I recently read a blog on LinkedIn: “The 9 worst things about working at a startup no one tells you before you join”. Quite frankly this blog “teed me off”, and inspired me to write this blog. I would argue that working at a startup is the best thing anyone can do in his or her
I have spent more time in classrooms than 99% of the world population, I have worked in corporate environment for over 8 years, at a professional association for almost 2 years, been exposed to academia in pursuing a Ph.D. for 5 years, worked at a startup for over four years, and have owned my own business for over two years. It is with this experience that I offer an informed opinion about the career value that only a start-up can offer:
- There is so much work to do that you can get experience in every aspect of a business including: operations,
HR , marketing, website design, SEO, sales, fund raising, customer relations, board of directormanagement . A startup does not put your talents into a box, it allows you to discover them all of them, and learn what you hate to do without the cost of changing jobs or staying at a job you hate. In today’s world I take breadth of job experience over depth all day, every day. - You get to work directly with the people who own the company. Experience working with executives is invaluable, and being mentored by the right one offers a rocket booster for your career. If you convey that you reported to the CEO at a job that helps open doors.
- You get exposure and a level of understanding to risks that impact the success of a business. In a corporation you are often shielded or not even allowed to even know all the risks that go along with running a business. You understand what can derails a business, inherent barriers to success, and the risks associated with running a business in the markets you serve. This allows you to feel the pressure of owning a business without the financial
risk to get a real sense if you are up to the challenge of owning your own business. - You get to see executive failures up close and personal and learn to embrace failure. You see that executives fail often, they are human, but more importantly you see how they deal with failure, and if they are good leaders, learn from it. There is no better education that failing at something, especially relative to something that looked so good on paper.
- You are free to innovate and think outside the box. Innovation is the life-blood of a startup. Ideas are embraced. You can own your own and execute your own ideas without all of the financial risk. This is a true gift. Also, you often have the flexibility to work the hours, and in an environment that make you the most productive.
Of course I will offer a few caveats as I know we have an “anti-startup” crowd out there:
- You have to do your due diligence in choosing a start-up to join just as in any job search. Part of that due diligence should be to ensure that the environment is such that you can realize all the benefits I describe above.
- A startup trying to call itself a startup after three years is so no longer a start-up. It is time to move on if the company “is not happening” after three years.
Give yourself the gift that keeps on giving, work at a startup. I plan on giving that gift to my own boys when the time is right.