Top 5 reasons to join a start-up!

Having spent the past 6 years at Facebook and LinkedIn before that, a lot of people ask me why I wanted to leave the comfort of a stable, interesting, innovative company for a "riskier" and heavier workload. I am the breadwinner in my family and have 2 boys so definitely had to take an intelligent "risk" when I made the move. I shared the reasons why Pigment was my choice here.

So did I make the right decision?

DEFINITELY! And here are my favorite things about working in a start-up and more specifically, at Pigment.

1. We move in minutes not months.

I have a couple of favorite examples here but I will share my favorite three stories.

1. The first week, I was about to meet with an important prospect for the first time. The prospect told me at 3pm the day before, that a Gsheet Connector was very important to them. We didn't have this feature yet, what to do? I was preparing my speech around "This will be part of the short-term roadmap" when my CEO, yes you read right, my CEO messaged me 4 hours later to say "So I finished the Gsheet Connector and here is is". First, what CEO rolls up their sleeves like that. Second, the feature worked and we have been using it with happy customers ever since. And third, did this really get done in 4 hours? ??
2. I was speaking to the Product team trying to understand what was in the roadmap and I asked about a specific feature. They told me, with genuine sadness "Unfortunately, this is not on short-term roadmap, it's 2 months away". I kept on thinking how this would be on the immediate roadmap at Facebook where I used to think we shipped things fast.
3. My favorite part hands down is that we don't have to meet to talk and talk about making decisions. We have a quick chat around the lines "We should hire an agency to record product videos", next day, the agency is sourced and hired with no debate. Or "We should implement a feedback process", you go sit back at your desk and the process is mapped out by the team you had the meeting with. The speed of decision and action is pure bliss!

2. Everyone is in it to win it.

If you consider joining a start-up a risk, you have to consider that everyone working alongside you has made this bet because they believe in it and will give it their all. Working in an environment where there is no preciousness and what matters is doing the right thing makes everything much more enjoyable, efficient and impactful at the end of the day.

I am inspired and honored every day to get to work with some of the smartest people I have ever met and I truly don't feel at risk because we are in this together!

3. Your customers mean everything.

You know me, I LOVE customers, they are my favorite part of the day alongside my team! In a start-up the first customers are your first partners, family, and biggest critics all in one. I love that we are so focused on their problems and really listen to their feedback, needs and ensure the product we are building solves their pains.

Again, there is no politics but trying to do the right thing for customers. This means that there is a super close partnership with the Tech Teams, that we support one another and more importantly work hard every day to make sure our customers are SUPER happy using Pigment.

4. The challenges are extremely varied.

No day is the same and this is not to be taken lightly. Sometimes you have s highly strategic meeting around pricing and packaging or meeting investors. Next, you are creating the first contract in English. Yes, the days are not dull and this is heaven for people that are not afraid to do things. Sharing one of my favorite quotes by Amelia Earhart:

The most effective way to do it, is to do it

5. It's so much fun!

Finally, all the aforementioned items result in a highly stimulating and enriching day. I wake up with so much energy, ready to tackle and focus on our priorities and of course learn, constantly learn!

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So if you are debating whether to join a start-up or not, I would say go for it if you want to have the most rewarding time of your life. Of course, it is hard work, there is a lot of ambiguity around but with the right team and product, that should not be a deterring factor whatsoever.

If you have any questions or would like advice as you take on this move, do not hesitate to reach out to me!

And YES WE ARE HIRING!!