Instigator Blog - Latest Comments in Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

bookdrives — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:45:40 -0000

This is a great list. I completely agree that you will get to see many more faces of business in a start-up. You get exposed to so many new skills and concepts in business and is a great place to get experience if you are waiting to get into MBA school.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Poker — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:27:59 -0000

the start up company can be a good platform for learning and can give a big career to the employees with the company or with a competetor of the company.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Larry — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:58:28 -0000

Thanks Ben. This is great. How would you find a list or directory of startups in the social media space/performance based marketing in NYC?

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Dan — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:50:04 -0000

Startups can be very profitable also. It is easier for a small company to have a fast grow.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Oyun indir — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:09:56 -0000

I think they offer good opportunities, but you must make sure to do a little homework and join the right one(s) as Marc Chriqui noted.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Matthew Hui — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:26:19 -0000

Great post. Influence is one of the most important ones. You need to join a startup if you want to have some kind of influence with the business

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Ben Yoskovitz — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:43:13 -0000

@Tim: I'm with you. But you can find that stress in any job, startup or otherwise ... so I don't think stress is unique to startups. It can be more acute when things get into crunch modes though, but big companies have plenty of their own issues that typically don't exist in startups.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Tim — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:03:35 -0000

It depends imo. Some startup companies do not provide any career growth or training so you may end up in a stressful environment learning things on your own. The first startup company I joined was just a big dead end and the business itself was struggling to maintain some sort of balance. In the end, the stress just wasn't worth it for me to stay

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Ben Yoskovitz — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:17:26 -0000

@Piyush: Thanks for sharing ... I'll have to check it out!

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Piyush Gupta — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:09:44 -0000

My 2-cent scientific approach to join a startup at an early stage.
http://www.slideshare.net/p...

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Stirling Westrup — Sat, 26 May 2007 08:16:16 -0000

You made a great list, and it echoes my own reasons for never having yet worked in big business. So far I've spent my entire career (20+ years) only working for startups and early-stage businesses, and I don't regret any of it.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Ben Yoskovitz — Thu, 24 May 2007 06:16:44 -0000

Hi Anonymous - Thank you for the comments. In the post I did say that not all startups are created equally, and linked out to some people who have written posts in the past about questions to ask before joining a startup.

I don't take the idea of joining a startup lightly. I don't take the idea of signing up for any job lightly. So my post wasn't intended to say "Startups are all some glorious / perfect place," because I know that's not the case.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Anonymous — Thu, 24 May 2007 01:05:56 -0000

Just a few comments on this post, coming from an individual working for a start-up:

I think they offer good opportunities, but you must make sure to do a little homework and join the right one(s) as Marc Chriqui noted.

More influence - it all depends on how tight of a kung-fu grip the founder/founders have on operations. This also rolls into ownership and connectivity. Lots of start-up ventures end up failing b/c the founders try to do everything themselves and don't take input from the experts they brought on who are eager to see the company succeed but perhaps have different views on how things could be run.

More learning - I would say you learn a lot of what NOT to do. This lesson CAN be valuable as long as you do not keep repeating the same thing over and over and expect different results (the definition of insanity, last I checked).

Pidgeon-holing - lots of start-ups stem from the founder having ideas of how to improve things in their job, but not having the environment or authority to make those changes. So they go out on their own. Founders must remember the environment from which they came, what worked and what didn't, and make sure they do not impose the same constraints on their employees as were put on them.

Why do losts start-ups fail? My guess would be lack of trust on behalf of the founders regarding the employees. The vision the founders draw up is grand, but if they are unwilling to write in pencil instead of permanent marker, it will fail. All great ideas can always be improved upon.

Best piece of advice is to take everything as a learning experience! If nothing more, you can learn what to NOT look for in your next venture.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Ben Yoskovitz — Wed, 23 May 2007 23:52:17 -0000

Marc - I don't mind the shameless plug, I hope you find the people you're looking for!

That's great feedback from Melanie in the link you provided.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Marc Chriqui — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:46:26 -0000

Shameless plug...

If you love this top 10, you love startups, and you love sports, give us a shout: jobs@ilovetoplay.com.

More startup passion: http://ilovetoplay.wordpres...

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Alex — Wed, 23 May 2007 17:56:10 -0000

I love start ups and once had the chance to work for a Fortune 500, but turned it down. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I love the fact that business systems must be created and things are a mess...for while. It's exciting and fun. Plus people who work in start ups are fine with the risks. They understand that structure must be created. They don't mind the uncertainty. I love it!

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Ben Yoskovitz — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:44:04 -0000

Liz - VC or not doesn't determine whether it's a startup. If the company is relatively new, with a small team, that's a startup. Certainly in my description and world I'm thinking of technology startups but that's not the only kind.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Liz — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:31:05 -0000

I'm not sure if my company qualifies as a startup, (we're not backed by VC) but we're definitely entrepreneurial! I could not wish for a better company to work for. I'm getting experience that I'd be barely qualified or even considered for in other companies - graphic design, customer support, web development, client training - it's the best thing that ever happened to a small-town girl with a BA in English!

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Ben Yoskovitz — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:28:12 -0000

engtech - I'm with you about crunch time. I like how you start the post, "The Internet is rife with fluffy top 10 posts. I know I'm part of the problem though..." *chuckle* (me too!)

But crunch time isn't exclusive to startups. That's one of the reasons I didn't include it as a caveat. There's crunch time in big companies too. Just because you work in a big company doesn't mean there aren't deadlines, doesn't mean you're not overworked. Even in big "COOL" companies - think EA for example, which has received lots of flack for the way they treat employees. That's not a startup...

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Ben Yoskovitz — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:18:58 -0000

Evan - I've worked in small teams before but only for very short periods of time. I've never worked in a startup because I started my own when I was 22 and still in university.

I wrote this post specifically to be positive, knowing it would draw discussion and debate around the risks. If I filled in every caveat (startups are risky, startups can force you to work thousand hour days, etc.) it wouldn't have the same lightning rod effect for what amounts to worthwhile + important debate.

I think "The Top 10 Ways To Be A Great Startup Boss" is a sure winner. I hope you write it.

I still say, with all the struggles and difficulties, it's better. I'd rather go through that than sit in a cubicle and collect a paycheck.

Life is hard. People who go through tough experiences often come out on top because they learn from them. I'd rather learn from a failed startup than never be involved. Once you get to that point, my positive points have real meaning.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Evan Prodromou — Wed, 23 May 2007 14:55:00 -0000

@Marc: I in fact am a big fan of startups (and of marriage!). But there are many cons, and they're not trivial and ignorable. I don't think getting married is a "no-brainer" and I don't think working in a startup is, either.

It's a heartache and a struggle more often than it is a triumph. Whether that struggle is worth it depends on a lot of factors -- not all of them in the control of the employee. If you're working for the right people, and they have the right idea, and you feel the same passion for the idea that they do, and the market does, too, then it can be great. But that's a lot of if's.

@heri: one of the things that happens with successful startups is that they go through an "adolescent crisis" somewhere around 200-300 employees. The loosey-goosey atmosphere of the startup changes to a "big company" one, and those startup employees who are still around usually don't survive (either they quit or they're fired). It's rare that an employee who started with the company sticks around that long anyways, and often the freedom they have in a startup is curtailed later on as other people are hired in over their heads.

@Ben: so, you personally haven't actually worked as an employee in someone else's startup? If not, why not? Could there in fact be some reasons and circumstances where working in someone else's startup isn't a "no-brainer"?

I'm sorry to be a downer, but maybe I should write a "top ten ways to be a great startup boss". Number one would be "Be scrupulously honest". If you're not honest with yourself and your team, you're never going to earn your team's loyalty and you're never going to be effective at dealing with real-world circumstances.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Jim — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:55:19 -0000

I think that one of the best reasons to work for a start-up is to give you the experience if you ever want to start up your own business in the future.

While I wasn't a direct employee in the start-up, I was one of the principles of it and contributed my skills but I learned so much more in several months than I could have ever learned in a more "traditional" job.

I don't think start-ups are for everyone though. If you plan to climb the corporate ladder your whole life (which is a very good option for a lot of people) there are much more risks in joining a start-up and you won't get as much out of the experience since the skills you get there won't apply as much in the corporate world.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

engtech — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:49:11 -0000

Ten Reasons Not to join a Startup
http://engtech.wordpress.co...

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Deaf Musician — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:40:11 -0000

Let's talk about the risk factors too! All those things aren't true for all start-ups.

Re: Top 10 Reasons to Join a Startup

Gary Haran — Wed, 23 May 2007 10:33:35 -0000

I think students are crazy not to join a startup for their first couple of jobs. Unless you have a wife and kids telling you it's too risky you should enjoy your freedom and get the best experience youth can buy.

The most fun I had in my 11 years of programming is in startups. I touched a lot more things than I would in a big company and when things settled I was allowed to chose my role in the company. It's much harder to find this in an established company.