(approximate reading time: < 5 minutes)

Welcome back!

Most of the time when discussing startups, people bring up what they perceive to be the threatening risks of working at one. Their most common worry is: “What if the startup fails?”.

Today, I’ll share three reasons why working at a startup can actually be your best defense against finding yourself on a replaceable career path. Also, I’ll reveal why even if the startup fails, your career can still have rocket ship trajectory 🚀. Let’s get into it!

TL;DR: How can a startup be safer?

Note: I always include the TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) at the beginning, in case you don’t have time to read on!

1. 👩‍🦯 You’re less likely to be blind-sided by new technology

   1. Startups employees are early adopters: Surrounded by early adopter co-workers, it’s much less likely that new technologies will take you by surprise

   2. It’s rewarding to learn about new technologies: You get rewarded to stay ahead of tech trends at a startup

2. 🏃‍♀️ The company is less likely to be blind-sided by new technology

   1. Startups pivot: By being naturally light on their feet, startups are less likely to suffer from disruptive forces

3. 🚀 Even if the startup fails, you can be an incredibly competitive job candidate

   1. Noone will dock you for working at a startup: Bigger companies will still take you if the startup doesn’t work out or if you don’t like the environment

   2. Startups are exceptional learning experiences: Working across various teams and stakeholders (wearing multiple hats) is a unique professional opportunity

1. You’re less likely to be blindsided by new technology

Technology moves the world forward, and throughout history, tech revolutions have displaced old jobs while creating new ones. Recent advancements in AI, specifically GPT-4 and ChatGPT, have resurfaced conversation about how artificial intelligence systems will put jobs in danger. Luckily, working at a startup may provide some defensibility to AI disruption.

Startups are composed of early adopters

Startup employees tend to be early adopters. This point turns out to be fairly obvious when you consider that these employees have to be supporters of youthful technology to be at a startup in the first place. By being around early adopters, it’s much less likely that new technologies will take you by surprise.

Here are a few ways you may be exposed to potentially disruptive technologies at a startup:

• 💵 As a customer: your startup is likely working with other startups. Since startups often buy products/services from other startups, it will give you a better idea of what technologies are being built and their potential

• 👷‍♀️ As a builder: compared to my co-workers at larger companies, I’ve found that my startup co-workers are much more likely to be excited about new tools and product ideas. This leads to all sorts of tinkering and experimenting with new tech

• 🗣 Conversation: in my experience, entrepreneurial co-workers are more likely to bring up technologies that they’ve been thinking about in regular conversation

Interacting with disruptive technologies early on will give you a leg up in positioning yourself to be irreplaceable.

It’s rewarding to learn about new technologies

At a startup, the employee who is pushing ahead and learning more about new technologies is rewarded properly. If you bring attention to a new process or work flow that adds value to the team, you can have a measurable impact.

The process is simple:

• startups deeply value process improvements

• process improvements require the right technology upgrades

• those who find the right technology upgrades are rewarded

• those who are rewarded also become more knowledgeable about tech

2. The company is less likely to be blindsided by new technology

Startups Pivot

Startups are naturally light on their feet, and as a result, they’re much less likely to suffer from disruptive forces. On the other hand, larger organizations move much slower due to bureaucracy and can’t always make the necessary adjustments.

Here are a few classic examples of tech disrupting slow-moving companies:

• 📱 Blackberry → killed by digital keyboards (Apple)

• 🎬 Blockbuster → no need to go to the DVD store (Redbox, Netflix)

• 🛍 Sears → e-commerce (Amazon)

One thing to note is that these tech disruptions were created and navigated by startups. The smaller and more nimble organizations have an advantage in the face of new technology waves.

3. Even if the startup fails, you’re an incredibly competitive job candidate

Noone will dock you for working at a startup

It appears as though taking risks in today’s professional world, is actually not all that risky. I’d be hard-pressed to find a tech company that docks someone for going out and joining a startup. Despite what happens to the startup, it seems to me that when big tech is hiring, they’ll welcome you back with open arms if you decide the startup route is not your thing.

Startups are exceptional learning experiences

One reason why larger companies will likely have you back is due to the variety of experiences you gain while working at a startup. The opportunity to work across multiple areas of the business is unlike any you will encounter at a larger organization. Startups invest in their employees by giving them the unique opportunity to engage with multiple teams and stakeholders.

TL;DR: How can a startup be safer?

1. 👩‍🦯 You’re less likely to be blind-sided by new technology

   1. Startups employees are early adopters: Surrounded by early adopter co-workers, it’s much less likely that new technologies will take you by surprise

   2. It’s rewarding to learn about new technologies: You get rewarded to stay ahead of tech trends at a startup

2. 🏃‍♀️ The company is less likely to be blind-sided by new technology

   1. Startups pivot: By being naturally light on their feet, startups are less likely to suffer from disruptive forces

3. 🚀 Even if the startup fails, you can be an incredibly competitive job candidate

   1. Noone will dock you for working at a startup: Bigger companies will still take you if the startup doesn’t work out or if you don’t like the environment

   2. Startups are exceptional learning experiences: Working across various teams and stakeholders (wearing multiple hats) is a unique professional opportunity

That’s all for this post, thanks for the time!

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