Cara Turano is the incoming executive director of Oregon Entrepreneurs Network.
She has spent the last roughly three years at the Technology Association of Oregon, most recently as chief operating officer. She moved to Portland in 2018 for the TAO job. She is originally from Atlanta and her career has spanned startups, consulting, and industry organizations.
She has spent the last six months on a sabbatical to recharge, a move she knows has been a privilege to take.
Through this process she said she evaluated what she wanted out of her next career move and found that many of her professional goals matched with the work OEN does to support founders and foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem.
While at TAO, Turano worked with OEN and outgoing executive director Amanda Oborne on reestablishing the Angel Oregon Tech program as well as a new program for rural innovation in the mid-Willamette Valley.
Looking back on her past at startups she now understands the importance of an organization like OEN to help founders set themselves up for success.
“I worked at a tech startup and we had no idea what we were doing. Why wasn’t there an organization helping us figure things out,” she said, things like culture, mission, vision. “Knowing there is a team (like OEN) committed to that, that brings investors and mentors and partners and various information to make that journey easier was very compelling.”
We spoke with Turano to talk about her recent sabbatical and her thoughts on working with founders of all stripes.
What was behind your decision to take a sabbatical? I was tired and burned out and I wanted to rest. I read some really good books and spent a lot of time with an amazing therapist and I was able to reframe what rest means. A lot of us assume resting is you lay down and close your eyes and take a nap. Rest is what you do in your life that gives you energy. Once I thought about rest differently — what do I find restful, what excites me?
What did you find was your answer to that? The initial part of my career I was a consultant. I loved learning about other businesses and I really enjoy coaching, advising and introducing. I didn’t want to be a consultant, but how do I do these things that are really meaningful to me but in a work capacity. (OEN) hits all those things I find fulfilling.
Where do you see OEN in the broader ecosystem? I’ve had enough experience in the last four years to understand the value of the Small Business Development Centers and for which business owner or entrepreneur they are a great first step. Or the Value of TiE. Or what TAO brings to the table. All the different organizations. I do still think OEN fits a unique niche in the middle of all of them. What is OEN’s to own and deliver? What is OEN’s to architect? What is OEN’s to support. I want to look at that really thoughtfully in the context of the other organizations.
How are you feeling about working with founders working beyond tech? I’m looking forward to the agnostic element, learning the nuances that make bioscience and food and apparel successful. There is a baseline for everyone: money and mentors. And then how does it differ and where are the opportunities to grow and evolve and make that stronger?
I’ve written about mental health and burnout for entrepreneurs. What did you get out of this sabbatical?
I went really far in my mental health. I could not understand why I felt so tired. I learned a lot about being raised in a family with a lot of mental illness. I went through my cluttered basement and faced all the hard things from self-image, to an assault that happened in grad school, and talked through all of them to understand why do I have some of the constant behaviors that stand in my own way. I feel really confident that anything that comes up next, I have the tools and skills to handle. That is what I am most proud of. It was really tough. I got to do some amazing things. I spent a lot of time with family. I completed a 50K on Mount Hood and came in third in my age group. Coming out of this sabbatical I feel so ready to invest back.
