Working in a Startup: A Survival Guide

Why work in a startup, what is startup culture, how to thrive in a startup, and when to leave a startup.
Play hard on soft skills!:)

Anna A Techer
SYNERGY [Newsletter Booster]
7 min readDec 15, 2022

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Black woman satisfied in front of a computer on a terrasse.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

What is a startup?

‘A startup is a fledgling business enterprise’. Merriam-Webster dictionary explains that much. So let’s break into the details, shall we?

What is the core of a startup?

Innovation, time, and customer experience. An entrepreneur comes up with a brand new idea. Perfect timing! It provides a service or a product for the customers. For you. You need it right now, trust me. You just don’t know it yet.;) The startup answered your secret desire. How did it know it? What is its power? Is the startup like a wizard? Don’t panic, I’ll work you through the magic!

What is innovation?

Photo by Bruno Scramgnon on Pexels

Innovation is not a brand new idea that will blow your mind, revolutionize the industry and impact the future generation. It can be… But mostly it isn’t. Don’t fool yourself! Innovation is a new angle, a new point of view on demand. It is a new way of enhancing the customer experience.

Let’s take cars, for example. The car idea is not new, but this guy just got the idea to add four motor wheels. The 4X4 is born. No obstacle will defeat you, You now have the power to always reach your goal. Awesome! But what about my kids? Forget the 4X4. You need a practical car to drive your children from point A to point B. The monospace is your savior. But the little ones are missing all the fun! They thrive to drive like their father. Your toddler’s car has arrived, sir! All cars, all innovations. Different customers. Innovation is a new way of designing a product for new prospects at the right time.

Now some startups grow fast and magically become unicorns. Other startups are buried before they even had the chance to try baby steps. They magically become ghouls. Grow or perish: choose your fate now. What’s the spell? Startup culture!

What is startup culture?

Three guys laughing in front of a computer.
Photo byPriscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Startup culture is a workplace concept. Your startup is your new baby plant. It has entered the world. It is young, fragile, and adorable. It needs a welcoming environment to grow, thrive, and blossom. This environment is commonly called ‘startup culture’. However, unlike a flower, your startup doesn’t need earth, water, and sun to bloom. Albeit, the sun is always a motivation factor !;) A start-up needs an idea: the seed. Dedicated workers to nurturing it. And customers to ripe the fruit. Enjoy! This environment values creativity, problem-solving, open communication, and horizontal hierarchy. Like a plant, your startup will face storms, hardship, and pitfalls. To avoid them, you have to hire the right people.

That’s the spell for startups to become unicorns. The startup hired the right people, at the right for the right purpose. Now, as a potential startup candidate, do you want to work for a unicorn? Do you want to see rainbows on your trail? Work in magic to make it happen. Grant wishes. Choose your startup wisely. Unicorns are fierce, fast, and pure. You see them only once in a lifetime. Have you already encountered one? Lucky you! I never saw one, but I worked for one. So, I’ll share my experience with you.

What soft skills do you need to thrive in a startup environment?

Happy winning woman looking at a blank paper in front onf a computer.
Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels

Be resourceful: Brain tech it

What are your technical skills? Are you an expert in your area? What are your strengths and weaknesses? To work in a startup you have to know yourself, your abilities, and your areas of improvement. Knowledge is power. Once you’ve mastered your technical value, understand how to use your power. Techniques are worthless if they do not serve a purpose. So be creative and problem-solving-oriented. Remember, startups are usually open to new ideas, high risks, and huge rewards. So don’t hesitate to ask questions, raise issues, and share your ideas with your team. Ah! And don’t forget to tune your skills to ensure qualitative work at all times. Train yourself, ask your friends and be resourceful. If you’re careless, you’ll find that you’re skills are already obsolete while you just got hired! Think about the broad picture.

Be passionate: You're great

Startups are vulnerable. They need all the care, love, and energy you can give them to blossom. Once you master your power, believe in the startup power. Empower it! Find its purpose and align it with yours. What drives you every morning to work? What can you offer to the startup? To answer it, analyze the goal of the startup:
- What is the startup innovation?
- What are its values?
- How does it enhance customer experience?
Last but not least:
Do you wholly agree with the company’s values, goals, and vision?
If not, don’t apply for the job offer. You’re wasting your time. And the start-up time. It’s not worth it. If yes, you found your drive. Now, you’ve become passionate, so share it with your circle.

Be a team player: Fake it to win it

Startups gather usually a few people. You can see them looking purposely at boards, analyzing charts, and working in a buoyant pool of ideas. Small teams work to achieve one purpose. Communication is a core to a team working in synergy. So, be a drive for your team. Initiatives, pertinent questions, and enthusiasm are in high demand. And will be highly rewarded. What are your box brand new ideas? Share them timely, explain them, and think about how to improve your coworkers’ ideas. Be fast-forward in the short run: an issue is raised, solve it and move to the next one. Think broadly for the long run. Analyze the startup overall process, the team dynamic, and your coworkers areas of improvement. Listen and learn and teach others. Be a team player. And unleash your positive energy. Energy glows from passionate people. It contaminates others. And that’s when the magic begins. Your energy will be the fuel for your startup team to reach the stars. Never forget: The sky is your limit!

Be fierce: Stay glossy, play nasty

The startup is an open-minded environment. But! Highly open people tend to be narrow. Somehow… You succeed, you understand how to navigate in the world, how to fence, and how to master its subtleties. What if the person in front of you, doesn’t? You may think they’re stupid. So yes, all ideas can be shared, but think twice about the ones you share. The inside of the startup is competitive. Ideas are shared freely, communication is lateral and growth is steady. Yes, it’s a lovely dream. But dreamers are poor drivers. Wake up! The startup world is competitive. Tune irony, scatter niceties, and play nicely. A wonderful and straightforward criticism is spread with the utmost niceness. So be sure to tune your communication skills. Be sure to always stay up to your game. Be sure to share the right ideas at the right time with the right person. Wait, does it sound familiar? Innovation, time, and customer experience. Am I a startup? No kidding! I’ll watch my back now. Don’t brag too much and remember to always have a backup.

Be smart: It’s an art!

At some point, you’ll want to leave or you’ll get fired. An OECD study highlighted people stay three years max in a startup. Don’t fret! It doesn’t mean they don’t work for a startup in their life. Just a new one. So, know when to upgrade your game. Does my startup still fulfill my needs? Are my values still aligned with the startup company? Is the start-up still a start-up? If not, do I want to work for a steady company?
What’s your answer? No! Times up, let’s break up! At that point, you better have some leverage. Understand the company’s policies. Define your leave package carefully. Travel back in time. Rember your first steps in the startup. Read your contract carefully. Particularly the leave section? Is there a confidentiality agreement? Is there a property rights agreement? Intellectual ones? Competitive ones? Write down your experience. What is your biggest success? Where did you fail? What have you learned from this experience? Start looking for a position in a new startup. Remember to part on good terms. You never know what the future reserve for you. You never know, you might need some references, you might collaborate with your former company, or you might buy your former company if you play it right!

So do you have the drive to work for a startup? Are you fierce, skilled, passionate, and a team player? So come work for us!

Side note: I worked for startups, both unicorns and ghouls. Ultimately, you learn to be humble when working for startup companies. What matters is not the startup company your work for. No, startups are sprouting like mushrooms, jump to the next one and you’ll be fine. Find the one that is right for you. Stay true to yourself, and fend for your values. Stay passionate! If you love your work, you’ll never have to work a single day in your life.

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Anna A Techer
SYNERGY [Newsletter Booster]

Life is A-Maze-Ing... Working my way through it! Content writer | Entrepreneur | Deal breaker