Tom Scott

We need more design founders.
We need more design founders.
We need more design founders.
We need more design founders.
We need more design founders.
We need more design founders.
We need more design founders.

I want to put my money where my mouth is.

I've been dabbling in angel investing this year, hiring early-stage teams in return for equity etc but now I want to take it a step further and start looking for designers who want to start companies or need investment.

IMO, every early-stage company needs A-players, and using external partners to find these people is not feasible if you haven't raised any money yet, so I want to jump in here.

I'd be keen to invest in design-led founders:

- Either early-stage funding
- Hiring the founding team in return for equity
- Connecting you with other investors or VC firms (depending on goals)

Designers can change the world. 🚀

My email is tom@itsverified.io if you are interested to discuss.

The truth about career breaks:\n\nThey’re often not holidays. \n\nI rarely see someone go to Bali for months and chill. \n\nThey are:\n\n- Taking time off to look after a loved one. \n- Recovering from a toxic boss/company. \n- Grieving a divorce/break-up. \n- Learning a new skill.\n- Looking for a job. \n\nAnyone who takes time off the certainty of a pay check to add some balance and equanimity to their life are courageous and should be respected. \n\nWho cares if you take 6 months off in a 20 year career. \n\nBuild a life, not a resume.

You’re replaceable.

Business owners can get worked out their own company.

Employees can get fired for no reason.

Everyone is replaceable.

What isn’t replaceable:

- Your time
- Your mental health
- Your family

Make sure you got your priorities aligned for 2023 and stop investing time into companies and leaders who will get rid of you when it’s convenient.

Design managers are underrated IMO.

It's a tough role to hold in design.

→ You're not leading the whole team
→ You're not executing the “work“
→ You're in back-to-back meetings

You need a mature org to understand the value you bring.

Benefits of design managers:

→ They translate the vision of a CDO/VP to the wider team.
→ They unblock situations, so ICs can get on with work.
→ They can attract and develop high-performing ICs.
→ They influence the day-to-day work of the team

Design managers burn out because they're forced into “player-coach“ roles and expected to lead the work, lead teams, org design etc.

If your design managers are burnt out, it will affect how engaged your team is, which affects output, which affects quality of product, which affects bottom line. Voila.

They're crucial for the health of your design organisation.

#designleadership