Aspiring To Build A Startup? Here are 6 Reasons You Should Start By Working In One.

With about hundreds of thousands youth graduating and joining the job market in every year from Kenyan tertiary institutions, limited jobs are available and only a fifth of them get jobs. This is sad story but the good thing is that majority of Kenyans have embraced entrepreneurship.

There is an explosion of entrepreneurs starting new businesses every month.

You’ve just graduated from college, diploma/degree in hand (or in the mail), and you have a couple of job offers on the table. Other than being one of the lucky graduates in our weak economy, you have a choice to make. On one hand is a high-paying entry level position at a reputable brand in your field. On the other hand is a job offer from a small startup that is just kicking off. You’ve seen their product, believed in their mission, and liked their approach, but aren’t sure you want to take on the risk of working at a startup.

However, this new startup is facing the hurdles that every startup have to face. The main challenge being lack of enough capital to hire experienced staff. They are therefore engaging young and ambitious folks who are eager and ready to learn the passion and determination of building the next big thing.

With the much hype of low pay in startups, there is much benefit you can reap from working in this startup especially if you are an aspiring entrepreneur. Below are a handful of reasons why I think you should consider working for a startup.

1. The Ability to Learn and Grow

While startup perks can be compelling, startup founders are giving their employees an experience they can’t get elsewhere.

Working in a startup will put you in a position where you can succeed, develop new skills and do things you wouldn’t have the opportunity to do elsewhere. For example, you get the ability to have an impact on multiple parts of the business and grow with the company.

Also, startups offers opportunity to do work that helps you master a variety of transferable skills, or skills that are relevant across roles and industries. In one year at a startup, for example, you might get experience in project management, client relations, sales, marketing and finance.

A large company might offer you lots of money, lots of perks, and in some cases, lots of equity but chances are you’ll be pigeonholed in only one of these areas and your professional development will be exponentially slower.

2. A Chance to Shine

Not only does working intimately with a small team allow you to observe and learn from your colleagues, it will also ensures that your own contribution is noticed and rewarded.

Hiring is very hard so one of the things a startup will do, almost automatically, is to look around the team and make a call as to whether anyone might want to take on a bit more responsibility or shift to a different role. You get to take on duties as and when they come, to expand your horizons professionally.

3. Trust and a Voice

Chances are high that your boss will often ask for your opinions on important business issues he will feel valued and important. You will be consulted on business decisions such as taking on new clients, hiring new employees, new business ideas and big expenses.

The feeling that you get when your opinion is heard and taken into account is more valuable than any perk or benefit you can get.

4. Development Opportunities

Start-ups offer new recruits greater opportunities to get stuck in and innovate than more established businesses. As Joe Cohen, founder of Seatwave  says: “I want people who take the ball, run with it, and get sh*t done.”

The startup mentality will encourage you to be risk-taking, giving you the freedom to prove yourself and grow – often much faster than in an environment structured by annual reviews.

Start-ups are often smaller teams so you can have a lot more impact and there’s more responsibility you can grab, which isn’t the case in a large company.

5. The Ability To Make Things Happen

There’s nothing like a new venture to create a dynamic, soulful working environment. By entering a young company at the early stages, you get to help bring an idea to life, share the success of early triumphs and help the company achieve real, tangible growth. There is also likely to be minimal – if any – bureaucracy, leaving you free to innovate.

“There is a great sense of adventure working in a start-up,” explains Nico Perez, founder of Mixcloud. “Start-up life is a constant sense of excitement. You never know what’s going to happen in six months’ time.

6. Entrepreneurial Training

Not only will you get to help bring your boss’s entrepreneurial idea to life while working in a startup, you will also get unrivalled business training to stand you in good stead before you start a venture of your own.

The founders of fast growth start-up Peppersmith, for example, previously worked at Innocent Drinks and, as some of the company’s earliest employees, held a variety of roles in their 13 years developing the business. Similarly, Ricardo Parro was the second developer through the door at Wonga, where he had “unparalleled” opportunities to build systems from the ground up. He has since co-founded a start-up of his own, Top Deals London.

Winding Up

Of course working in a startup won’t be for everyone. Some people thrive working intensively with a small team, while others prefer the security of a large business and knowing what they’re going to be doing every day. That’s fine – the latter probably aren’t suited to the startup environment anyway – but prospective employees shouldn’t be put off by assuming that startup employment is unstable or risky.

Start-ups are no longer a risky bet as, even if it fails, the networks you create during the period will see you through to your next job.

Research Sources: Fast Company, Startups Uk and Mashable