Editor’s note: Molly Demarest started at American Underground as the director of Operations and Community Development in 2013. She eventually worked her way up to becoming general manager — a position from which she stepped down this month. She originally published this article on LinkedIn.

DURHAM — In March 2013, I joined Adam Klein as the second employee of “this thing called American Underground” (AU) — back when everything was still underground.  Truth be told, I was eager to take the next step in my very planned “accounting career.”

Today, seven years later, as I transition into a new season, I am leaving with a deeper understanding of who I am, my gifts, and the realization that for me, accounting was not my career, but the door to a world of creativity, leadership, and opportunity.

American Underground’s Molly Demarest speaks to the crowd gathered for this month’s Startup Crawl.

Five locations [mostly all above ground], 1,000-plus companies [nearly 50 percent being led by a female and/or person of color], 3,300-plus jobs, and $290 million-plus in funding raised later, here are just a few of the many lessons I have learned in the midst of the growth:

  • Companies are as healthy as the communities they are a part of, both of which are only as healthy as the individual people within. We’ve all got our own work to do and the longer you wait to prioritize your physical, emotional, and spiritual health, the longer you are holding back your relationships, companies, and communities.
  • A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is an ongoing choice that must be prioritized in each conversation, process, and decision.  It’s messy.  It’s uncomfortable.  It impacts your bottom line.  If you think you’re too late, you’re not — every point of transition in an organization is another opportunity to reassess the systems in your organization.
  • Disagreements are healthy and an indicator that you have a team with differing perspectives and ways of thinking. Leaders have the opportunity to create the conditions for each person to feel welcome, known, and engaged, unlocking more potential for effective collaboration and outcomes.
  • Start collecting data in the beginning and create practices for continuous updates and reporting. Not only do numbers provide accountability, they offer insight and understanding to an otherwise fluid environment. This process can also be fun if you are fun.
  • Leadership is hard and it’s not a popularity contest. It is possible to honor both the needs of the organization and the humanity of people. Find one or two peers you can invite into the journey for encouragement and accountability — you don’t have to go at it alone.
  • Growth is fed by quality connections. This is true for people. This is true for companies. This is true for communities. Connection with each other = increased access to resources, talent, investors, and customers.

Last year at the AU was one of transformation as we evolved the organization inside and out to meet the needs of a maturing regional startup community, adding a virtual membership to expand the possibilities for connection and community beyond the confines of physical space.  I couldn’t be more confident in the team that is in place and the foundation we laid for the ecosystem to continue to flourish.

The new American Underground … Michael English and Molly Demarest.

As a Durham Native, it has been a privilege to be part of a community of leaders who have developed the infrastructure for entrepreneurial growth, which will continue to increase and diversify economic opportunity in our region.  After seven years of the startup grind, I am excited to take some time to rest, work on a few projects that are just too important to say no to anymore, and reflect on this incredible journey. I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities ahead in this new season, some of which, no doubt, will owe their existence to the entrepreneurial ecosystem here in the Triangle!

American Underground grows, clients raise record $79.2M despite changes, more competition