Working for startups four comes with plenty of risk and that is surely no joke. According to the Wall Street Journal, in every four around three startups fails miserably.
All over the Silicon Valley, there have been startup funerals where the CEO’s have gathered and spoken about their defunct startups and how they can avoid making the mistakes they already did in the near future. But in no way does that mean working for a startup is a completely bad idea.
There are plenty of new things you could learn from it as well such as adding experiences and new skills to your resume. So what are they exactly? What are the pros and cons of working with a startup? Find out all of that in this post!
Why you Should Work for a Startup? 6 Pros:
Here are six simple, quick and the best reasons why you should be working for any startup. If you are going to consider this option as career choice, this is how it is going to benefit you in the long run.
1. You need new opportunities to expand and explore yourself:
The good thing about startups is that it will give you greater and much bigger opportunities to innovate and create new ideas. The founder of Seat wave Joe Cohen had also stated that he wants people who can take the ball and just run with it and get some work done on time.
The whole mentality of startups is to encourage you to take risks, give all employees the right and freedom to grow and prove themselves as fast as possible. Startups often have much smaller teams so that you can have a lot of impact. You will have more responsibility and a bigger opportunity to shine.
2. Your chance to show what you are all about:
Startups also give you the chance of shine. Not only does working with a small time let you graduate but also lets you learn and observe from your colleagues. It also makes sure that you have your own contribution that is rewarded and noticed at the same time.
Hiring is actually quite hard so naturally one of the common things that a startup will do is take a close look at the team and see if someone is capable enough to take up more responsibility and take up a different role. People here have the chance to take new duties and work and boost their horizons professionally.
3. A proper and dynamic environment:
There is nothing like a proper and new venture to create dynamic and happy working environment. When you are entering a company that is young or has just started out, there shall be new recruits who have new ideas about life. It will be your chance to become successful and help the company become real, have more growth over time.
The best thing about working for startups is that they will always have the ability to work things out. Nico Perez who happens to be the founder of MixCloud said that it is a lot of fun working for a startup. You will always be happy and excited.
4. You get to pick your own team:
With a startup, you will actually have the time and opportunity to pick your own team members. Since we end up spending more time at work than any other place, it is important to have a good relationship with our colleagues. After all, it is what you need for a proper and successful working life.
In big organizations, new recruits are not allowed to choose their own team but that is something you will never find in start ups. People who have worked there for a very long time have often spoken about the benefits that come with it and that life becomes very simple and easy when you are able to pick your own team members.
5. Here is your chance to learn from real people:
People who have just started out their business tend to have a different professional and mental makeup than people who have never gone to create something of their own choice.
Entrepreneurs are also understood by carefully seeing through the problem and coming up with a proper and more original solution to it. Because of such an innovative nature, some business men could be your best teachers.
They look at problems differently, are always in search of solutions and are constantly driven to make more work and time. Every startup that is successful has great innovators and they can help you find the right ones too.
6. You will be working in a cool environment:
People who have worked in startups before have spoken about the amazing benefits that it comes with. Some of them said they went to work wearing jeans, shorts and even sandals sometimes. Some also said that during special occasions, they would drink beer at work.
Third, the startup environment and community happens to be a close knit group and people are often coming up with solutions to all kinds of problems and making new tools that simplifies and enhances their life in some way or the other.
The spirit of an entrepreneur could be a bit contagious and if you cannot catch it, you are probably avoiding it.
Why you Shouldn’t Work for a Startup? 6 Cons:
Now that we have stated all the benefits, let us take a quick look at why working for a startup could turn out to become your worst nightmare ever.
1. You have to work very hard:
A bad thing about startups is that you are expected to work very hard. After all, it is not a fully fledged company that you are working for. They have just started out and are hoping to grow and prosper in the near future. So yes, you will be expected to work like a maniac for longer hours every week because every startup is in the race tries to create a good product or maybe a service that can establish a good market before the money can run out. If you enjoy such pressure, then go for it. But if you are not willing to spend 10 to 11 hours a day and get paid close to nothing, then say no to them!
2. You will be expected to cover a lot of things at one go:
Apart from the work pressure and crazy burden that you have to deal with, startups also expect you to have plenty of duties. You will be asked to do several jobs. There are people who would actually love to assign you with tasks one after the other until you are exhausted. Since there are not a lot of people who work for startups, they are obviously going to expect you to be more responsible and handle all important tasks.
Startup jobs may also include having the same mind numbing responsibilities that usually big companies offer. So if you are expecting a whole lot of work and no time to sleep, startups are your thing.
3. The whole environment is pretty chaotic:
One of our experts and professors from Stanford once pointed out that if any of you are interested in joining a startup, you must know if you can handle a chaotic environment or not. How comfortable are with chaos? If you have joined a small start up, one that has even lesser than ten employees you can expect chaos to happen like every single day.
People who have worked in startups themselves have admitted how chaotic and frustrating it is at times. If you are someone who really doesn’t enjoy doing all of that, choose another job but not a startup.
4. Very poor salary or no salary at all:
The sad and probably the worst part about working for a startup is that your salary is going to be way below average or maybe you will not be paid at all.
To those of you who are searching for a job that will help you take care of your needs, working at a startup is surely not the choice. And even if you do, you will have to work in another place. But in case you are looking for an experience or would like to know how a startup really works, only then this could benefit you. Otherwise you must take a look somewhere else.
5. You will be expected to build a company:
Let’s consider that you are a developer or maybe an engineer who has recently noticed a startup. Instead of saying yes to the job and working in a field, you will be expected to build a proper company for them.
Now that may really seem like a challenge but that is surely not what you have signed up for. So if you are not hoping to end up in a situation where you have all the pressure in the world, don’t join a start up at all.
6. It might all fail one day:
The worst and most horrible part about working for a startup is that it just might fail someday. Ask successful business men and entrepreneurs if they have failed in a startup. More than 90% of them are going to say yes.
In fact, the wall street journal had once published an article saying that out of every four startups, there are three which fail. And if you are planning to work for one, then be prepared for failure already. We are not saying it will happen for sure. We are just asking you to be more cautious and steady.
Benefits of Working for Startups:
The best thing about most startups is that they provide you with all the training that you require to become the best entrepreneur in the near future. Founders of startup owners in the past such as Peppersmith have mentioned about their previous experiences and how these little things have helped and shaped them into becoming what they are today.
Working at startups has helped them to develop the 13 year old business. They have also mentioned that if we really want to have our own company one day, working here could just teach us all the right things. After all, you get to see the insides of the business.
The idea of working in a startup is not for everybody. Some people will work hard in a small team while the others will secure the large business and knowing what they will be taking care of every single day. That is alright! The other half is probably not suited to the environment of startups anyway. But that doesn’t mean the employees should be thinking that employment of startups are risky and unstable.
The harsh truth about startups is that they are not made for everyone and that one person’s pro could turn out to be another person’s con. But before you start, always consider where you are going to benefit from the company and whether this place is the right field to start. Also remember that startups do fail but there is also a high chance that it will become a success and even if it is not, you will still have a great experience that will help you land a better job.
All startups are different from the other. They have weird hours, different benefits, small teams and a bunch of people who are passionately working towards one goal. If it feels like a good fit for you, then go for it right away! Also if you have liked reading the post and have some feedback you would like to leave, do drop a comment in the box below.
