Joining a Startup Company: Pros & Cons
With the job market in it's current state, finding employment can be a challenge if your plan is to land an entry-level job in a corporate industry. With positions few and far between and hundreds of thousands of applicants, you may find yourself looking outside of the box as a way to make ends meet. Brave souls decide to embark the journey of being an entrepreneur, launching a startup business idea. Entrepreneurs are always looking for additional help with turning their vision into a reality. This is where the fresh college graduate comes in, ready to build and learn with a brand new startup. The initial pay may not blow you out of the water and you may find yourself putting in longer hours than you did at the library during undergrad, but working with a startup company definitely has its invaluable advantages over tying yourself down in a corporate office cubicle.
Every experience will be uniquely yours. Working with a startup, many opportunities will arise for you to learn something new and expand your expertise. You also have the opportunity to get creative with your position within the company. Startups are always innovating and looking for better ways to function.
No 2 days are the same. You can guarantee that you will not spend today doing exactly what you did the day before when working with a startup company. New problems pop up everyday and when you're a part of the backbone of a startup, you'll be responsible for solving the new problems. You will have business meetings with potential funders and investors. You'll get to experience moving through the process of building a platform from the ground up. For some, this type of unpredictability is exactly what excites on a day-to-day basis; the ultimate business adventure. You will also be in a flexible position and most times you'll be able to schedule your own hours to fit your personal needs.
Financial return for the work you put in during the beginning stages. If you join a company in its beginning stages, you are potentially signing up to witness financial expansion at its finest. As a believer in hard work paying off in the end, if you're dedicated to going hard for your startup company through the ups and downs, you will be rewarded when your company and team are featured on Forbes list. You never know what level your company will reach, but with splendid execution, the return you receive will be well worth it.
Expanding your network, building new relationships and learning about yourself. With startups, business relations are much like the relationships you begin and maintain in your personal life. Establishing yourself as a key player in a company gives you a title of ownership. People love connecting with others who play integral roles in a company or industry. You will have the opportunity to meet with hundreds of new people and establish a name for yourself as an innovator. You will also learn the deeper meaning of relationships and the risks they involve, shaping you into a better decision maker when it comes to endeavors you will invest your time and money in.
Creative work culture. Forget the suit-and-tie attire required in any given corporate industry. Ditch the 3-inch heels and uncomfortable skirt that you dread wearing for 8 hours a day. Most startup companies don't care what you wear into the office. Jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and minimal makeup are all included in the culture of startups. You will be accepted for what you look like, no matter your lack of polish. No need to impress anyone with what you look like, but you will be focused on impressing your colleagues with the work you tackle. Since most startups consist of a team less than 10 people, the environment is very personal and intimate so you will find yourself more comfortable with being you and not uptight from walking on egg shells.
Unpredictable, long hours - Face it, the amount of problems you run into during the early development startup stage is endless. Guess who has to fix them? ...You!
Low compensation - Not guaranteed, but more often than not, there's not much money going into the salary department of a startup company. The flip side to that is that as business grows, you will begin to earn more over time. Patience and timing.
Unstable and Uncertain - Speaking of timing, because startups go through unpredictable business behavior, your work demand may fluctuate up and down during the beginning.
Limited resources - It's no mystery that most startups are businesses that have "Started From the Bottom." You're not going to have all of the software, funding and time that long-standing entrepreneurship endeavors have acquired. The limited phase is not the easiest to build with but it definitely helps you grow a deeper appreciation for what you do have and what is yet to come.
High risk and responsibility - No simpler way to put it; investing into a startup company comes at a high risk for the investor. Working for a startup, you take on a plate of responsibility that you must hold. Entrepreneurship is definitely for the risk-taker, the person willing to risk it all just to move closer to an achievement or goal.
