5 Things I Love About Working in a Start-up

I started working in start-ups from the year I joined university and I have never enjoyed work more. I currently work in a Digital Marketing start-up called Happy Marketer Pte. Ltd. and I have been associated with them for almost a year now! I wonder how I started liking the start-up culture so much, even after coming from a background where everyone advocates joining large firms only. I feel that there are 5 main reasons which made me stick to a start-up for such a long period:

#1: Exciting Environment:
Start-ups are like a powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm. Everything in a start-up is usually fast paced because the company is young and always hungry for opportunities. The excitement is always there and is very infectious! And this excitement has been very useful for me to find my passion. If you get excited with what you are working on, maybe that is your passion! Marketing excites me and I found that out after working at Happy Marketer. 

#2: Freedom to Experiment:
People in my work place are always open to new ideas or suggestions to make existing things better. It is probably because even they are in the phase of figuring things out and hence will not mind trying out something new if it benefits their business. More than the freedom to experiment, the bigger boon is the freedom to fail as long as we can derive learnings from our failures. Freedom is very important for me as an individual and is sometimes crucial for me to be able to give in my best. 

#3: Minimal Hierarchy:
One of the cool things about a start-up is that the team is really small. Hence, there is no room for multi-level hierarchies. If you have ideas, thoughts or concerns, you share it with the founder directly and not wait for days while it passes from the person above you to the concerned person. Communication is easy and quick and hence there are lesser procedures and protocols. 

#4: Scope of Learning:
Everyone is learning in a start-up, be it the founder or an intern. Learning need not always be in terms of hard skills but also in terms of soft skills like team work, communication, presentation etc. While you can learn them in any place you work, in start-up it is much easier to pick these skills because of the small size of the team.  Also, there is always so much to do at any point in a start-up and so few people to do the work. Hence, you are motivated to get out of your comfort zone and take up a variety of tasks. I feel that this makes a person more versatile and also gives them a chance to know more about themselves (i.e what they like and dislike). 

#5: Making a Difference:
Personally speaking, it is very important for me to feel needed in a company. When I know that something that I do, however minor that might be, is going to make a difference to the place I am working in, I will push myself harder. The feeling of actually making a difference will do wonders to you and make you want to give your best. You start relating to the company and feel like an equal contributor to its growth. And trust me, that is an amazing feeling that start-ups can give you really soon.  Having said all this, I really think that it’s about an individual more than the company itself. If you are someone who would rather prefer being told exactly want is to be done, then you will probably not enjoy working in start-ups as much. However, if you are the proactive person and you like to ideate and innovate, then a start-up is the best place to start with. Your work life will be filled with a lot of unexpected things and uncertainties, but that’s what makes it fun! The freedom and flexibility you get in a start-up transforms your work into an exciting, “always high-on adrenaline”, learning journey!

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Article contributed by Startup Jobs Asia‘s Guest Blogger, Ms Khyathi.

View Khyathi’s Biography Here.