5 Fast Lessons You Learn Working At A Startup

From Uber to Airbnb, Medium is rich with stories of startup successes and struggles. You’ve probably read about the company culture at Amazon or the nap rooms at Google. Perhaps you’ve considered applying to work at a young company yourself. There’s something romantic about being one of the first employees at an organization. I mean, what if that company becomes the next Facebook?

And startups are often good at getting you to believe you’re joining the next big thing. “Contribute to something epic!” career pages cry. Not only does this appeal to Millennials’ desire to be part of something meaningful, it also helps justify the often less-than-desireable salaries that growing companies can offer.

Rather than huge salaries, startups promise perks that range from flexible hours to free bikes. They may feed you, pay you to exercise, do your laundry for you, or teach you to meditate. Money is, after all, a pretty poor motivator.

But what is it actually like working on a small and scrappy team? It’s hard work, sure, but big reward, too. And some of those rewards come in the form of life lessons. Here are 5 things you learn really quickly when you work at a startup.

Be decisive.

From prioritizing your tasks for the day to choosing the creative direction for your quarterly campaign, you’ll be required to make decisions constantly when working at a startup. While, at a larger organization, you would be required to put your ideas through multiple rounds of approvals, there often isn’t the time or the resources at a startup. You simply have to trust your instincts.

If you’re not used to this kind of responsibility or working in leadership positions, you may feel uncertain or underqualified. The risk can be scary, but you quickly learn to trust yourself. There simply isn’t time to be indecisive. You see the results of your decisions play out in real time, and there’s no one to hold accountable except yourself. Knowing when to ask for feedback or approval is an important decision in itself. A supportive team will help with this.

And when it comes to prioritizing your tasks, efficiency is key. Studies show that humans are actually really bad at multitasking, so even when you’re pulled in a thousand simultaneous directions, don’t fall prey to Obsessive Checklist Disorder. Decide what one or two things you’re going to do today and then do them really well.

Learn constantly.

Learning is not passive. It takes focus and commitment throughout your career. And while continuous learning isn’t unique to startups, working at a small company has taught me to take my learning from the classroom to the street.

A certificate is great, but don’t relegate education to formal processes. Let the fast pace of the day-to-day guide what you need to know. Keep a journal. Get some podcasts. Check out an eLearning platform like Coursera. Reflect constantly on what works and what doesn’t. The more you learn, the more you’ll want to learn, and the better your ideas will get.

Plus, if your organization still holds annual performance reviews, ask if you can have frequent, informal reviews instead. Or ask them about using a tool like 15Five. While such upfront and continuous feedback may seem intimidating at first, it’s more conducive to learning and applying new knowledge, and your team will be better for it in the long run.

Expect more from your employer.

Perhaps I’m biased because the startup I work for specializes in empowering and engaging employees. In my position, I read and write a lot about what startups and big corporations do to retain and engage their teammates.

Like how Zappos did away with corporate hierarchy. Or how Netflix offers unlimited paid vacation to their employees.

But more than unconventional perks and org charts, working in a startup means that I, from the day I started, could engage with the CEO of our company on a day-to-day basis. I could see the corporate structure at eye-level and hear how important organizational decisions were made. I know the names of every single person in the company. I know what they like to eat for lunch. And I know what challenges they’re facing.

“Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with passion.” — Brian Chesky, CEO, Airbnb

As we continue to grow, maintaining this intimate level of knowledge will get harder. But it’s taught me that there’s great value in working for a genuinely transparent company. When you work in a place that doesn’t value their employees, you feel it right away. People gossip and rant behind closed doors. Teams fracture and turnover increases. But when leadership invests in people and is authentic in its drive and core values, you’ll never go back to working any other way.

You get what you give.

This point is fairly obvious, but it’s made all the more apparent when you work on a small team. As the sole social media person, if I don’t schedule updates for the day, then nothing goes out. There’s no one to pick up after me. Certainly, the team is always keen to check in and provide support, but the thing with autonomy is just that: you’re autonomous.

There are few things more empowering than that realization. The amount of effort you put in is directly correlated with the result. Of course, this is not always the case. There are always factors that can complicate this relationship, but for the most part, it holds true. So give it all you’ve got.

Embrace change.

Perhaps the most striking thing about working for a startup is the rate of change. It is rare that two days are the same. On a small team, you may have to wear multiple hats and take on multiple projects all at the same time. That’s okay. Being nimble is one of the indicators of a successful startup, and it’s a good trait in an employee, too. However, as I said earlier, don’t let the pull of multitasking draw you in. Being nimble also means knowing when to say “No.”

Whether it’s learning to work efficiently with a team that’s always growing, or embracing a complete pivot of your organization, finding constant, self-driven focus and motivation amid a sea of changing factors is something you’ll learn quickly at a small company. And that’s a lesson that can help you, not just in your career, but in your personal life.

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With all of this said, no two startups are the same. But no matter where you work, learning to view your team with a startup mindset — agility, efficiency, and transparency — can help even the biggest companies overcome common challenges.

Did I miss anything? If you’ve learned some good lessons working on a small team or in a young company, let me know in the comments below!