Five reasons not to create a startup, but to remain a hired employee

For many of us, a startup is not just a goal. This is a shining dream to which we are ready to go, not paying attention to the difficulties.

But in fact, most people need not their job, but work in a good company and career or professional growth. And public opinion, armed with several myths about start-ups, requires us to create our own business.
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Now we will analyze how true these myths are. And every exposure of the myth will cause not to create a startup.

Myth one. It is better to work for yourself than for uncle

Of course it's nice to take 100% of your profits, and not a small piece of it in the form of a salary.
That's just the big question - whether this profit.

The hired employee cares only about the qualitative performance of their duties. At 9 to come, at 18 to leave, all that needs to be done and wait for an advance with pay. And if the money is late, then the owner can be sued. Now the legislation is harsh.

And if you are the owner, then all the problems fall on your shoulders. Customer refuse to pay? The contractor did not pass the job on time? Three people wrote a letter of resignation? Accountant steals postscript? Taxes run into?

Your team has nothing to do with it. They know that if there are no complaints about the quality of their work, then please kindly transfer money to them regularly. And you yourself can not sleep at night and think where to get the money.

And when, after paying salaries, taxes, investments in a business, you consider your share, you may not be the highest paid employees in the company. But nothing, because you are warm thoughts about the future. By the way ...

The second myth. Own company will feed in old age and pass into the inheritance of grandchildren

Many believe that once a company has occupied a business peak, it will remain on it for life. If this were true, then we would photograph on Polaroid, and communicate with the help of My Space and Odnoklassniki.

And this is another example of large companies, where not one founder, but a lot of specially hired managers are at the helm. Here are thousands of employees at Apple, and it was worth dying to Jobs and "Apple is not the same." And Microsoft, after successful decades, surrenders one position after another,

Most likely, having achieved success, you will have to manage companies to the end. Her or yours. And whether your descendants can continue your heroic works is unknown. Like what your company will cost without you and you can sell it at all.

However, for many money is not important. For them, it is important to stand at the helm. And here we are met ...

The third myth. A startup will allow you to become a leader

While you are the head of a tiny company of 1-3-5 people, you can manage as much as you like. But if you do not go bankrupt and start growing, then at some point you will have to attract an investor or issue shares on the market.

And then in your patrimony, in your offspring people will come with money, who will have only one goal - to make even more money.
And they may not like your management methods, what people you assign to key positions, how you communicate with the team, what initiatives you put forward, what plans you take.

And then you will go after Steve Jobs and Pavel Durov - to resign. Your company will start to steer completely different people. Sometimes successful, sometimes not. But if you are not Steve Jobs, then you are unlikely to be invited again for salvation.

Myth Four. Need to take the chance to become a winner

In a comment to one of my past publications, I was reminded of Terry Pratchet’s amazing quote (RIP):

All drowning people say that dolphins were pushing them towards the shore.
Do you know why?
Because those whom the dolphins were pushing from the coast could not tell anyone

Book shelves are bursting with the success stories of those who put everything at stake, left the university, sold the apartment - and became the rich owner of a cool company!

And those who are left without money, apartments and education books do not write. Were they worse winners? Is not a fact. Tens of Facebook clones were unlucky, and VKontakte became popular. And who remembers the names of the losers?

Suppose you really believe in yourself very strongly, and others (not only your friends) argue that your idea is brilliant. In addition, you have found an option that does not require material investments. o there is only time you can lose.

But is the waste of time really such a trifle?

The fifth myth. An employee still have time to work

We are not allowed much time. And for career development and even less.
In many positions, if you did not have time to 40, then you were late. Nobody needs forty-year-old novice managers or thirty-year junior programmers.
The right career is built for a long time and this construction requires a considerable time.

Of course, while working in a startup, a person will get a certain experience. That's just not the fact that this experience will be a plus for potential employers. I managed to work in large Western companies and only start-ups on their feet. The difference in the organization of work, in business processes, in the working rhythm is so great that many of the former successful founders of their companies could not take root.

In startups, the decision is made quickly and in a small circle. In a corporation, the decision comes down from the top after a long discussion. In this case, everything is strictly regulated, up to the presentations that need to be shown to customers. Sometimes, start-ups who are used to freedom break down and leave themselves, sometimes they are refused at the interview stage precisely because of an alien corporate culture.

So time is some other money. And considering that in our country people do not like to take on a number of specialties people over 40/50 years old, by this time it is necessary to have time to become a specialist who is not a hindrance to age.

Results

All of the above does not mean that you do not need to create a startup. It is necessary, if you have a great desire, plan, resources and boiling energy. It is possible that you are lucky.

But if you believe in “your business” (that is, in the myths that I listed), then you better make a career as a good employee and use the fruits of this very career.
Do not become a startup because “it’s fashionable”, “everyone has it”, “who doesn’t have a startup - that loser”.

Make the smart choice!