Startups are Rewarding.
Before Covid and all the lockdowns, I wrote a couple of articles for my software consulting company’s blog, namely “Startups are hard” (part I and part II). Then came Covid, and we made the transition from consulting to startups and others, to pursuing our own startup, Fluss, full time.
There were many unexpected things that I learnt in the process, particularly the differences between working in a startup versus working for a startup, and how important your team is (which I will cover in the second part of this article.)
The two articles about startups remain true and valid, and startups are really hard. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue them. Just like climbing a mountain is hard, or learning to play an instrument can be hard, the benefits far outweigh the efforts. As my colleague Ockie often says, if it were easy, everyone would do it.
When you commit to working on your startup full-time (or almost full-time), there is a fundamental change in your motivation. It’s hard to explain, and I certainly didn’t realise it before transitioning to Fluss, but the work you do takes on new meaning and instead of being motivated to finish a project on time or making sure it ticks all the requirements boxes, you find yourself taking that much more care over your work and being far more selective in what you choose to focus on.
Even something as simple copying and pasting code from StackOverflow as a solution to a challenge is suddenly different: instead of searching for the first accepted solution to get the problem solved, you find yourself taking the time to understand why it is the best solution, and consider the impact the solution you choose will have much later on.
Obviously the usual constraints of time and money come into play, but you know that every small decision you make compounds over time, and can mean the difference between having an excellent product or service, and having something that is functional. This doesn't mean adding more and more features - it often means doing less, better.
When you have the realization that the choices you make will not only impact you, but will impact all your colleagues and future employees, it can seem a bit daunting, especially when you contrast that with the comfort of being an employee at an established company, knowing that your paycheck will almost certainly be there at the end of the month. If, however, you can surround yourself with the right team, and together you step up to the task, there is a great reward that comes in knowing that you gave it a shot.
If you don’t fail (and failing is usually just a step towards success), you then have the reward of growing your team, impacting many others and making a positive difference. It would be great if all startups that succeeded made lots of money, but sadly that isn't the case. I feel that even if you are no better off financially than sticking with a normal job, the experience and the journey with your colleagues are reward enough in themselves. Hopefully you get some financial gain out of it though, and use that to help out someone who is just starting along the way.