So You Want to Work for a Startup?

You’ve made up your mind. You’re ready to set off for the land of unicorns and IPOs.

Well, as you could probably guess, #startuplife is not all beer fridges and beanbag chairs (but yeah, we’ve got lots of those). Working at a startup does have its perks, especially for those professionals who find traditional office cultures a little stifling.

Here’s some of what you’re signing up for when you join a startup.

You’ll probably have to “wear many hats”

This is especially true if you join an early-stage startup. Since you’ll likely be part of a small team, your daily tasks will probably change depending on what’s the biggest priority for the company that week. Working outside of your job description might not “work” for everybody, but this can actually be a huge advantage. At larger companies, you might not get the chance to informally explore different roles and responsibilities. However, at a startup, you get to see quite clearly how every little action contributes to the larger picture, which is pretty powerful stuff.

There’s a lot of uncertainty

Most startups are in a constant state of flux. From hiring new team members to changing offices to creating new products, your assigned tasks and even where you work could change from one day to the next. If you’re the kind of person who gets bored easily or doesn’t really like having a routine, this could work for you. It can be a bit chaotic, but it can also be really exciting to watch a company evolve and grow in real-time.

Everyone is learning on the go

Bigger companies have management teams who know exactly how to identify the right priorities and motivate the team to work on them. This isn’t always the case at a startup. These companies are usually founded by people with a ton of subject matter expertise, but not a whole lot of management experience. Expect to learn a lot on the job but also learn alongside your manager as you both adapt and get more settled in your new roles.

But you get to help build something from the ground up

While not all startups have the ambience (or the budgets) of sexy tech companies or come with Amazon-like stock options, one of the best things about working at a startup is learning the ins and outs of building an organization from the ground up. And this doesn’t just apply to the company itself, but also the culture. You’ll have more opportunities to share your opinions and offer feedback that can lead to real change at the company.

With some pretty incredible people

If there’s one thing that many startups do extremely well, it’s building a sense of community. When you’re operating with a lean team, there might be times when the whole company needs to rally together to hit a key target or plan an event. Don’t get me wrong, this can be stressful, but this ‘all hands on deck’ mentality also creates a sense of place and purpose that can bond a team together like nothing else. It also makes it easier for team members to connect and collaborate with employees in other departments. Plus, many startup founders are well aware of the power of employer branding and do their best to make their companies attractive places to work, and a big part of that is the organizational culture.

Yes, working at a startup comes with a pretty unique set of challenges. But so does every company. From my experience, the best way to figure out if joining a startup is the right move is to look inward. What are your core values? What are you most passionate about? What do you want to learn and who do you want to learn from? If the answers to those questions line-up with the points above, you’ll do just fine.