Welcome to the life of the person behind the front desk at a tech startup in San Francisco. My job title? A receptionist on paper but in the office, I work as an office manager, therapist, human google, and emotional support for any issues here.
As a startup company, you’re expecting people here to be brilliant engineers who know how to change the toner on the printers. But no, youre wrong.
From my post by the door, I get a front-row seat to the madness. The sales guys come in like they’re on Shark Tank. The engineers shuffle past in the same hoodie they’ve worn for three days, eyes glazed from 4 a.m. debugging sessions. Marketing professionals arrive with fancy coffees and 17 tabs open on their laptops. Founders? They appear like unicorns, rare, dramatic, and always in a hurry.
And yeah, let’s not forget about the perks:
Free kombucha? Yes, unless the tap breaks and I’m suddenly the kombucha repairwoman.
Nap pods? Sure, if you like napping to the soothing sounds of someone arguing about product specs outside.
Standing desks? Yes, until someone forgets how to lower it and calls me for help.
I once found an engineer sleeping under his desk, and he claimed he was “deep thinking”. Another time, I had to stop an overenthusiastic investor from walking into a board meeting during a pitch. Oh, and not to forget the incident with the drone in the lobby. I still hear the buzzing in my nightmares.
Of course, I field the important questions daily:
“Do we have any almond milk?”
“Where’s the whiteboard marker?”
“Who took my mechanical keyboard?”
And my favorite: “Why doesn’t this badge work?” is usually asked while holding up a café loyalty card.
And I’m not even writing any code or raising millions here. Yet I’m the glue that is holding this paper together. The truth for why I am still here ? I kind of love the chaos. Every day brings some new absurdity, some small victory, and a lot of overheard startup wisdom, like “What if we pivot, but keep the same name?”
So next time you walk into a startup and see the receptionist? Be nice. We know where all the bodies and the snacks are buried.