I am a customer-first kind of CS manager. I find it far more rewarding to empathize with the customer, get to know their work and find solutions that likely benefit us both. It's also pretty cool if you could make your customer be a shining champion within their organization. One of the best decisions I made 12 years ago was join a startup. I'm grateful for the incredible experiences I have had since then. I've had the opportunity to create my own UX design model MiiR (Meaningful, Inviting, Interactive and Reinforcing). Build a few businesses from the ground up. Forge partnerships with Amazon, Meta, and Google. Learn a lot about mobile app development. Travel to Tokyo many times. And of course build friendships and lots of fun memories. I look back on the hardships and tough moments we faced and I'm glad we kept pushing and going.