austinite
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2010
- Messages
- 97
- Reaction score
- 7
I've been working at a startup since I got out of school (3 years.) I'm sacrificing pretty heavily in terms of salary. Considering benefits (health insurance, 401k matching, vacation, etc) I'm only getting paid 50% what I could get in about one day of job hunting. That said, I still live comfortably and I strongly believe that my equity position will make it more than worth my while.
The experience has been awesome for me. I think I've learned more in 3 years here than I would have in 10 years in a big company job. I have a lot of real responsibility that I don't think I would have gotten elsewhere.
I disagree about wanting a VC funded startup. VC funding means that the VCs run the show. Our company has given up zero equity for funding and I think that is a blessing. The poster above that mentioned the CEO is absolutely correct. The first part of that equation is that you need a founder that understands his limitations. Our founder is an academic type, and while he is a great guy he is no master businessman and he doesn't pretend otherwise. He hired a fantastic CEO and let him run the company, and the second that happened is when we stopped treading water and started making big advances.
Oh yeah, the guy that said "don't work at a startup, you could end up in the unemployment line at any moment!!" needs to grow some balls... I understand people not being willing to make the financial sacrifice, particularly if you have children (which I don't), but I do not have any fear of losing my job whatsoever. There are plenty of jobs out there if you have skills to offer.
The experience has been awesome for me. I think I've learned more in 3 years here than I would have in 10 years in a big company job. I have a lot of real responsibility that I don't think I would have gotten elsewhere.
I disagree about wanting a VC funded startup. VC funding means that the VCs run the show. Our company has given up zero equity for funding and I think that is a blessing. The poster above that mentioned the CEO is absolutely correct. The first part of that equation is that you need a founder that understands his limitations. Our founder is an academic type, and while he is a great guy he is no master businessman and he doesn't pretend otherwise. He hired a fantastic CEO and let him run the company, and the second that happened is when we stopped treading water and started making big advances.
Oh yeah, the guy that said "don't work at a startup, you could end up in the unemployment line at any moment!!" needs to grow some balls... I understand people not being willing to make the financial sacrifice, particularly if you have children (which I don't), but I do not have any fear of losing my job whatsoever. There are plenty of jobs out there if you have skills to offer.