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You got here on the skills you already had. Building, selling, whatever you happen to be good at. That is what got the thing off the ground.
Then the business starts asking for skills nobody taught you. Not the parts that made the company exist. The parts that keep it running.
You don't have to do all of it yourself. You have a network, you can hire fractional, the tools are actually good now. But you can't direct what you don't understand. That is where founders get hurt.
This Ugly Talk names the gaps - sales & marketing, money, people, process - & how founders who collected those skills the hard way actually did it.
Why you should be in this room.
Hear which operator skills founders wish they had picked up sooner.
Learn how much you need to know about a function to hire for it & direct it.
Get the tells that a part of your business is running on hope.
Find out what people got wrong first, & what it cost them.
Leave with a short list of what to learn next & what to hand off.
What's on the table.
Collecting the skills: how the jobs you already did quietly trained you, & where they left holes.
Sales & marketing: what a founder still has to own after hiring help.
Money: the numbers to watch weekly, & the shortcuts that get expensive.
People: the first few hires, & what a bad one actually costs.
Directing help: network, fractional, AI - how much you have to understand to use any of it well.
Featured speakers.
Sarah Larson - Founder, People Magnets
Sarah is a People Expert with over 25 years of experience in HR, Life Sciences, & venture capital. She specializes in helping companies identify people challenges, build strong teams, & develop strategies that support growth. She has served as Head of HR for several Life Sciences companies, including Foundation Medicine, where she joined as the second employee & helped grow the team to over 600 people. Sarah also spent eight years in venture capital as Partner & Chief People Officer at Third Rock Ventures & Chief People Officer at S32. She has advised CEOs, boards, & growing companies as a strategic advisor & interim HR leader. At Magnet, she combines her deep HR experience with a people-first approach to help organizations build strong cultures & thrive.
Jeremy Chow - Founder & CEO, Tactus
Jeremy Chow is the Founder & CEO of Tactus, an accessibility technology company that has built a wearable device that translates music into vibrations, making music more inclusive & accessible for the Deaf community. As a technical founder with a background in Mechanical Engineering, he started this project through a collaboration with a Deaf dancer & has built & designed the technology from prototype to a product on the market. What began in Boston has since grown into a global venture, with active involvement in innovation ecosystems across Tokyo & Hong Kong.
Phil Slabine - Founder, Not Dorks Accounting & Finance
Phil Slabine is co-founder of Not Dorks Accounting & Finance, a managed service firm providing early-stage & growth companies with the support they need. He spent 15 years in corporate accounting, most recently as corporate controller at a fast-growing robotics company, before leaving to build his own business. He spends most of his time on the unglamorous parts of building a business - cash runway, pricing, & the plumbing of your financial model - & thinks that since founders have to do accounting anyway, they might as well get amazing value out of it. Based in Boston.
Who's getting in.
Boston founders past the idea stage, with real money on the line.
First-time founders suddenly running functions they have never run.
Operators who inherited sales, finance, or people because somebody had to.
Anyone who has said "I'll figure that part out later," & later showed up.
About Ugly Talk
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough "aha!" moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons & insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, & Miami, we've built a vibrant community of thousands of founders & industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.
Official Website: UglyTalk.com
Important Notice for Ugly Talk Attendees
Admission & Confirmation
Attendance is by approval only. Approved guests will receive a confirmation email along with a calendar invite. Invitations are non-transferable. Additional event details will be shared as the event approaches.
Code of Conduct
By attending, you agree to:
Maintain respect & professionalism, adhering to all venue rules, policies, & applicable laws.
Refrain from harassment, discrimination, unwelcome sexual advances (verbal or physical), intimidation, or inappropriate photography/recording.
Report any violations to the event hosts immediately.
Violations may result in immediate removal from the event & exclusion from future invitations.
Liability & Risk
Participation is voluntary & at your own risk. The event organizers, hosts, sponsors, & venue are not liable for personal injury, lost or stolen belongings, or any other damages incurred during the event.
Media Consent
By attending, you grant the event organizers & affiliated entities the right to capture, use, & distribute photos, videos, & audio recordings of you for promotional, marketing, & other lawful purposes, including digital & print media, advertising, & social media. You waive any right to inspect or approve the final materials & release all claims related to their use.
Communications
By registering, you agree to receive marketing & promotional communications from Ugly Talk & its co-hosts, partners, & sponsors. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Agreement
If you do not agree to this Code of Conduct, please refrain from attending the event.
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