3 Things to Know Before Joining A Start-Up

Angel Investors. Seed-funding. Growth Hacking. A/B Testing. MVP:s, USP:s. The list of word-associations goes on..

After 14 days in Stockholm and 8 days at Mentimeter, the winter-weather has been kind and so the people at Mentimeter!

Working in a start-up presents a unique form of challenge; “Oh the intensity!(of hacking)”, “That adrenaline rush (getting funded)”,“Life is like a box of Chocolates” and so on. But before you jump in, do take a moment and prepare.
Proverb: ‘He who is well prepared has half won the battle’.

Need advice? Here’s an honest, experiential account.
(Disclaimer: The following is not a comprehensive list; continue reading if you don’t have experience working in a Start-Up yet)

3 things you should know about Start-ups:

1- Jack of All Trades
In my previous gig, I was hired solely to do Marketing but was forewarned- “You might need to help us in other areas as well”, said the co-founder.
Lo and behold, I often switch hats every week- from Sales pitching, Cold-Emailing, to Corporate Design and Business Development. Talk about a fulfilling experience. The point is: Always be ready to adapt, and move forward. It might appear too much at first, but manageable. I survived, so can you!

2- Workaholic
Yes. Even on weekends. If your focus is Business Development & Sales, you might need to reply emails when sipping your Sunday Latte. If you’re part of Tech team, bug fixing and element-inspecting are sporadic. Customer requests will cause occasional hair loss, but we still love them nonetheless.

3- If Tomorrow Never Comes
You will never know what tomorrow may bring. So be mentally prepared. Today, you might be doing Copy. Next week, you’re not sure if you can report for work. Paul Graham’s data doesn’t lie. This is assuming you’re into this full-time if not, consider switching to Plan B?

Working in a start-up isn’t your typical dawn to dusk desk job. Many have tried, some have enjoyed. You’re always running around, you complain about the Wifi, you hardly have time to relax. But when you do, it is rewarding and worthwhile.

Robert Frost once said:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

Do you have what it takes to join a start-up?