From Agent to CEO with Nivedha Venkatesh

Episode Overview

In this episode, Neal Travis is joined by Nivedha Venkatesh, founder of Pageloop and former support leader at Postman, Zapier, and more. Together they explore what it really looks like to grow a support career from the ground up — from first agent to founder. Niv shares candid lessons on growth, burnout, technical skills, emotional intelligence, and learning to advocate for yourself along the way.

Key Topics Discussed

1. Support Is a Career — Not Just a Stepping Stone

Niv pushes back on the narrative that support has a growth ceiling:

“It is a myth that keeps resurfacing, and I’m one of many examples of people who’ve built fruitful careers in support.”

She shares how she gained scope and complexity without leaving the function, evolving from solo agent to support leader across technical products.

Support isn’t a launchpad. It can be a destination.

2. From Support to Founder — An Unexpected Path

Despite once swearing she’d never be a founder, Niv now leads a company solving a support problem she lived firsthand.

“I didn’t think I’d go down this path… but support gave me an end-to-end view of the business that few other roles offer.”

She describes how working in support prepared her for startup life — including high ownership, constant context-switching, and customer empathy.

Support is the perfect training ground for future founders.

3. Emotional Growth Through Support

Support isn’t just a skills builder — it’s a personal growth engine.

“There’s a fine line between educating and patronizing. You have to walk it carefully.”

Niv explains how dealing with high-emotion customer moments taught her detachment, patience, and deeper interpersonal awareness — skills she now uses in every part of life.

Support teaches you to be more human — to others, and to yourself.

4. Building Skills Through Ownership and Documentation

Niv emphasizes two core accelerators of growth:

• Proactively spotting and solving unowned problems

• Teaching others and writing everything down

“It’s not about solving things perfectly — it’s about attempting to solve them.”

From Slack how-tos to coaching new hires, she shows how informal leadership and public learning became a stepping stone to formal leadership.

The fastest path to growth is sharing what you know.

5. How to Advocate for Yourself

Promotion rarely comes without self-advocacy — even when you’ve earned it.

“It’s uncomfortable. But there’s no magic pill — you have to ask for it.”

Niv shares practical tips like tracking praise, logging feedback, and building a narrative you can share confidently.

Advocacy starts with storytelling — and self-awareness.

Memorable Quotes

“Support gives you the widest view in the company — breadth and depth no one else sees.”
“If there’s no proof, no one’s going to believe you did it — including you.”
“Ownership shows up in your work — and in how you manage your emotions.”
“Support changed how I view the world and my relationships.”

Takeaways

• Support is a growth role: You don’t have to pivot to progress — complexity and leadership can live inside support.

• Founder mindsets start in support: Ownership, exposure, and cross-functional thinking set the foundation.

• Emotional intelligence is a core skill: Empathy without burnout takes discipline — and personal growth.

• Share what you learn: Teaching others, documenting solutions, and spotting gaps builds influence fast.

• Don’t wait for recognition: Track your wins, tell your story, and advocate for what you’ve earned.