Wearing Many Hats

When people imagine startup life, they think of freedom, creativity, and breakneck growth. And yeah, sometimes it is like that. But what does it actually feel like to be the only designer on a six-person team building something from scratch?

Let me tell you: it’s exhilarating, disorienting, and wildly different from working at a bigger company.

No one wears more hats than the founders, but in a startup, everyone wears more hats than they signed up for. You don’t get to stay in your lane. Coming from places where roles were neatly defined, that shift was a lot.

Here’s what my workflow used to look like:

1. Daily meeting: “We need a new button”

2. I get a detailed brief

3. I design the button

4. I check if it’s built right

5. I move on

I didn’t think much about the copy on the button, or if it would convert, or whether a button was even the right solution. There were people for that. Strategy, content, growth all someone else’s job.

Now at Querio, I am those people.

Designing is only part of what I do. I handle UX. I dabble in marketing. I help shape features. I manage timelines. Some days I’m designing UI, other days I’m googling “how to write a blog that doesn't suck.”

The Perks

There’s a real upside: you see how everything connects. You make things that matter, not just things that look good. You become more adaptable, more resilient, and way harder to replace. You grow. A lot.

And one day—when this tiny startup becomes something big you get to point and say, “I built that.”

The Chaos

Of course, it’s not all growth and glory.

You will feel lost. Frequently. You’ll question if you're doing things right.

You’ll buy books you don’t finish. You’ll lose track of things. And if you’re more “Type B” like me, good luck keeping it tidy.

What Helped

So what’s the secret? You accept the chaos.

That’s it. You stop waiting for clarity or a perfect process. You stop resisting the mess. There’s no backup team. No magical plugin. No one’s coming to take stuff off your plate.

The blog won’t write itself. The marketing experiment won’t launch itself. The homepage won’t improve unless you do something about it.

And weirdly, that’s empowering.

Steps I'm Taking to Become Better at Marketing

I didn’t sign up to be a product marketer, but here we are. And instead of resisting it, I’m trying to get better at it. Here’s what’s actually helping me grow and feel a little less like I’m winging it

1. Watch your words like a marketer
Designers obsess over pixels. Marketers obsess over positioning. I started thinking more about messaging hierarchy, value props, and what makes someone care, not just what looks nice.

2. Copy good copy
I created a swipe file of websites, taglines, subject lines, and product pages that actually made me want to click. I study them. I try to reverse-engineer what makes them work.

3. Learn the language of outcomes
Instead of describing features, I’m learning to talk about what they do for people. No one cares that it’s fast. They care that it saves them time.

4. Read like a marketer
I haven’t finished every book I picked up, but I’ve learned a lot from
• Obviously Awesome by April Dunford
• One Page Marketing Page by Allab Dib
• Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
Even one strong chapter can change how you frame a product.

5. Ask for feedback early
I share rough copy with founders, PMs, and sales. Marketing isn’t a solo act. Neither is design, really.

6. Stay curious
Instead of saying “I have no idea how to do this,” I try to say “Interesting. I wonder how others do it.” A quick teardown of a competitor site can teach you more than a long blog post.

Want to become a better product marketer? Don’t wait until it’s your job title. Just start doing the work. You’ll be surprised how quickly you level up even if it feels chaotic the whole time.

Why I’m Writing This

Not because I’ve figured it all out. I haven’t. I’m still in the thick of it, still saying “Can I just design buttons again, please?” at least once a week.

But I’m also still showing up. Still figuring it out as I go. Still chasing that “I did that” feeling.

So I’m wrapping up this post and heading into the next slightly chaotic task, because that’s startup life. And honestly, I kind of love it.