What no one tells you about working at a startup
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- ✍️ For more content like this, check out Startup Diaries - my newsletter about lessons on navigating early-stage startups: startupdiaries.substack.com/
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Working at a startup is often glamorized but behind the scenes are also many challenges that aren’t as commonly discussed - especially in the hyper-growth phase 📈
Here is my no BS take on what it’s really like as an early startup employee (currently @Notion) and how to normalize the rollercoaster of emotions following the all-too-common growing pains 🐣
⏰ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:37 Quick Background
01:04 Phase 1: The Honeymoon Phase
03:58 Phase 2: The Pressure Cooker
06:02 Phase 3: The Fleeting Highs
08:10 Phase 4: The Art of Giving Away Your Legos
10:48 Phase 5: The Pains and Privilege of Scaling
12:25 Phase 6: The Three R's for Stability
🎷 Music
Stay a minute by Pilo [ • Video ]
Real Love by Eric Godlow [ / real-love ]
Ocean Park by Elysium Audio Labs [ • Upbeat Hip Hop Backgro... ]
New shoes by Blue Wednesday [ / new-shoes ]
Take Care by Julian Avila [ • Julian Avila - Take Ca... ]
Warm nights by Lakey Inspired [ • Video ]
Cheese by Lukrembo [ / cheese ]
👋 Don't be a stranger
Instagram: @itsamyjenny
📮 Any suggestions or questions? Send us a note at hello@twentysomethings.world
📍 quick disclaimer: this video is solely based on my own experiences and does not represent the views of any company or employer. hope you enjoy!
#Notion
gold: "Be aware of how you're feeling because you want to make note of how that's manifesting into your behaviour. "
barely a month in and I think I'm about to burn out.. startup is basically becoming a full stack by default and the learning curve super steep
definitely get the burnout thing -- best of luck on your new gig!!
Haha yup, multiple hats that is but hey it’s all for the passion!
How's the culture tho? Are your supervisors friendly and supportive?
Thanks for the video 🥰 I've just joined a startup a month ago - basically, that's my first full-time job after university - and honestly I feel like quitting already cause I'm so confused all the time 🙃
Confused is exactly how I felt at my first startup job - trust me, it gets better! Thanks for watching :)
Currently working at a startup; only perk is remote, tons of work. RIP
Exactly.
LMAO, this is so relatable. I work at a startup and about to complete my first year there. We are a very small team of 5 working on a product. The emotional roller coaster is a real thing. Thanks for creating this video. It makes me feel, that I belong somewhere.
haha glad you can relate :) it's totally a roller coaster but it definitely stabilizes (at least internally) over time - thanks so much for watching!
I'm a month in and I didn't realize I've been mostly struggling with the challenges of working at a startup and not interpersonal things. Thank you so much for putting this out there. You've verbalized things I've been feeling, but couldn't explain because (even though this sounds crazy), I didn't really realize I'd be working in a startup organization.
doesn't sound crazy at all! i definitely fell into the startup world without really knowing what i was getting myself into. thanks so much for watching, jessica!
Just started working at a startup a month ago, my first full time job out of uni - thanks a LOT for this video! This was sooo helpful.
ahh hope it's going well and glad to hear it was helpful!!
Which startup bro?
I’m soooo glad to have watched this video, thank you so much for sharing a realistic and relatable view on working in a start up. I’ve started working at a hyper-growing startup as an intern and now full time, and been recently hitting a burn out phase. Watching this really consoled me and made me felt like I’m not entirely alone in this journey. :”) thank u and pls keep posting ❤️
aww I totally feel where you're at and so glad this was helpful 💛let me know if there's ever any specific topics you'd like to see from us!
I needed to hear this!! Thank you
Love this! My last job was working for a start-up, but unfortunately I was let go along with another co-worker of mine. We were a team of 8 and then once us two were let go, it was 6. Definitely lots of highs and lows and at times it felt like we were growing uncontrollably. Communication was extremely poor regarding new processes or any updates to our products. But it did feel like I was a part of something magical, and that's what kept me there! The stability at this particular company was very poor and during my time there, 4 other people had been let go too. I really enjoy start-ups for that newness and potential for growth mindset, but you have to be sure that your job is stable and that their finances are in good shape before joining the team!
Hey Nicole, thanks so much for sharing! I totally hear you on the instability/poor processes front. The prev startup I worked at no longer exists 😬
So happy I found this channel! Considering working at a startup after my master's and this was super informative. Keep this up 💖
best of luck on your next steps 💛
Got all my attention, which is actually pretty hard, especially in the mornings when I'm jumping from one video to another, nice content.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching
i just joined a new startup, but was also at a start-up in 2019 where i definitely accelerated my own burn-out haha. around the same time my friend introduced Notion to me, so it's really cool to hear about it from somewhere who actually works there!
really great quality video :-)
haha yeah same and glad you enjoyed this, Leo :)
Thanks for posting this! Will be joining a hyper growth start-up in a bit as well :) this serves as an amazing head start :)
Yay glad to hear it. Best of luck!!
Thank you very much for making this video. I have worked in 2 software startups so far and totally resonate with you experiences
thanks for watching!!
Proud to be your 501 subscriber. Excellent material and advice! I look forward to watching more of your channels content. I am sold!
thanks for being our 501 sub 💛
Fantastic advice! And I love Notion :)
Ah thanks so much! Glad it was helpful!
I started working in a deep tech startup immediately after i graduated, man everything you said is exactly what we've been through! Listen to her guys!
thanks so much for watching Tareq!!
Thank you for sharing your tips and experiences!
appreciate you watching, tim!
Thanks for this! I am opening a startup and this will help on how i make sure my people don't burn out if its not necessary.
Glad it was helpful - thanks for watching, Julio!
Thank you for the video. I’m starting work at a tech-start up next week. This video has been helpful! Hope this content comes out in a book someday!
thanks so much!! best of luck on new gig and lmk if there's any other topics you'd like to see from us :)
The startup I'm working for now actually took the notion startup credits and then started to subscribe notion. The notion was super helpful to a degree that we ended up moving everything from our Asana & Google docs to notion lol
Thanks for sharing the behind-the-scene story! From outside, the notion startup program looked so successful, yet like every startup, it took so much to grind
Hey Lin, I'm so glad to hear that!! Thanks for sharing 💛
Thank you so much for the video! I find the 3R's to be so true, so helpful. It's so easy to forget those things esp when you're eager to make real impact working at a startup... P.s. love your vibe, it's so peaceful 🥰
aww thanks so much, Bomie❣️and totally, I only learned most of these things looking back / wish I knew them earlier on in my journey
thank you! this video makes me more conscious!
I work for a startup and we use notion and it is sooooo helpful! I love it. This video was so needed to hear. I didn’t realize that what I was going through is actually startup culture. There are pros and cons for sure
so glad to hear that!! thanks for watching 💞
Having worked with startups in the past ,and being part of one now, this video is a must watch. It provides real insight on the rollercoaster journey experienced in the early stages. The part of the video that especially hits home is that we're all just figuring it out, including the founders, and the necessity to regulate emotions.
I immensely appreciate you doing this video.
hey dave, that means a lot - thanks so much for the kind note 🙏
This was super insightful! Looking forward to more content like this!!
Thanks so much, Abdul! Let us know if there's any topics you'd like for us to cover :)
This is such an amazing explanation! Keep up the good work!😄
glad it was helpful!!
Thanks for sharing your experience! I can relate I've been working almost 1 year at a 2 year old startup def relate to part of the graph.
Hey Danielle, I’m glad my experience was relatable! Thanks for watching :)
Thank you for sharing your feedback. This video was extremely helpful!
yay thanks so much! glad it was helpful
This was incredible, thank you!!!!
glad it was helpful!!
WooW this is quite insightful!
Many thanks 🙏🏼
thanks for watching, sultan!
I'm so grateful that this video is appeared on my feed. I recently started to think more serious about career change after working for over 4 years on mobile development and regret on the recent years. Thanks for the honest and sincere video
thanks for watching :)
Underrated content :) good reflections!
Thanks for saying that, Will!!
This actually motivated me to start looking for jobs at startups. Also, love Notion!
Yay glad to hear it! Best of luck in your search :)
I love notion! So helpful! Thanks for your work ;) good video
Thanks so much! Glad it was helpful :)
So relatable. Thanks for sharing.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching :)
This was soooo good!! Thank you❤
thank youuu
This is very helpful! I just received an offer from a start up so I’m just looking at other peoples experiences to see what they went through
Congrats on the offer!! Glad it was helpful :)
Hi! This was a great video, so kudos! I really felt that lego part as I've experienced this myself a couple of times. A good thing that comes with experience is that you more quickly jump to the last phase of the 3 Rs and for me that's quite important as I really started to be more mindful of the boundaries between work and life :D
Thanks for saying that, Ionut! Yeah the giving away your legos thing is tough but it definitely gets easier over time / usually ends up being the better move. Appreciate you watching :)
Thank you for this video.
I’ll be working at my first tech start up soon. Thank you for sharing this information with us. 💕✨
hope it was helpful!! congrats on your new gig 🙌
@@amy_jenny definitely! Thank you! 💕✨
Thanks. Usually I get info like this from founders. You give a different perspective.
Thanks for saying that, Stephan! Glad it was helpful :)
Appreciate all the info, thanks!
thanks for watching, gary!!
There's so much great info here and it's so relatable to my own experience working at a startup. It can be such a rollercoaster, I've joked with my coworkers that my next business idea is Startup Trauma Therapy haha.
lol sign me up! glad you enjoyed the video :)
Sign me up for that therapy lol because I just had a breakdown today from working at a startup 2 months in
Really great video! Still a student, but very interested in working in a startup. Added to my revisit playlist to watch it once in a while, really great takeaways! :)
thanks for watching, yuwen!! glad it was helpful
That's so me. I just joined a startup and it's been almost a month. Plus, it's also my first developer job after career shift. To be honest, it is confusing and frustrating at the same time. My manager is so nice and willing to help me when I'm needed. But I feel like I'm not getting enough directions and have to reaffirm everything on my own. We are using AWS which I have zero experience. Sometimes, it feels like walking in a dark room. I feel burnt out. I'm trying to find my good balance. It's nice to know I'm not the only one feeling like that. Great video. Loved it
appreciate you sharing that, steven! the lack of direction can definitely be tough in the beginning, but i later found that it can also create agency to build structure amidst the chaos - which i found to be a silver lining! best of luck in your new role and thanks for watching :)
lol my first job was working for a startup and it was the worst experience ever , sigh i envy those who had a better startup experience though I appreciate you taking the time to make this video, its a very nice heads up thanks
Very informative and helpful video. It's been 9 months since I joined a startup, wish I knew this earlier.
I definitely learned these well into my journey so not too late! Thanks for watching :)
This was a good video!
excellent video
amazing 💥
Well I have to say I love that book behind you the orange one📙. One of my favorites.
Thank you for this.
thanks for watching, Danny!
Thank you for this information
Thanks for watching!
THIS IS SO HELPFUL! I came from a huge corporation and was hired as employee #60 at my new job. I was told my position was new and that we would be figuring out my job duties as we go so that contributes to more grey area. I’m someone that likes structure and gets anxious with uncertainty so I’m trying to “go with the flow” and ride things out through this “honeymoon phase”? 😅😂
haha totally, i trust that you'll get through it!! i like structure too but working at a few early startups now, i've since approached it like an opportunity to build structure amidst the chaos (bc it needs to happen eventually, so why not you!). best of luck and thanks so much for watching ✨
If your still at notion, firstly thank you and secondly notion has helped me have an effective life as neurodivergent adult
Thank you for watching!!
Im start my first day at a startup next week. This will be my first job out of university. Appreciate the video!
Thanks Benny! Best of luck 🤞
Wow, thank you so so much for sharing this video! As a VP of an Independent Record Label start up, this helps me understand the minds that come to work for us. Now, we honestly need some more loyal people as in the ones who WILL stick around to watch the company scale and get to where it needs to be. I feel that it is highly disrespectful to sign into a startup, and then leave before six months. It is so rude and it really leaves us hanging and then we have to find someone new and learn to trust them. Now I know that they may be leaving out of total fleety emotions. Thank you for this video!!!! 🎶🎶🎶
glad this was helpful! thanks for watching!
I was offered a 6 month contract for a start-up company for a medical operations job. Unsure if I should take the risk of leaving my fulltime customer service position for a 6 month gig or possibly going on leave. This video helped me to weigh my options. Thank you
Notion...I recently installed because lots of UA-camrs recommend. Also, I like thought of work journaling and reflecting on daily or at least weekly basis.
there's a ton of great videos about it! i use notion for my personal life as much as i do for work
I worked at a Startup for 2 years back from 2015-2017! Will never do it, again!!
Good stuff!
Thanks for tuning in :)
Thanks for taking the time to craft and post. I appreciated hearing your perspective. The audio levels could use a little boosting. Heads up and thanks.
Good call out! Appreciate the feedback and glad to hear that the video was helpful 🙌
Any time you are hired for a $70k/year position and quickly "promoted" into a $170k/year position without getting that $170k/year salary… you got got.
Cool. I recently started to work as a de facto marketing head (bec it really ain't my title but the job is🤣) for a CCaaS start up consultancy and your experiences are on point. I'm employee #19. You just gained a new subscriber. Beautiful and smart too!
Thanks for watching, Patrick!
Just joined a status and I am so frustrated. this video just made me realize that My feelings are valid and its going to get better. Thank You!
So valid! And yes, things change quickly (for better/worse) but the periods are short. Thanks for watching :)
Whewww same! I’ve been so confused and stressed at my startup job. It all makes sense now
Thank you ♡
thanks for watching, sheverly :)
very good video..starting with a startup next week..
best of luck and hope it's going well!
great video
Thanks for watching!
So real, relatable, and relevant! How’s that for three Rs? Thanks so much for this vid. Joined my first startup 3 months ago. We use Notion! ☺️
hahah that was better than mine. thanks so much and hope it's going well for you!
I just started to work with this startup of 12 peeps. It’s been a month and all I can think is … am I doing this right… I guess Its part of the roller coaster ride. Thanks for the vid. 🤙🏼
totally, i had those kinds of thoughts for a while too (still do sometimes lol) but it's all part of the process. thanks so much for watching!!
I also have "Thinking Fast and Slow" on my bookshelf.
This is super helpful! How can you think about career growth at startups as it grows with leveling and scaling?
hey yada! thanks so much for watching! i cover this question in my next video so keep a look out for that :)
I love everything you're talking about. How do I jump on one of these ships now?!
Aw thanks for saying that, Austin! I would check out this site: breakoutlist.com/. It's basically a list of the top breakout startups right now + there's some good career tips too (it's in the footer)
Thanks so much for the video! I have 1 question about job security - if you take on a project and it ends up not working out, or if you fail at a task or 2 in general, should you be worried about losing your job? Further, how is employee retention at companies like these? Thanks again for the information, I’m applying to startups right now!
Good question, I had the same one in mind.
Hey there, thanks for the video! It’s really, really helpful!
In what timeframe would you say that you transit all the mentioned stages?
I want to go through them but not take too much time.
Thanks!
Hey Evelin - thanks so much for watching! I think it really depends since there’s a lot of variables to consider. For me it was about a year but the earlier/smaller the company is, the faster you might experience these stages since it’s less stable and change is more rampant.
Nice summary. Very helpful, real and easy to digest. You made me laugh at the end, because that’s what the startup is aiming for: curing cancer! LOL 😅
Thanks for tuning in! 😌
Hi, this video was so well made! I was wondering how you found the right startup for you?
thanks Joe! that’s definitely a great question to think about and we’ll try our best to address that in upcoming videos :)
This video is a God send 🙌🏽! I’ve been at a tech startup for 2 months now and I just finished having a breakdown today 🥴. It’s been a whole experience but now I know I’m not crazy it’s just the culture! Good to know
thanks for tuning in, and best of luck 😌
great video! I’m curious to know how a recent grad can find open roles at mid-stage startups in the US?
thanks so much for watching! my upcoming video will actually cover this so keep a look out :)
As someone who has worked in both global big tech and local startups, I love that you are talking more about the latter.
YT definitely overglamorizes big tech (free food! Benefits! Work from anywhere!) that sometimes I feel people don’t realize how most tech startups actually run and start.
thanks so much for tuning in, Paolo! :)
what animation tool that you used in your beginning at the video? the chart showed girl typing a laptop moving. thanks for the video,
I use Final Cut Pro! Thanks for watching :)
Wow. Thanks This is really helpful. . So, btw, what was your role - domain wise? Product, Code or Generalist
hey vishal, thanks so much for watching! my role has changed since this video but i'm definitely a generalist. i currently lead our startup program for the APAC region
Loved your video!! As I'm watching this I'm trying to decide if I should go to a 10-person seed stage startup vs. 8k+ employee company.. Any advice on what factors I should consider before making a decision? p.s. I'm a freshly graduated university student :D
Hey Ellen! Thanks for watching! And great q - I made a video about startup vs big company I’ll link below but to start, I’d ask yourself 1) what are you optimizing for (e.g. learning, credibility, mentorship etc) and 2) what’s your risk tolerance to help guide your decision process. Just rmbr - no company is forever :)
Here’s the vid! Lmk if there’s anything more you’d want to see in a future video 💞
ua-cam.com/video/8LOUC_DjCgU/v-deo.html
Love notipn
How can one mentally prepare themselves before joining the startup? P. S: I loved diary idea! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hey Sharmistha! This is just my personal input, but before making any decision to join an early startup, I would do my due diligence so you know exactly what you're getting yourself into (i.e. understanding their culture, what exactly you're being hired for, how well the business is doing etc). Interviewing is always a two-way street :) From there, managing expectations is always a good checkpoint given that there's a tendency to romanticize startups in general. Hope that helps. Best of luck on your future ventures!
@@amy_jenny thank you so much for your valuable input! Is it possible if I can contact you via mail as I'm a rookie in the corporate world and I would like to seek guidance from you.
@@sharmisthachitransh7571 Sure thing! Feel free to email us at hello@twentysomethings.world
hello! i came across your video as i was looking through youtube about working in the tech industry as a female (not too concerned but just looking out for any heads ups). i'm looking to move into IT as i just started my healthcare career. your video has really helped to encourage me that IT will most likely provide me with the kind of jobs and experiences that i could expect, or not. your story was well delivered and well balanced, i really enjoyed it! all the best :)
hey rachel! thanks so much for saying that! wishing you luck on your next steps 🤞
Week 4 now and it feels like i’ve been working on this startup for years now 😅 very that
haha I feel you! startup years are like dog years
I just got hired at a startup and I start tomorrow! funny thing is that I used Notion to present my 90 day plan in my second interview which helped me get the job! So to find you and this video is amazing, I’m taking it as a good omen that I made the right decision. Thanks for summarizing what it could be like at start-up. Esp bc I was definitely feeling imposter syndrome and overwhelming feelings of wow this is great but can I accomplish everything I want?! But I’m definitely gonna chill now bc my job is to design and its def not life and death hahaha.
omg congrats on the new gig! hope it's been going well and so glad to hear that Notion played a role in your interview process 🙃 imposter syndrome is def real but yes, it's not life or death! always a good reminder lol
Smart woman!
Honestly I’m quitting after one year no benefits no income feeling unpracticed and now they all mad at me because I’m quitting 😂
Hej!
Jag har fått ett sk nystartsjobb på heltid dock anser jag mig helt arbetslös då lönen inte räcker ens halva vägen till vad som krävs. Det om man tex ska kunna äta nästan varje dag.
Kan man inte få fortsatt stöd av Arbetsförmedlingen i letande?
Visserligen fortsätter jag att söka arbeten på egen hand men ändå.
Curious - What kind of different hats did you wear? :)
Hey Suzy! During my time at Notion, I’ve done everything from support, product ops, community, partnerships, and the works. Honestly whatever it takes to get the job done with the limited resources we had during that time. We’ve gotten a lot bigger since I joined though so roles have gotten a more specialized since then! Hope that helps.
I will say, the brand remained consistent. That's something Im having a hard time harnessing at my startup
Kudos to our amazing brand team at Notion!
@@amy_jenny I’ve been in the startup space for a long time and it usually comes down to the founders being respectful of their brand.
Was it the case with Notion?
Our founders always had a very strong grasp of the vision and brand of Notion so that was definitely the case. We also have an incredible head of brand that makes magic happen.
Do you think that work in start up will be helpful before start own company? As a SW engineer?
Hey Asher! I'm not an engineer but I would say joining a startup (especially as an early employee) will get you first-hand exposure on what it's like building and scaling a company. If you are new to tech/venture-backed startups and that's the kind of company you want to build, joining one is a great first step! I've only been an operator so far but there's great content out there that's more founder-focused - I would check out Gary Tan and Justin Kan's channels. Thanks for watching :)
linkedin？
What was your role at notion?
Hey Sophia! I had a bunch of roles at Notion over the years, starting with support/funneling feedback to product. Now I'm leading our startup program in APAC.
Video is great only the sound is a bit low.
I’ve gotten a new mic since so should be better moving forward 😂 thanks for watching!
Startups flush out all the resume liars. Give you a quick look into the skills of everyone. You can quickly jump ship. When the TEAM thing is brought up, run!