I think you think you want to work in a startup. But do you?

I don't want to put people off working at startups, that's not my aim here. What I do want to do though is shed some light on the reality of startups so that it is is attractive but to the right people. It's not for everyone and that's ok but it sometimes feels like people are trying to get into startups for the wrong reasons.

First things first; not all startups are the same. There will be a lot of nuances from startup to startup so I'll talk in general terms here but there's one thing to establish.

Startups are not the same as scaled Tech companies.

Here's a common conversation I have:

"I really want to work at a Startup but I'm not getting any interviews"

"Who have you applied to?"

"Spotify, Canva and google"

Without arguing over the definition of when a startup stops being a startup the thing we can agree on is a startup doesn't stay a startup forever. That's just while they are starting up, where is where the the name comes from. Crazy, I know.

This association of big tech and startups I think is where the confusion comes from. People here the stories of big salaries and equity and all meals paid and ping pong tables with high tech offices and massages.

An early stage startups office is more likely to look like this

than this

Ok so we've established that, so who are startups suited to and who are they not suited to?

If you need structure

You might not be right for startups. As startups are figuring out if they have a product customers want to buy and figuring things out as they go, they don't often come with a lot of structure yet. If you aren't happy in your current company due to the lack of structure, a lot of startups won't be any better and could be worse.

However, if you like solving problems and developing new processes and structures while executing on other work, you're more likely meant for startups.

You need to know the future

This question in interviews kills me:

"What's the 5 year progression plan for this role?"

The company isn't even 5 years old and can't honestly and accurately tell you the 5 year plan for the company. There hasn't been anyone in the company to develop organisational development plans yet. That company may have only just really figured out that this business has a chance to succeed so forgive them if they haven't mapped out the next 5 years of their Analyst role that they've never hired before.

However, progression can happen faster in startups too. The progression plan isn't mapped out but when growth happens it can happen quickly so if you're comfortable going along for the ride, you might find yourself in a role way beyond what the slow, safe and established companies might offer.

Progression in bigger companies can be easier to see, the journey is mapped out for you. In startups, the progression isn't mapped out but you're likely to learn more on the journey and you might find a different treasure chest on the way.

You want the perks of tech companies

You're not going to get it at most startups unless they are maybe Series B and beyond or have amazing revenue. Some might get creative and offer a 4 day week, fully remote or things like that but they can't match what some of the big tech companies have.

Startups are building towards being able to offer things like in house chefs but the analogy I use is this; if you want to live in the mansion, you're going to have to lay the bricks first. If you want to move straight into the mansion, that's not startups.

You want the pay of big companies

Talking about salaries might start too long of a topic but plain and simple, a Series A startup with $10m of funding does not have the same budgets or pockets to pay their employees as The Gooogles. People will talk about "fair market rates" but we aren't talking about the same market.

The roles themselves will often be different even if the titles are the same or similar but if you're being paid well but want to work in a startup, there is likely going to have to be some compromise for those numbers to fit.

So now that I've turned everyone off working in startups, why would you want to?

It's a combination of things really.

People often come to me because they are frustrated by the red tape and slow speed of where they work. But there is a cause and effect to this.

You'll want to work in startups if:

You don't like red tape and slow progress BUT you're willing to do the work with less resources.

You like solving problems BUT you're comfortable not having all the answers.

You are adaptable.

You are resourceful.

You like a challenge.

You are comfortable in the discomfort.

You like seeing the impact of your work.

It will take a lot of self assessment and awareness to know if you are suited to startups or not but I want to make sure I'm being clear; it's not a negative if you're not. There are a lot of people in startups who would love to be more suited to calm, established and "safe" businesses, I promise you.

And it's not even a forever thing, it may just be that you're not suited to startups right now and that will change later.