Working for a Startup v Corporate

Salesforce RVP Lauren McGuire has lived the full arc of modern sales leadership. She started as an SDR in California, helped build high-performing BDR teams through hypergrowth and an IPO, jumped into AE management at multiple startups, then relocated to London with two young children to scale regional teams. In this conversation, Lauren opens up about what those chapters really felt like and how she kept her family at the center while growing her career.

We talk through the early return to work after maternity leave in the US, the adrenaline of standing up outbound engines from scratch, and the reality of being close to the pulse of a startup when you also have small humans who need dinner at six. Lauren shares how a move to the UK reshaped family logistics, school choices, and the friendships that make a new city feel like home.

Lauren breaks down the difference between leading inside a large, established company and the all-hands-on-deck energy of startups, including where exposure to decision making is plentiful and where it is limited. She explains her leadership style, why empathy is a performance tool, and how she aligns coaching moments to each person’s long-term goals so the tough days still make sense.

We also get practical. Lauren walks us through the weekly rhythm that keeps her household running, the role of an after-school nanny, and the simple agreements that reduce friction at home. There is gym time at 6 a.m., shared calendars, planned meals, and just enough spontaneity on weekends to keep it fun. Her final takeaways are clear. Build a structure that fits your life, protect time for your health, and remember that family wellbeing is the foundation everything else sits on.

Episode Highlights

• From SDR to RVP: Lauren’s path through Salesforce, Box, TripActions, Forecast, LivePerson, then back to Salesforce

• Building from zero: launching Box’s first outbound BDR team and scaling it across multiple offices

• IPO meets mat leave: what returning after three months taught her about confidence, pace, and support systems

• Big company vs startup: candid pros and cons for parents who want impact without burning out

• A family move across continents: relocating from the US to London to build EMEA and what helped the transition stick

• School fit over postcode: choosing, changing, and finding the right community for her children

• The rhythm that keeps it all moving: early gym sessions, shared calendars, an after-school nanny, and clear home roles

• Managing with empathy: knowing when to push, when to pause, and why life moments shape performance

• Learning on purpose: using coaching and internal programmes to sharpen leadership without losing yourself

• Her go-forward plan: growing teams at Salesforce while advising startups to scratch the builder itch

• Practical takeaways for working mums: structure your week, set boundaries that work for your season, and protect health, then family, then work