Philip Have, Tyba’s Co-Founder, reflects on choosing the startup path

A week ago, I left our Madrid headquarters to open the German office for our four-year-old startup, Tyba. Time to reflect. How did I end up here? What is the good, what is the bad? And what have I learned so far?

There are generally three reasons why people start a company: a) they see an opportunity, b) they are frustrated with their current job, c) they want to be their own boss. Most blog posts around this topic are written by people in category b), individuals that left their corporate jobs to start their own company or work for a startup. Many will tell you that it was the best decision they’ve ever made. My case is different. I co-founded a company while I was still at university. I’ve only experienced the corporate world during short stints, when interning at consultancy firms. My view is not a true comparison, but a hypothetical one. I’m category C. I never wanted to end up in a hierarchical structure and was seeking the freedom to shape my job.

Where does this urge for self-determination come from? My father is founding partner in a law firm, my grandfather and great-grandfather both built their own trading companies. I guess these things kind of rub off on you. However, there are plenty of ways to be self-employed or build your own business. You can open a law practice, become a doctor, open a restaurant. So, why is half of our generation moving into tech? Is it the promise of self-fulfillment, scalable business models (fast money) or the possibility of wearing t-shirts at the office?

For me, it all roots back to a day in 2008 when a friend of my father’s invited me to come along to a venture pitch day in Berlin. Aged 19, I literally had no idea what that was supposed to be. I was wearing a proper shirt and jacket and found myself to be among the very few dressed-up in the room. Some guy on the stage was telling us how they just reached yet another million of users, doubled revenues and launched their twentieth game in five years (it was the founder of Bigpoint Games). It sounded dynamic, like stuff was happening there. I spoke to one of the bearded guys I saw around and asked if he would have me for an internship. I started at his company a week later. After that short placement, I applied to a University that prided itself with it’s entrepreneurial focus, met my co-founders and started Tyba.

What is the good, what is the bad?

One afternoon we decided on a new product and the next morning I was sitting in an airplane to meet with potential clients and roll out our strategy. I didn’t come back home for three months.

The good things by far offset the negative sides, however, it’s difficult to label those factors as good or bad. For some people, the startup environment is just right, whilst others can’t stand it for a second. It is more dynamic, or in other words chaotic, mostly due to the lean methodologies. You might kill a project you’ve worked on for several weeks. You find yourself working on a topic you have zero expertise on. You might change a major part of your strategy from one day to the other. Your days will never be boring. One afternoon we decided on a new product and the next morning I was sitting in an airplane to meet with potential clients and roll out our strategy. I didn’t come back home for three months.

You won’t be given a toolbox that will equip you to build a company. You have to keep trying, be persistent, allow yourself to grow. You will be challenged every day. If you work in a startup because you read that some guys called Mark, Sergej and Larry are billionaires now, you are probably in the wrong business. The chances of startups being successful are still rare, that’s why they are also called unicorns. However, if you think you can pull it off, go ahead. Your intuition will tell you what to do. If you want to start a company: do it! If your friends tell you they don’t believe in the idea, but you do: keep going!

In a corporate job you might have a full-blown mentorship program, a 24-month development plan. There will be someone telling you how to do your job. After some time you will have good expertise in a specific field. You are building a solid career. For sure you will grow, and you will be challenged, it might just be a different kind of challenge.

I’m happy I took the startup route and I’m curious to see where it is taking me, I might even go corporate one day. I don’t know yet, but what I know for sure is that the startup experience is a good preparation for any kind of career.

Originally published at blog.tyba.com on July 20, 2015.