Should I Work for a Startup - Part 1

Should I Work for a Startup - Part 1 stocksnap,ioI get asked this question a lot.My usual answer is “It depends…. It totally depends on you and what you want”.There are advantages disadvantages of working for a startup. Working at a Startup is not for everyone. It depends on your personality, your career goals, your income goals,etc.evalLet’s look at both sides of the coin.In this first part of this series “Should I Work for a Startup?” â€" we will examine the positives/ advantages of working for a Startup. In the second part we will explore the disadvantages of getting a job at a Startup.Definition of a StartupBefore we begin, let’s clarify what exactly a Startup is. There are multiple definitions of a startup. For instance companies like Pinterest, AirBnB,Uber are still considered Startups in many circles. I personally would not consider them a startup â€" most companies in the billion dollar startup category average more than 1000 employees with lots of funding, multiple board members â€" most of them have weathered the uncertainty phase.So for the purpose of this article -my definition of a startup is differentYoung companyLess than 3 Years OldLess than 25 EmployeesHere are some of the advantages of working for a Startup.1. You will learn a lotevalevalTraditional corporations operate in structured silos or departments. Every department has its own functions within each department, each individual/team will have their own responsibilities. However, in a startup you will have multiple responsibilities, you will be forced to wear multiple hats, you will usually work outside the scope of your job description.This will force you to learn a lot. You will be exposed to more ideas, more opportunities. You will also get more visibility. Everyone in the organization include the Founders,CEO will know who you are and what you do.A salesperson for a startup usually dabbles into some marketing, some market research , and some product development. Since the teams are usually small in a start up, you will interact with people with multiple skill-sets. This will accelerate your growth and learning.A friend of mine just started working as a Marketing Intern for a young tech startup. He is responsible for Lead Generation Inbound Marketing. However, on a daily basis he interacts with the sales staff, the executives and even the product development teams . He is expanding his horizons by learning multiple skill-sets. Alternatively in a traditional corporation, where everything is structured he would not get the opportunity to learn about other job functions.2. Camaraderie TeamworkevalAs mentioned before, most traditional corporations work in silos. And each silo has its own agenda goal. In my experience, most departments are more concerned about their goals as opposed to the goals of the organization and the customers. I have seen scenarios where the sales department hates marketing; marketing hates sales; operations hates sales; Sales hates Finance, and so on.Most startup s operate in a completely opposite way â€" you are forced to interact with other teams departments. Sometimes, your job functions intertwine. As a result, you are working in a cohesive team spirit most of the time. There is a sense of togetherness.There is an underlying sense of ownership towards the organization and the customers. Everyone works together to achieve the best desired result. There is a shared sense of pride.In many cases, you build long-lasting business personal relationships with your early-stage colleagues.3. Potential to be RichNotice that I use the word “Potential”. However,this benefit is hard to ignore. We are talking about the money here. Although most early stage startups may not offer you attractive Health and Dental benefits, they do provide their early employees with the option to be part-owners or stock owners.However, do not assume that every startup Founder will provide you with stock options as soon as you are hired. This is something to be negot iated by you, the candidate.When Facebook went public in 2012, about 1000 of early employees became millionaires. The same was true for other Technology companies such as Microsoft,Google,Twitter who eventually went public.evalRealistically, not all startups make it to this level. Most startups don’t survive past the first few years â€" however this benefit Most people do not get this opportunity to be part of something they built. You can feel it , you can touch it, use it and appreciate the personal ownership.You are in the middle of all the action.eval5. Upward MobilitySusan Wojcicki was one of the early employees of Google. Infact, Google was incorporated initially run out of her garage which she rented out to Larry Page and Sergey Brin. She was employee# 18 at Google. After wearing multiple hats at Google, she is now the CEO of YouTube.Many CEOs â€" Steve Ballmer, Marrisa Mayer, Sundar Pichai have been in similar scenarios. They were early stage employees. They worked their way up and were able to reach the top faster than what would have taken them working for a traditional corporation.This is the case with most startups.The upward mobility and the visibility you get in a startup is very difficult to get in a traditional corporation. In most corporations, there are structured hierarchies and promotions could be tenure-based.Startups favor meritocracy. This means, the more value you can deliver for the startup the faster you get promoted. This gives you the foundation to put your career on the fast track.In summary, the benefits of working for an early-stage Startup are as follows:Learning and Skill DevelopmentFinancial IncentivesSense of OwnershipEnhanced Team SpiritStay tuned for Part 2 where we will examine the disadvantages of working for a Startup.