companies AND hot companies they are trying to invest in, so talent teams may be aware of opportunities beyond their portfolio too. A tight-knit community: There are ~50 firms with talent teams. All of them are in a Google Group together;). They know each other well so, if you can build a strong relationship with one, they will often introduce you to the talent teams at other firms. Unlike recruiters which can be more competitive (since they are competing for placements) talent teams are focused on helping their portfolio companies find the best talent. Always have an ask: In addition to specific companies in their portfolio, VCs have deep relationships with recruiters and know which are seeing the best roles. They can be an excellent way to connect with recruiters. At the end of a good call with VC talent partner, try asking “are there any recruiters/talent partners you think highly of who I should meet?” Connecting with talent partners We don't recommend cold-invite/emails to Talent Partners, they are swamped. Here are the best ways we’ve found to get connected with them (in order): 1 - Investing Partner Talent partners respond quickly to the investing team as that is what pays the bills. If you are close with an investing partner  use this channel 2 - Portfolio Company CEO Talent partners are there to help their portfolio. If you know a CEO who is in their portfolio this is a surefire way to get connected. Also another reason to always network / meet CEOs;) 3 - Talent Partner at Another Firm Many talent teams collaborate (see above) so don’t be afraid to ask if they know other great talent teams. 4 - Whispered Introduction Whispered  has deep relationships with many talent partners . For premium members we can make introductions to top talent partners. 5 - Fellow Exec If you know an exec who has a relationship with a talent partner, this can help that exec nurture their relationship too! Any specific context / hook can make that easier (i.e. already talking to a company in their portfolio) 6 - Cold Outreach If all else fails you can try cold outreach but if you aren't a clear "A" candidate you will see a low response rate. Additional Notes on Talent Partners Ways you can help talent teams: Talent teams don’t just help their portfolio with placements. They also help them up-level their understanding of functions, roles…. These opportunities won’t be ones you create but when asked, I strongly recommend being responsive for these opportunities as they builds your relationship with the talent teams and helps you meet great new executives. Subject Matter Expert: Talent teams often get asked to help a C-level leader at a portfolio company get smarter (i.e. understanding how to hire RevOps, improve their pricing model….). If they ask, take advantage of these opportunities. Content: Talent teams can leverage world-class content as resources to share with their portfolio and also may be asked to put together panels which you can contribute to/lead. Let talent partners know about hot companies raising! This helps them share valuable information with their investing partners “Don't underestimate the power of talking to the talent team on Monday afternoon after the partner meeting. That's when all the problems in the portfolio companies are discussed and the talent team has new projects/priorities.” Talent Partner Do you know how to leverage recruiters, talent partners and investors in your search?

Keeping your network updated during your job search is one of the most powerful things you can do to: Stay top of mind with your network for opportunities they see Maintain contact so you can reach out for help with introductions You’ve probably experienced someone do this at a world-class level before and even if you weren’t able to help them, you appreciate their sincerity and approach. While the power of keeping your network engaged in your job search is obvious to most people, very few job searches do this because it requires a lot of effort to execute.  This article provides a guide on how to keep your network updated in your search… and beyond. Who to include and how to add them to your updates You don’t need to have a perfect list to start.  You can add / update your network list along the way.  The most important thing is to take the first step with a small group.  Some great buckets of people to add to your list include people who: Have helped you before in your journey You have worked with before Have strong networks where you have started to build a relationship You don’t want to add people to a mailing list without first asking.  Some great ways to engage them include: When you chat with someone ask if you can keep them updated on your search Tickle them on LinkedIn and share you are looking for your next role Format for updates These updates don’t need to be long.  They can be quick.  Some tips include: Personal:  You will send these updates at scale (see below on how to do that) so make sure not to make them casual and informal. Reiterate your focus:   Clarity in your search  helps people help you.  Remind people of your focus role and superpower Progress:  People love to help people who are making progress.  Include quick insights on activity + learnings / progress Make it easy for people to help you:  Always include a link to companies you are targeting  that people can help with introductions NETWORK UPDATE TEMPLATE Hello xxxx , Here is a quick update on my job search for [role title] Since [we chatted / my last update…], I have [insert relevant activities here]. I have learned [insight / lesson]  Here are the companies [link to target company list] I’m actively targeting - if you know folks at any I love intros I’ll send another update soon and appreciate your support - let me know if I can help in your journey too. Thank you – [Your Name] Phone: (555) 555-5555 Calendar: https://calendly.com/book-time How to send updates We recommend you send an update every ~8 weeks.  While you can send manually this ends up being intimidating leading people to skip or delay updating their network.  We’ve evaluated different solutions to send mail merges from your gmail account and recommend Mailmeteor  based on: Security:  Most others require access to all your emails, Mailmeteor only requires the ability to send, not see your emails and limits their access to Google Sheets you share with them Price:   They have cost effective options. When you send updates you will get a lot of quick replies with support and learn quickly which people you can ask for help/assistance.  Always reply to those thanking them and if you have quick asks to make helping easy those work well. Once you have found your role This powerful way to leverage your network doesn’t just work for job searches.  It can be a powerful tool for your career.  Once you have found your job we recommend: Sending an update and thank you to your list Removing people from the list who you didn’t build relationships with / weren’t helpful Then you can continue to use the list to send annual updates - the holidays are a great time.  These updates are less about asking for help and more about staying in touch and finding ways you can give back to your network.

There are a number of reasons companies/recruiters don’t post roles publicly . Unfortunately, this also means that companies miss out on great candidates (and candidates miss out on great roles). Whispered was created to connect executives and companies, while respecting the need for confidentiality.  To catalyze these connections, we’ve developed a way to “whisper” roles that helps everyone, including: Companies:   Reach top passive candidates confidentially Recruiters:  Extend the reach of searches without revealing client details Executives:  See unposted roles you wouldn’t otherwise see What is unique about a Whispered Role™️?  Whispered Roles ™️  combine the best of a posted role (reach) with the advantage of an unposted role (confidentiality). Companies can’t whisper their own roles Sometimes companies use recruiters to confidentially expand a search, but executives contacted will need to learn a company’s identity Whispered works with companies (and recruiters) to anonymize a role and share it via our network Interested executives can’t discover the company identity, but can submit their interest How does a Whispered Role™️ work? Whispered Roles™️ are free for companies and recruiters to share.  We provide this service because it creates greater access to roles for strong executives.   Below is the process for Whispered Roles™️ 1) Submit Role: Companies or recruiters can submit a role to Whispered . You control the confidentiality of each role you submit ( see all options ).  Select “Unposted - Whispered members + key communities” to request that we whisper your role Include details in the “Notes” section that clearly articulate the: Scope of the role (functions, team size) Criteria you are evaluating candidates on You can also submit a role to just Whispered members (our default role setting)   The Whispered Role™️ option is an additional amplification we do for select roles based on the criteria below. 2) Role Reviewed: Whispered reviews each role before it is published.  To be eligible to be amplified by our network, each role must: Be Unposted:  There isn’t much point in whispering a posted role ;-) Be Senior :  Whispered focuses on VP+ level roles with venture (or PE) backed companies Have Clear Requirements and Evaluation Criteria:   We can only amplify roles that have clear criteria that allow executives to evaluate fit without knowing the name of the company.  If we require more information to amplify a role we will contact you. Submitted by Person Evaluating Candidates:  As we send a list of interested candidates to the person submitting, we can only amplify roles beyond Whispered that are submitted by a company or recruiter leading the search. We will endeavor to support all whispered role requests but given the extra coordination for Whispered Roles™️, we reserve the right to limit role distribution to just Whispered members.   3) Role Anonymized + Amplified: Whispered will anonymize the description and get your feedback before we share it beyond Whispered.  Whispered will share with key community leaders relevant to your function.  We will only share: An anonymous description of the role The criteria you are evaluating candidates on This link to submit their interest  (executives can only submit if they have the criteria) 4) Executive Application and Connection:  Whispered will enrich and filter candidates who express interest We enrich each candidate and provide the following fields to make filtering candidates easy We provide additional data on executives endorsed by recruiters or Whispered You can connect directly with candidates or Whispered can make introductions to those you are interested in speaking with “We partnered with Whispered on our Head of RevOps role. They quickly introduced us to a number of great, vetted candidates and materially helped our time to hire!”   Doug , President @ Kustomer

This article provides a deep-dive into the considerations around becoming an operating partner at a VC/PE firm.  It is part of a broader series by Whispered  on Career 2.0 options . The operating partner role is attractive because it exposes you to both operating strategy and investing.  But often these roles end up being short-term.   “Operating partners need to be assertive on how the role can drive impact.  If you can do that, the role can be long-term and highly compensated.  However, many roles are not structured for long term success.”   Top Operating Partner The operating partner role has grown dramatically in the last 10 years due to the explosion of investment firms, as well as the recognition that these firms need to differentiate themselves on more than just availability of capital to invest.  The latest VC Platform survey on operating roles  showed that nearly 40% of VCs globally now have some flavor of operating team.  Coming into a firm at the partner level is not realistic for many people, especially for those who don't have any prior relationships with the firm.  There are, however, many operating (aka “platform”) staff roles that provide operational guidance to portcos.  While the platform role is different at each firm, the following articles provide some context around the general areas of responsibilities typically covered by individuals and teams in this role: Elevating Startups: The Pivotal Role of the Platform Associate in VC Everything You Need to Know About the VC Platform Role Why Head of Platform Continues To Be One Of The Most Important Roles At A VC Firm What the role looks like Typically the operating partner role is focused on helping portfolio companies with strategy and best practices around a specific function (i.e RevOps, sales, marketing, product, recruiting..).    You may also be asked to help provide input on executive searches within the portfolio for roles where you have expertise as well as help to build a community of execs in that role across the portfolio (think manage a slack channel and have monthly calls). The operating partner role can vary widely depending on firm type: Early Stage (Seed+A):  These are often the first institutional investment in a company.  Someone in an operating / platform role will need to have “zero to one” startup experience rather than with scale. Mid-Stage (B+C):   Operating partners with VCs are typically “helper” roles designed to differentiate the firm as a potential investor in what is an increasingly overcrowded market of firms. Often these are individual operating partners that roll over more often. Late Stage / PE (D+):  The key about the role is figuring a way to drive impact with portfolio companies.  The role exists because it’s hard to make a return without improving the company where it is typically a control position and lower growth.   Late stage and Private Equity firms tend to have a long-term committed strategy and operating groups composed of multiple people. Develop original content and POVs for the firm on your specific function. Network deeply within that function’s other communities so the firm and it’s portfolio companies have great access to talent pool In addition to the stage of the firm, we’ve observed the structure of the operating partner role can vary on several dimensions: Part Time / Full-Time / Partner:   Operating partner roles can range from an entrepreneur/expert-in-residence (short term, usually focused on helping you find your next role, may/may not be paid) to an operating staff role (paid position but serves at the direction and prioritization of the partnership) and a full operating partner (paid of the investing or management company structure, which gives you more authority, autonomy) How many companies you work with:  Some roles can focus on a small group (< 10 companies) and can go deep with them while others can support a broad portfolio of companies (i.e 100+) where you stay high-level and strategic. Size of Operating Team: At most VCs you might be the only operating partner, or there will be just a few, versus large PE firms can have 25+ person operating teams with more specialization. Note: Visit our VC database to see a list of firms with deep operating teams. Diligence vs. Portfolio focus:   Some operating partners work with deal teams to assess and help close deals while others purely work on improving portfolio company operations. “On the diligence side, operating partners serve multiple roles to support deals: (1) sourcing through their own network or area of expertise (2) serving as a functional expert to give a deeper read on the possibility of success for a company and (3) selling themselves, and their firm, as the right firm to work with via the opportunity to partner together. Tethering between these three is an important facet of being a successful operating partner.”  Aaron Cort , Head of Marketing, Growth & GTM at Craft Ventures Firm Operations/Marketing:   Some operating partner roles can include a healthy dose of content creation and events. This may be less interesting so you’ll want to get alignment early on in your conversations about how much of this they are expecting you to do. “Being involved in deal processes increases your value.  When you help a firm improve their operations, all investors on the cap table benefit.  When you help them close a deal all benefits accrue to your firm.”  Karan Singh , VP of RevOps @ LaunchDarkly, former Operating Partner Considerations on the role Pros: Variety:  You meet many new companies, see a variety of business models and projects.  This can open new windows and perspectives. Comp (Sometimes):   This role can pay well and at, the partner level, can include carry .  Note that part-time operating partner roles also can pay very little as they are just a place to spend time while searching Career Stability:  This can be stable career-wise (more so than investing partners) if you find the right fit. Network:  Supercharge your network. You meet 10x more talented and experienced people than in a typical operating role - across industries, growth stages, and areas of subject matter expertise.  There is also an amazing community of VC operators who tend to be collaborative since they all face similar challenges.   Pattern Recognition:   Working with investing partners you will “get a PHd in how to assess companies.” Candid Information:  Get the inside story on companies you might join.   “In my role I have earned my place as a trusted "text or Slack me anytime" advisor to 50+ NYC based CEOs of Seed / A / B / C companies.  Where else would I get that level of access and closeness? If I were to go back to operating, I would have the advantage of a "try before you buy" experience with a lot of different CEOs and companies.”  Jason Gelman , Operating Partner @ Primary Ventures Cons: Skills Get Stale:   You aren’t getting your hands dirty with current vendors and tech Hard to Keep Score:  It can be hard to know what "winning" looks like and how your work impacts VC fund outcomes because they are so long term in nature.  The highs are not as high as your best day at a startup (and your lows are not as low). A Partnership Not a Company:  There is no single metric (like revenue) that everyone in the partnership rallies behind.  In the partnership structure, each partner can have their own side quests that they view as equally important.  Culture can help with alignment here, but under stress, a partnership will act very differently than a company. 2nd Fiddle:  You are definitely lower in the pecking-order to investing partners.  You will be first in line for any budget cuts. IC Role:   Coming from leading a large team may be an adjustment.  You will have little opportunity to manage people and instead have to influence others – both inside the firm and within the portfolio.  If you love management and leadership this may not be for you. Help Not Always Wanted:  Operating companies might not want your help – in fact, they may view you as a spy for the investor and actively avoid your help. Limited Resources:  Resources (budget, time, staff) are very limited relative to corporate budgets.  Your internal data, systems and processes are likely to be below what you’re used to working with in the corporate world.  This can be an opportunity for you to demonstrate your leadership, but it can also be a headwind to making progress in your area of focus. Spread Too Thin:   It’s easy to get spread thin between helping multiple portfolio companies, helping on executive searches, helping with diligence, and building a community of executives across one function within the portfolio. Other considerations The best operating partners and platform staff have deep startup experience at companies similar in stage and type because they have “seen this movie many times before”. Thus, they know what go-to-market strategy to advise, how to spot areas of improvement from looking at data, and even have a network of connections if help with recruiting is needed.  Revops is a great background for an operating partner.  You get to think strategically about the entire GTM funnel and it is very numbers driven Different firms have different models.  Some have the investing partners and operating partners working on same team while others have a separate operating team. Be careful to make sure your role is focused on portfolio companies rather than improving the operations of the VC itself.  This latter bucket can be a dead-end (trying to manage a bunch of partners).  This is particularly prevalent for marketing folks Operating partner is rarely a path to an investing partner role.  With fundraising tighter, investing partners are even less likely to share the pie. How to get an operating partner role These operating partner roles aren’t typically posted.  Here are some tactics to find them: Experience with firm: If you have worked with the firm in the past (where they invested in your company and worked with you) Experience at the relevant stage: Firms look for experience in companies at the scale of their investments. If you have only operated at early stage companies, you will struggle to get an operating partner role at a late-stage PE firm. Partner Relationships: You know a partner well and they have an established operating partner program Apply: It is rare to see a great operating partner role posted but you can track platform specific job boards such as SoYouWantToWorkinPlatform  or VC Platform  Project: Do a project for a portfolio company and rock it “Doing some advisory calls / project based consulting work for a VC portfolio company  and doing a great job earns you a reputation where your name gets bubbled up to the firm and other portcos.”  Jason Gelman , Operating Partner @ Primary Ventures How to evaluate operating partner roles Below are a few signals that an operating role might be a fit for the firm you’re talking to: The firm is an “active” investor, meaning they try to earn board seats, own significant amounts of the company and try to provide value beyond just capital. The firm is early in their latest fund cycle.  VC funds have a life cycle of 7-10 years with firms earning the majority of their operating fees (eg revenue) in the first 3-5.  Firms that are hiring an operating role shortly before a new fund or in the early years of a fund cycle have more dollars to put towards the role and programming. The firm has a past history of hiring operators or has existing platform staff such as a head of talent, chief of staff, COO. Look for strong alignment on operating and management philosophy.  This alignment or lack thereof can be one of the strongest predictors of whether the role will be a long term fit for you.  Ask questions about what their philosophy is in how they manage their companies and what they expect their operating partners to do and how.  Do they have strong rationale for why they are hiring an operating partner or are they doing it because other firms are doing it?

LinkedIn is the modern resume and .  In many cases (particularly for executives) you may no longer be asked for your resume. LinkedIn is the first thing recruiters and hiring managers look at.  They make a VERY fast judgment about you based on your profile.  So, invest the time to polish it. Here are our best practices (honed with feedback from top executive recruiters) for cleaning up your LinkedIn profile before beginning a search. 💡Important:  Before you start editing your LinkedIn profile, make sure your network doesn’t get notified about updates by turning off notifications.  You can do this by going: Settings & Privacy → Visibility → Visibility of your LinkedIn activity → Share profile updates with your network → Off Background image Be thoughtful about this, innovation can hurt, rather than help. Never have a blank background - its just wasted real-estate If you are at a company (or recently left), the best option is your corporate background. It shows you are currently employed and sends the right signal. If you have a personal branded background you will likely be perceived as not interested in full-time work Using a generic scene background is always fine (and safe) if you are truly between jobs Your Photo Make it a good one - don’t get funky. If you are going for a C-Level role, a professional photo of you on stage with a microphone makes you look even more important;). Don't look too old in your photo ( ageism is real in hiring ). It is totally ok to use a photo from 5-10 years ago. If you need a more professional photo check out Secta Labs Headline Align this with your one-pager to be really clear about what role you do, your super-power. Remove pieces of the headline that could suggest you aren’t focused on full-time roles (i.e. advisor, thought leader….) Niche down: The more specific you are with the role you are seeking and the value you drive the more it engages people . Be specific: Highlight your unique skills, experience, and achievements. Don't optimize your headline for search with lots of keywords Be concise: Keep your headline short and to the point. Be creative: Use action words, power words, and attention-grabbing phrases to make your headline stand out. Headlines like “3x Leader at Unicorns”.... Can be powerful and succinct. Put your career thesis into ChatGPT to ideate on punchy statements to describe you "Don't optimize your LinkedIn headline for algorithms (don't list skills, keep your headline simple). At the senior level, with unposted roles you are more likely to be reaching out personally." Whispered founder Experiences Logos: Never have an experience without a logo… you can always create a company with a logo if it doesn’t exist or link to something fun Impactful Descriptions: Make sure the description for each experience provides succinct, provide clear insight into the impact you drove + scope you managed and quantify impact. Put quantitative results where you can. On LinkedIn you can have more swagger and fun with the impact you drove but put numbers! Include the size of the teams you managed. Don't make people guess Fractional / Advisory / Community Experiences: Since you are looking for a full-time job, We recommend NOT listing each advisory role as an experience - it will look like you aren’t focused on full-time work. Instead, put all fractional / advisory roles under a single item on LInkedIn ( here is our favorite ) Above the Fold: Be really thoughtful about the experiences “above the fold”. You want the key elements of your career story front and center. While they will always show by date, you can merge/delete/don’t show things that will push your key experiences “below the fold” Role Progression: If you've been promoted in your role and you've been there a while, show each position you had. It helps show progression within that company vs. one long experience. Skills: We don't recommend using LinkedIn skills on individual roles. These can be distracting and at at a senior level people aren't looking to understand what tools you have experience with but your soft-skills. Titles: Consider refining the titles on your roles to best position yourself for the role you are focused on . Featured Articles: If you have written / spoken about topics related to your experience, you can link those posts / articles to specific experiences. You can also feature these on the top of your profile. Ageism is Real: As you get older, feel free to pull off your very early experiences and remove dates from education . About (Description)   Have a punchy description that engages people in the first person (3rd person is creepy:). Use stories to engage people who visit your profile. A simple approach is to use the “Value I Drive” content from your 1 pager . Also add a few side passions to give yourself some personality / provide hooks for people to engage with. Recommendations Asking for recommendations on LinkedIn is an excellent way to showcase your skills and expertise to potential employers and recruiters. Try to have everyone you would give as a reference to also add a reference on LinkedIn. A great way to warm up references and reconnect by saying “I’m about to look for the next role, I wanted to ask if you would be a reference (and also share one on LinkedIn)" Recruiters judge people with strong references higher Open to Work Turn on LinkedIn “available for hiring mode” to appear on recruiters radars. This is especially effective if you are in a role similar to the one you are searching for. It can yield a lot of inbound opportunities. Note: We don’t suggest to make “Open to Work” visible for all on your LinkedIn profile. From convos with recruiters / execs, “it can appear desperate” "You lose all leverage when you have "Open to work" on your profile as a senior candidate. Companies will deprioritize your application because they know they can have you." Chris Gannon , Founder at Captivate Talent If you have a strong network, have worked at good companies and have had success - you will never "look" for a job or need a banner. If you don't have those things, you need the banner and all the help possible. Michael King , Executive Recruiter   Other LinkedIn strategies To Post / Not to Post That you are looking on LinkedIn?: For junior roles, we love posts that share that they are searching. But for more senior people, recruiters/hiring managers have shared they see it as a negative. “While you may be thinking to yourself, ‘I’m going to get a bunch of likes. This is going to feel really good. I’m going to share my story —I don’t see how it personally helps you.” Nolan Church, former Google Recruiter Content: Content can add more depth to your LinkedIn profile. See this article on the power of writing . Dates: Feel free to remove dates from education if you don’t want to state your age Custom URL:   You can customize the URL of your profile. This looks better on your resume / email signature. You can find it by going to your profile and clicking “Contact Info” (located right below your photo) Update how your headline caches on LinkedIn: LinkedIn caches images for a long time. This means that your current headline might not be the one that shows up when you (or others) share your linkedin URL via LinkedIn ;). There is an easy way to fix this... ju st go to this URL and re-enter your LinkedIn URL - it will force a reset in the cache/ That feeling when your LinkedIn is polished! Do you know how to find your next role?

We hear this constantly.  We've used it ourselves It unfortunately rarely works! Executives reaching out to their network often make a version of this ask. Unfortunately recruiters , talent partners and connected folks - while they generally want to help - virtually always tune this request out. “Make it easy on the other person.  When you talk to someone who has a lot of connections it is actually hard if you say ‘I’m kind of open to anything’ That is the least useful thing to say….. ”    Nick Mehta  on Who Got Me Here podcast Why doesn’t this work? Because it is too vague and doesn't give people a way to help you.  You haven’t: Been clear on what you are looking for Communicated the unique value you bring to a company Been specific on companies you are interested in Made the ask simple for your connection Been memorable What works better? You have to do your homework.   Get clear on the role you are focused on Understand the stage of company you are targeting Build a list of companies you are interested in Articulate your focus and unique value in a way that is memorable You need to be specific and make it easy for the person to think of connections they can make.  Some specific strategies include: Be clear :  Be clear in the role and type of company you are interested in Be specific:  Share a list companies you are focused on  - it will prompt ideas from people around connections they have at those companies Be memorable:  Niche down on your focus and nail the talk track  on your super-power.  Emphasize it with stories. Give first:  Try to figure out who you can connect the person with or how you can help them on their journey “It is really good to be specific because then people remember.  If you say to somebody ‘oh I’m just excited to work at a hot company’ that isn’t really helpful because… who isn’t?!”  Nick Mehta  on Who Got Me Here podcast Want to laser in on your focus? Whispered has a deep database of unposted senior roles . But roles are rarely a shortcut. You still need to put in the work to get clarity so others can help you. Check out Whispered's guide on career clarity and learn more about our proprietary resources to help executives looking for their next role.

Once you start the interview process, the process is just beginning. See tactics on how the interview process works . Learn how to ask the right questions about a company . Understand how to negotiate compensation like a pro . Here are some great questions to ask yourself when evaluating a role: How many dealbreakers do you have? We suggest a maximum of 2 “dealbreakers.” Know what’s REALLY important to you and focus on that. Be ok with the fact that not everything has to be perfect. How is the company’s top-of-funnel? You can fix problems later in pipeline but if the lead flow isn’t there, it is hard. Do not take a role where the company does not have product market fit. If you are not starting a company yourself it is not worth banging your head against a wall at that stage. How does the person you are working for fit with your style? You can write and share your user manual as a great litmus test. Do they read it and understand it? Do they have one of their own? The key is to learn if they are a good communicator and if you have the potential to work well together. Is the product loved? If users love the product everything else is easier. Are you running towards the company or away? It’s important to listen to your gut. If you are feeling uncomfortable in any way, try to determine if you are worried about the new role or if it is just the discomfort of the search process. Does the company culture / leadership fit your style? Use Whispered's Company Insights to get the inside knowledge on culture, trajectory, leadership and more. How important is compensation for you? Whispered doesn’t typically help people evaluate compensation for specific roles, but we have developed strategies on how to negotiate - and what you can negotiate for. Finally, here is a great resource on evaluating your next opportunity Do you know how to pick the right company and role?

People want to help you.  So you need to be prepared when people ask: “How can I help?” If you've written a  career thesis , that provides a great foundation but you can use the format below to articulate clearly how folks can help.  This format described below: Articulates the type of roles you are looking for Engages people in your search and makes it easy to learn from them about people or companies you should look into. The format of this doc matters because people are busy. This is not a résumé but rather a doc that can engage people who want to help you. The Format Here is a sample format   that has been refined with talent partners and recruiters . It is optimized to make it easy for people to help you with: Elevator pitch about you: What you are great at and why you are looking? What is the key message you want people to remember about you? Explain simply why you are looking How people can help you: Target companies: What companies are you looking to learn more about or meet people at? When you share your target company list , people become dramatically more helpful! Ask for suggestions: In general, it’s more effective to ask what companies you should consider, vs. asking for introductions to specific people. Example Intro Blurbs:  Write a short blurb that it’s easy for people to copy and paste. We've observed when you call it “ways others have introduced me” it allows you to toot your own horn more. "It is hard to describe yourself as a badass rockstar but other people probably do. So frame it in their words". Whispered Co-Founder The Value you drive: This is what companies are trying to understand about you - quickly. Try to have these bullets speak to a pain your future boss has that you can solve. Keep this short, include metrics and ideally link to articles, to reinforce. Target Company/Role: Be specific about the roles and companies you’re interested in - even if you’re not 100% sure. See this template for how to get that clarity . How to Use Your 1-Pager Don’t send it to people before you meet them. (This might even nudge someone to opt out of the scheduled meeting!) This document is designed to be sent AFTER you talk with someone who wants to help you. Other Tips When you talk about the company stage you’re focused on, we recommend using employee (FTE) ranges (i.e. 500-1500 employees), rather than funding stages or revenue . It’s an easy stat to find on LinkedIn and more intuitive for most people. Getting specific is important. See this article on https://www.whispered.com/post/niche Give your 1 pager a title that pops. We recommend “(Your name) - What’s next!” as an effective and engaging title. You can use a google doc for your 1 pager but, to make it memorable, try bit.ly to simplify the URL - for example https://bit.ly/yourname . Do you want free feedback on your 1-pager and search strategy from Whispered's team

At Whispered, we love helping people in their careers.  In this article on career transitions , we talked about the value of “always having a working thesis (for your career)”.   We've found this approach to be especially powerful for people at more senior levels where roles aren't typically posted . Many people can’t articulate their ideal next role, but a working thesis can help you by: Clarifying where you are focused Making it easier for others to help you "Focus matters. It unlocks everything. If I ask you to name 5 white things, it can take a while. But if I ask you to name 5 white things in the refrigerator it is easier. Give yourself and others who want to help you the clarity!" What is a working thesis? A big part of searching for your next role is to be clear with yourself and others. "If you don't put yourself in a box, others will do so for you." Leading VC Talent Partner A working thesis is a short summary of where you are headed next in your career, what unique values you drive and why you are focused there. A career thesis doesn’t replace your resume or LinkedIn and you won’t share it broadly, just with those who know you personally and are willing to help you in your search.   So, don’t spend time repeating your work history, instead just link to your LinkedIn as reference. Your career thesis should succinctly articulate the following: The problem(s) you solve for companies (frame in terms of your super-powers that bring the most value to companies you are seeking to work with) The type of roles you are looking for with clear function/level (As you develop career clarity, feel comfortable having 2 roles you are interested in. As long as you have conviction on each, it is ok to be open to different types of roles.) Target company profiles (size, location, specific industries/sectors you are most interested in) How do you get started? A career thesis should be able to be drafted in 1-2 days max.  Don’t overthink it.  This is not a plan for the rest of your career, just your current best thoughts on your next step.  This will empower you to start conversations with people close to you who can help you quickly refine it. The clarity from writing a career thesis is critical to focus you. It will help you take the first step It will help you have a filter to prioritize your research on companies to target It will help you know which people to focus your outreach on If you are still stuck Reflect back on where you did your best work See our article on how defining your niche will make your search easier See our article on how to get clear on the company and role you are focused on See a template on our 1 pager article  (this is essentially a tightly refined thesis that you can share out We've partnered with a great career coach on a package designed to help you quickly get that clarity . Are you sure you want a full-time job? See Career 2.0 options How do you put your career thesis into action?

People are anxious to find a new job immediately but if you jump into networking and recruiter calls without doing the research to define your niche, you will struggle because: Your LinkedIn will be generic and won’t engage people You will burn your network connecting too early without clarity You will waste cycles interviewing for roles you don’t want / aren’t a fit for You will struggle to convert interviews when you aren’t clear in your strengths and can’t speak with conviction “Getting out there and interviewing a lot won’t help you find clarity.  It may actually hurt you.”  Whispered Founder Why niching down is critical “Every ounce of your intuition will tell you to position yourself broadly - to cast a wide net.  ButThe wide net doesn’t catch good job possibilities because … humans can be expansive, but not reductive…. Your network can expand from your narrow niche and think of you for a range of jobs.  But paradoxically the inverse is NOT true.  They can’t take a wide (focus) and reduce it to a specific role.  If your statement is broad, most times they can’t even remember it or you.”   Phyl Terry Throughout our careers, we have observed this phenomenon thousands of times.  It is why when people say “if you hear of any interesting roles” we know we will struggle to help them… even though we want to . You will be shocked how powerful niching down can be.  Here are a few examples of how powerful combining your background, super powers and understanding of the job market: Executive #1:   This person had led SDR teams for 7 years before moving over to RevOps for the past 3 years.  They were struggling whether to go back to SDR roles or work to build a career in RevOps.  But we talked them through how given the rise of AI, more and more companies were automating the SDR function meaning the combined skill set positioned as a Growth Engineer would be much more powerful for them Executive #2:  This person had been COO of a company and was struggling to find their next COO role.  We learned about the deep customer operations systems and processes they had built and guided them to consider a role in Customer Success Operations.  They were hired to lead the CSOPs function at a public company. How to define your niche Below is a quick guide on how to define your niche.  We work closely with premium members to coach them on this process but you can definitely do it alone too: Do the background work:  Start by making a list of What you love AND hate doing Your must haves AND must nots Your strength AND weaknesses Get clarity on the role / company:  Use our template to build your focus statement . Work to niche down even further: Think from the perspective of the CEO/hiring manager.  What impact are you uniquely qualified to drive? Are there emerging roles and technologies that you can position yourself to be an expert in?    “The smart (executives) watch the industry in their spare time.  They study the categories and build thesis in their own mind.”   Andy Price , Artisanal Talent (see podcast starting at 49:50 ) Understand how the market sees you and pressure-test your focus statement:  Connect with 5-7 people in your network to review your focus statement These people should be former colleagues or connected friends Reach out to them sharing that You are talking to a few people you respect before starting your career search (this makes you less threatening) You want to make sure you target the right roles for your background You’d love to get their perspective about where you are focusing Call agenda Give quick context on call of where you are in search “If you were in my shoes how would you approach this job search” Share your draft focus/niche What do you think of my focus? Is there anyone else I should talk to? Thank them - this will be someone you can go back to once you start your search and someone you can keep updated on your search Once you know your niche Once you have defined and tested your focus, then you are ready to update your LinkedIn profile to reflect this.  Rather than listing your experiences, remember that people will give you <15 seconds to review your LinkedIn so you want to: Communicate a consistent single message about where you are focused Write a clear “About” section that speaks to your niche Align all your experiences to support this story Remove superfluous advisory roles that don’t support your story Use our article on Optimizing your LinkedIn  to make your entire LinkedIn profile align with your focus.

You talk to candidates every day and while many are “A candidates” , most need coaching.   While you want to help candidates, coaching takes time away from your business and doesn’t pay the bills. Now there is an easy way to help executives with their careers . Whispered  is built to help top executives accelerate their careers with   free career guides  and   exclusive resources Sharing Whispered is a scalable way to help candidates  with: Free resources to help them focus Coaching on how they can present themselves better A deep database of unposted (confidential) roles And, by sharing Whispered with executives, you: Save time coaching individual executives on their search Give executives a key resource they will value / remember Get free access to our Executive Directory  - a better version of LinkedIn’s “open for work” Ways to Share Whispered You can share the homepage - whispered.com - or a direct link to one of our guides / articles.  We often get asked these two questions about sharing Q:  Should I share with all candidates, even ones who aren’t as impressive?   A: Yes, share with everyone   While Whispered’s premium membership is focused on top candidates or ones we can polish , our free resources are designed to help everyone. Q:  Should I introduce them to you?  A: Instead of introducing us, please share our site with the executive.   When executives see the depth of Whispered’s unposted roles database , they typically want to “ chat about their search ”  We find sharing the site helps them understand the full scope of Whispered and guides them on how to communicate their search in a focused way. Here are some blurbs used by other recruiters to share Whispered to inspire you: Whispered is a service for executive talent that helps candidates accelerate their search with tactics and databases, get clarity, see unposted roles, and pick the right companies.  It includes a ton of great free resources and paid tiers. Whispered is a powerful resource to help executives focus their job search and find unposted roles. Whispered discount codes As a recruiter, you can request a discount code which gives executives a discount on our Premium membership.   All our services are free for recruiters.  Learn how we partner with: Recruiters Talent Partners Contact us at partner@whispered.com  to get started

You talk to candidates every day and while many are A candidates , others need coaching to get there. Some areas candidates struggle with: Can’t get clear on role  they are focused on Haven’t thought about stage of company  they want to work at Don’t know target companies Aren’t articulate in interviews Some candidates can’t be coached to success given their job history or how they present themselves but many can, with a little coaching.   “There are lots of candidates who on paper look great, but have never had to really sell themselves in an interview process.”  Top Recruiter Many recruiters and talent partners we’ve talked with attempt to coach candidates because they: Recognize the patterns that are easily fixable and want to help Want to build relationships with good candidates that can lead to long-term relationships and future searches Want to help candidates by sharing their experience Why you can't invest the time to coach But the payoff from this coaching isn’t there: You don’t have time Coaching a candidate to success can take a few calls You haven’t built the content to support coaching   Without the resources to share, you will need to spend a lot of time coaching people live You don’t get paid for it In fact, charging for coaching may actually be a conflict of interest with our clients In addition, given your role as gatekeeper for the role the candidate is interested in, your feedback often won’t be received well Since you are judging them, many candidates use feedback as a way to try to get a second chance and may argue over feedback rather than be in a receptive mood We’ve all had experiences where candidates were resistant to feedback and even responded with anger You can’t be as direct as you need to be as it could create more anger/resentment, which means to successfully coach someone will require even more time You don’t know how and when they like to get feedback Feedback can hurt your relationship with candidates, exactly the opposite of what you are trying to achieve with coaching Whispered was built to help candidates Now there is a better way to help candidates who need coaching. Share Whispered  which helps candidates by providing:  Free career guides and detailed action plans for every stage of the search A direct approach to feedback allowing us to give the soulful feedback candidates need “I think candidates who take advantage of resources and free coaching is the first indicator that you truly have a B candidate that can and wants to be an A.”  Top Recruiter With its free content and proprietary databases, Whispered can inflect a candidates career and polish B candidates into As .   Candidates will appreciate learning about Whispered from you.   You will achieve the goals you had with coaching candidates: Building a relationship with them Helping them on their journey

Recruiters and talent partners focus on A talent .  They only want candidates who they are confident will resonate with clients / hiring managers.  If candidates don’t present well, it will reflect badly on the recruiter so they rarely take chances. We love helping candidates present better Whispered works with A level executives but we also love helping executives with strong skills/background who need a little help in how they present themselves.  It adds diversity to the candidate pool and gives a helping hand to those who can quickly leverage the coaching to create new career possibilities. Areas where we’ve found we can successfully “polish” a candidate include: Guiding them on career clarity Focusing them on a specific role Ensuring their focus aligns with their background Guiding them on how to be positive   Helping them nail their talk track Helping them understand how to collaborate with recruiters Teaching them how to ask the right questions Recruiters also recognize that candidates can stand out with a little tactical coaching.  We’ve shared this “polishing B candidate” approach with recruiters and it deeply resonates with them too.    You only get one chance to impress recruiters and companies so make sure they see you as top talent right away.  Check out the articles linked above to see where you can improve.  And, if you think you can be an A (or Polishable B candidate), we invite you to submit your career thesis to Whispered.  We will give you direct feedback on where you can improve and share how Whispered can help. Candidates We’ve Found Our Model Doesn’t Work For On the flip side, there are certain traits that Whispered has found aren’t quickly coachable.  These include: Lots of short stints at companies "(A number of <1 year roles) tells you everything about someone. If you are smart... you should know how to vet a founder.... If you have a succession of 1 year roles, I don't want to see your bio. You need to go prove you can stay somewhere and make a contribution first." Andy Price , Artisanal Talent (see 52:33 in this podcast for the candid recruiter take ) No experience at recognizable companies Lack of demonstrated growth (in level and scope) Not articulate Not open to feedback Not intellectually curious Seeking a career transition   (you can definitely leverage Whispered's tactics to make a career transition) "It's very hard for these candidates to break through - and often times requires a reference from someone notable or who has strong experience at recognizable companies.  In other words, you'll need people vouching for you to stand out if you have any of the above limiting you." Top VC Talent Partner Whispered evaluates candidates early during our process.  We give candid, direct feedback that we hope will quickly improve how candidates present themselves.  However, if we don’t think we can help with our style of coaching, we will share that upfront.   Need more personalized coaching? For these candidates, we often recommend more engaged career coaching (see the differences between Whispered and career coaches ) to help you have the best chances of landing that great next executive career.

When you are looking for your next role it can feel lonely. But searching out loud helps you engage other people and accelerate your search.  Here are some tactics that you can use in your search. Working out loud allows others help you Sharing your target company list :  Helps your network (and the Whispered community) understand your focus and sparks ideas of where they can support Sharing updates on your search:  Letting the Whispered community (and other key supporters) know what processes you are engaging in allows them to   suggest people they know at those companies. Sharing challenges:  Sharing what is (and isn’t working) helps the Whispered team share advice and tactics that work in those situations. The power of "searching-out-loud" Some of the ways Whispered members work out loud Our #searchoutloud channel:  We have a channel where members can post updates on their search.  These spark great conversations and suggestions for introductions. Our role-specific search channels: For roles where multiple executives are searching, we have found it powerful to know (and collaborate) with other candidates. This allows you to share insights on the role/company and even figure out which of you is best qualified. Learn more about the power of searching together . Our live feeds of company insights and unposted roles:   Premium members can access live Slack channels with new insights and roles.  These often spark dialog around companies and roles. Simple search-out-loud format developed by a Whispered member Other tactics you can use to search out loud Get super clear in your focus and have a point-of-view:  Clarity in company and role  makes it 100x easier for people to help you. Share your target company list  with key supporters:  This will make it easy for them to identify connections they have or similar companies that are similar to your target companies. Share your 1 pager  after calls:  After a great call with a recruiter / talent partner / investor, drop them your 1 pager to remind them of your focus and make sure they remember you when relevant roles pop up. Consider a regular update to key supporters:  See this great post from a top recruiter  on how to share your search more broadly. “Every week, I get emails from investors & business leaders sharing "What I'm Reading."  These are often links with a few words on what's insightful about the referenced content. If I was a job seeker, I would use such a structure in my own email updates to my network to highlight my own learning and how I'm staying on top of key trends related to my ideal opportunity thesis.”  Chuck Brotman , Recruiter / Co-Founder at Blueprint Expansion A few words of caution about working out loud Don’t work out loud on LinkedIn:  While it feels good, the consistent view is that at the executive level it doesn’t position you well . Be conscious of who you work out loud with:   If your search is private (aka.. you have a job) you may want to be careful about communicating with VCs that fund your current company.

“I think one thing I appreciated that my last mentor/boss told me is "you don't work for a company, you work for a person" and that really stuck with me. Finding an exec to report to who really cares about you and gives you the opportunity to grow/succeed is everything.”   Whispered Member Who you work for is one of the most important factors in your growth and work satisfaction.  It is also something most people neglect to diligence  as they fall in love with the role / company / compensation. While breakout companies  can accelerate your career, short roles are career killers.  And if you pick the wrong manager, you will pay for it. How to diligence your potential manager Having a boss who amplifies you and vice versa is an amazing feeling.  Here are some questions to help you evaluate your potential manager: Share your user manual:   Here is a great concept to articulate your style to your boss .  Ask them to review it and discuss it / how it fits with their style.  If they won’t invest this time that is probably a red flag Talk to others who have worked with them:   They are doing background references on your.  It is great to do the same on them.  Generally we advise waiting to do these until you have an offer. Listen if they care about your career:  See what questions they ask you and if they thoughtfully respond. If a great manager leaves the company it can dramatically impact your career.  So take the time to research the risk they leave: How long have they been there?   If they have been 5+ years or <6 months dig in in particular. What is the reputation of the CEO?   You can learn about the CEO from interviews, Glass Door and Whispered’s Company Insights .  If the CEO is tough to work for it increases the risk your manager leaves. Ask your manager   If they are evasive when you ask how long they are planning to stay this may be a sign. Check LinkedIn Open for Work   If your boss is looking for work, you definitely would want to know.  If you have made friends with a recruiter, they can peek at this for you.   What to do if your boss leaves If you have a great boss and they leave, things will change.  Here are some tactics on how to handle this: Things will be hectic:  Assuming you are senior, they will probably not have a plan to deal with your manager’s departure The company will need you more than ever (at least in the short-term):  You will be even more valuable to the company while they are figuring out next steps You’ll probably pick up more responsibility:  Given the point above, expect to add additional reports  Get clear if they are backfilling your boss:  Feel free to ask the CEO directly if they don’t share.  If they are evasive, assume they are not backfilling.   If they are backfilling, you run the risk of a bad manager.  It may make sense to start warming up your network.  See our article on how to quietly search . If they aren’t backfilling, you may find yourself reporting to the CEO (see next section) Special Notes on Reporting to the CEO It feels good emotionally to report to the CEO.  You definitely have a seat at the table.  But this has pros and cons for your career: CEOs rarely have time for you:  They have too many obligations and need people who can self-manage fully.  If you aren’t ready for this, don’t report to the CEO CEOs are easier to diligence: The culture of the company comes from the CEO so you can ask it in interviews and find out about it online. CEOs aren’t going anywhere:   This gives stability but it also makes it even more important to diligence them. Don’t try to get the CEO fired. You disagreeing with the CEO about strategy and execution is natural but it’s more your problem than theirs. If you don’t like the direction the company is headed, that’s understandable. Then quit.  Sam Jacobs

As we gain experience, there are fewer roles that fit our skills and we lose the energy for big cross-functional / managerial roles. Eventually you start asking “what is next?” and want more control over your destiny and lifestyle Career 2.0 is defined as what do you do once you stop doing big cross-functional executive roles but want to keep working and making money. Overall Considerations Before you take the plunge on Career 2.0, here are some things to consider: What gives you energy? While many of the flavors of Career 2.0 sound good intellectually, you need to be careful not to work your way into a job you don’t want Do you like to sell? Some of the solo options for Career 2.0 require you to be selling yourself Do you like to roll-up your sleeves? If you are going to be running some businesses, you may have to get your hands dirty "It is extremely puzzling that in a world where a lot of people can cover the basics (food and shelter) they still spend the grand majority of life doing things they don’t like doing.  I think a lot of it comes back to not really understanding what your true desires are.   I think most people wish that they like things they don’t actually like.  I think a lot of people wish they wanted to make more money than they actually do.  …. Most people are in denial about what they really want." Jeremy Giffon on Invest Like the Best podcast (link to key part) Do you want to sell time or impact? Some Career 2.0 roles revolve around selling your time. Fun article on AI trends here Do you have health care covered? Until 65 you have to take care of this yourself. If you don’t have a spouse whose career provides this, are you ready to cover it yourself? Are you ready to commit? Once you take the step to Career 2.0 it is difficult to return to full-time work. Folks in many of the paths below report their skills (and networks) get stale if they step out for too long. Flavors of Career 2.0 Below are the traditional flavors that people think about when they start thinking about their career 2.0. We are writing deeper article on each and will add them as they are complete: Fractional / Consultant :  Providing advice on your area of expertise typically by the project or by the hour. VC Operating Partner :  Advising portfolio companies on your area of expertise Coach : Helping others on their journey. Typically charging by the hour. Boards :  Sharing your advice with other executives Search Fund :  Buying a business Investor:  Investing in great companies Thought Leader: Creating content and courses around your area of expertise Recruiter:   Leveraging relationships to help companies find great talent Use these flavors as starting points, not manuals. Most people find their Career 2.0 not by picking one of the standard flavors but by finding a variation on one. Whispered has been that for us. To find your Career 2.0 DO NOT overthink it. Don't create a powerpoint. Just find something you are intrigued by and start working on it. By moving forward, you will discover new insights and paths constantly. At the same time, be thoughtful. Sometimes when you make your passion for job, it can become less fulfilling. "Making something a business is a great way to hate that thing. If you surf to relax on Saturday mornings, that is very different than being required to wake up at the break of dawn to take cantakerous ibankers surfing". Tim Ferris ( see podcast full discussion here ) Don't know what you want in your next role?

If you are have been operating for years, the thought of buying a business may cross your mind.   This article provides a deep-dive into the considerations around acquiring a business.  It is part of a broader series by Whispered  on Career 2.0 options . “I’ll just buy a nice cash-flow business.”   Everyone This sounds like a great idea and there are numerous success stories.  Several of Whispered’s founders invest in search funds.  But there are a number of considerations before you take the step to buy a business. Searching for a Business To buy a business, you first need to find a willing seller of a good business. How to fund your search:  You can either self-fund or do a search fund .  Search funds offer several benefits  and will allow you to acquire a larger business but also mean you will have less flexibility on the type of business you acquire. See good article on pros and cons  of search funds. It is hard to find a quality business for sale:  Given how many execs and search funders are searching it is hard to find a great business to buy.  If you know an owner you can negotiate with directly, that is amazing.  If not, typically ⅓ of search funders fail to make an acquisition and the average time to acquire a business is 23 months. Searching is a very different skill than operating:    Searching for a business involves cold-calling thousands of business owners, who get these calls daily. Valuations are challenging:  Owners have worked their lives on their business, they aren’t going to give it up cheaply.   Even for ones where owners need to sell, there are M&A bankers who , there are not great businesses available to buy.  Every business represented by M&A bankers is seen by hundreds of other buyers.   Are you ready to relocate?   If you are living in a high-profile city, there are even less businesses for sale, given other execs are also looking.  Sometimes the best businesses are located far away.  Have the hard discussions with your family in advance.  If you are going to limit your search area  What type of business to buy?   The best businesses to acquire are simple to operate and have recurring revenue.  See a great list here of key qualities you should look for . Funding an Acquisition Once you find a business, you will need to finance the acquisition. Seller Financing:  In the ideal scenario, you can get the seller to loan you the money to buy their business but this will likely not be more than 20%.  And if there are others competing for the business, the seller will likely seek to limit this. Equity:  You can fund the rest of the purchase or raise capital from connections (or a search fund investor) Running a Business The considerations here are so varied depending on the business you buy.  If you get to this stage, congrats and remember that you have likely invested a large chunk of your net worth in the business so you’ve got to make it work!

Searching for your next executive role is lonely. It doesn’t have to be.   While there are many great job search communities that provide camaraderie and support, Whispered’s community also provides:  A real-time feed of company insights and unposted roles which sparks dynamic discussions Collaboration between executives through the power of working out loud Discussion on search strategies among the community and Whispered team Real-time personalized support from the Whispered team We have further found great power of bringing executives looking for similar roles together to collaborate.   Know who else is competing with you: We believe that it is better to know (and collaborate) with other executives and know the other folks competing for a role.  Share insights on companies and processes: This allows you to share insights on the role / company and even figure out which of you is best qualified. Refer others in: If a role isn’t fit for one executive, they can refer others in. There are many different skill sets and levels of seniority (as well as Geo/Industry focuses) so we frequently see executives refer each other in. Option to work roles you find privately: You can share roles privately and work them first.  Call this out in your submission and the role will be added to the database but not shared with the community and only visible to you and Whispered’s team. For roles with 3+ Whispered executives searching at the same time, we have private channels where they can collaborate together.  These channels: Provide a feed of unposted roles for that specific function Allow executives to add notes to roles that are shared to the channel Foster collaboration and friendship between executives We believe collaboration is core to Whispered’s model and only admit members who help others.