Ex-McKinsey Consultant on Startup Lessons

Nathan Wangliao, the CEO and co-founder of Havana, recently shared his journey from management consulting to entrepreneurship. Wangliao, who left McKinsey at age 27, detailed how the skills learned in corporate strategy differ from the agility required in the startup ecosystem.

Currently based in Singapore, Wangliao's career path took him from the UK to Asia, where he navigated the shift from a structured corporate environment to the uncertainty of building a company from scratch. His experience highlights the psychological and practical adjustments necessary for successful founders.

Wangliao joined McKinsey in the UK in 2018 after university, citing a lack of risk appetite to start his own venture immediately. He spent slightly under three years at the firm, valuing the exposure to diverse colleagues. He noted that meeting people from different walks of life, including a former doctor and a US Marines veteran, made him feel it was acceptable to pursue different career paths.

The transition to startup life began when he moved back to Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic. The remote work environment made the job less enjoyable, as the social interactions he valued began to decline. By 2021, he felt he was operating out of inertia and decided to leave McKinsey.

He initially joined a Singapore-based AI startup as the head of go-to-market strategy. The shift was drastic; he moved from a large office with extensive perks to a coworking space with only two other employees. In the first month, he admitted to his founder that the situation felt "too scary" and considered returning to consulting due to fears about the company's longevity and his future employability.

After two years, the startup Wangliao was working at was acquired in 2023. Following this, he co-founded Havana, an AI startup specializing in agents for student recruitment and enrollment teams. Wangliao emphasizes that the hardest part of a startup is not technical product building or sales, but managing one's own psychology.

He explains that maintaining morale is crucial because the technical and sales skills can be learned by anyone capable and willing to work hard. However, the "openness and uncertainty" of a startup career can lead to distractions. Wangliao advises founders to shut down thoughts comparing their path to friends who may have seemingly easier lives.

Wangliao stated, "I was told that the most important and hardest thing in a startup is managing my own psychology. It's not learning how to build a new product or how to sell." He added, "If you are able to manage your psychology, then you will have the morale to learn all these things."

While McKinsey provided valuable skills, Wangliao found that some habits had to be unlearned. Consulting trained him to be organized, structured, and ruthless in prioritization due to tight timelines. It also taught him how to navigate clients and run efficient meetings, a skill he now applies when selling to universities.

However, the consulting approach to overanalysis was a hindrance. Consultants are trained to rely on data to find the optimal solution, but Wangliao learned that in a startup, one rarely has enough data. He had to learn to make decisions based on gut instinct and move quickly.

Wangliao noted, "Consultants are trained to overanalyze and rely on data to figure out the most optimal solution... In a startup, when you're trying to make decisions, you'll never have enough data." He admitted to struggling initially by taking too long to gather data and read books before choosing a path. Over time, he learned to build the product, attract customers, and become comfortable with taking risks without having all the answers.

Another major shift for Wangliao was in his communication style. At McKinsey, his managers frequently told him he needed to speak up more in meetings to ensure senior leaders knew he was doing the work. As a startup founder, specifically the only non-technical co-founder, this skill became mandatory.

He now talks to customers every day, and they expect him to arrive with a distinct point of view. This daily interaction forced him to become much more comfortable with speaking and asserting his perspective, a stark contrast to his earlier corporate experience.

Reflecting on his growth, Wangliao said, "As a startup founder, I've also gotten a lot more comfortable with speaking more." He added, "If you run a business and are the only non-technical founder, you have to talk to customers every day. They expect you to show up with a point of view."