The First 30 Days Working for a Hyper-Growth Startup

You’ve likely heard that working for a Startup is like building a plane while flying it. Some words that might describe it are exciting/scary/rewarding/fun.

I started working at HealthHero?just 30 days ago. I came from being employed with one of the biggest tech companies in the world, Amazon.

Before Amazon, I was working at Google (another tech giant and part of the Tech Big 4). There are several benefits starting off your career in a big company. Exposure to standard business processes, increased learning opportunities and access to mentorship are all part of the deal.

Whether someone decides to start their career in a Startup or a big corporation, one should not underestimate the importance of choosing the path that will offer the most personal growth and development.

Amazon Web Services was a great company to work for and for anyone looking to work in cloud computing, I highly recommend them. But as much as I enjoyed working for Amazon, I started to get a feel that I need a new challenge and take my career in whole new different direction

Part of me always wanted to work for a Startup as I find it fascinating to take an idea and build it into a sustainable business. This past autumn, I felt it was the right timeline to make the leap.

By no means 1 month is not sufficient time for me to learn everything about the Startup world, and surely I have a lot to learn.

Nonetheless, here are 5 takeaways from my first month working in a hyper-growth Startup:

Builder Mentality

In a Startup environment you need to be a builder. Builders have a growth?mindset and challenges are seen as an opportunity to grow and learn, rather than just being an obstacle. Builders are constantly looking to find the best ways to be successful at their job. Builders are always willing to get their hands dirty and go the extra mile to find the best solution for themselves and their team. So if you want to be successful in the Startup world – Be a builder!

?Adaptability

“Adaptability refers to how well a person reacts to the inevitability of change,” Natalie Fratto says in a recent TED talk. Adaptability is a core skill that is increasingly sought after in today’s workplaces where there’s a growing emphasis on flexibility and agility, both for the company as well as its employees. The experience of working in a Startup, where things are changing every day, will teach you to embrace and adapt to change rather than resist it.

Starting a new job is a marathon, not a sprint

Don’t expect to reach meteoric heights in a quick timeline. In the first weeks/months try to get enough knowledge to be able to deliver value, and acknowledge that you are just at the start line and there is plenty of road to build ahead. Raise the necessary blocks to get you up to speed for the marathon and you will be in a good place.

Listen,Listen,Listen

The best way to absorb information and get up to speed with a new job is to listen. Shadow other team members and look at how they get things done, schedule 1:1s with people from different departments and navigating the company will become much easier. ?

?Your work and contribution matter

Everything that you do in a Startup environment makes a difference. You will not be surrounded anymore by a safety blanket where you’re a small cog in a large machine. In a Startup, all your actions will contribute to the ultimate success or failure of the business. It is empowering to be part of critical company decisions and you will feel a sense of accomplishment to take part in building something from the ground up.

The main lesson in all of this is to never underestimate the power of working for a Startup organisation. Startups can equip you with invaluable hands-on tools and experience, growing your skills, knowledge and even responsibilities in a fast pace – and that’s something worth pursuing at some stage in your career.?