What did I learn from My First Career? — Working in a (really early-stage) Startup.

Finally, I have anchored my career in a new company in a very different industry. I feel that my journey in a startup company for 1 year and 10 months has provided many stories, colors, and experiences that are so fun as well as valuable learning as a professional. I got a new team-mates which is really a fun place to tell stories. Then, I also learned about the business world of leadership as a founder.

I started my first full-time career as a Corporate Strategy and Investment Analyst for an early-stage company that consists of only 30 people in this company. Actually, my actual job is to help this startup to get funding from venture capitalists who might be interested in the transportation industry. When I first entered, I was so surprised because here, there are still don’t have investor networks, media, or public connections — who know about the existence of this startup aka brand exposure. In fact, when I spoke with the founder for the first time, he had a good idea and I felt that this might be a suitable solution/ option in the Indonesian market — — the concept of a ridesharing app that until now has no competitors in the transportation industry.

I really love my job, interested in very complex business problems, introducing this startup to the outside world, until finally we were known after I won several accelerator events. I like reading books and research makes me learn a lot without any direct direction from the user.

Based on my experience, there are several things you need to do when working at a startup company.

Rules #1 — If you want to work at a startup, you have to be adaptive and have the curiosity to want to know and want to learn a lot of things
(even though no one is guiding you).

I feel I have a high resistance when I work at a startup. Sometimes, everyone already has their own roles and responsibilities so you have to find a way to get the job done on your own. There is no team, there is no place to share a problem and you really have to be willing and able to learn on your own. However, for me, that’s the fun thing, like solving various business problems.

Rules #2 — Be brave to express opinions with supported data
In a startup, sometimes there are several positions that can determine the decision (and it is possible for them to micro-manage every task and decision in the company). And in fact, it is dangerous because any subject can make wrong business decisions and have long-term consequences. So it is very important to run on data, record all business decisions and start making decisions based on communication from many parties and teams.

Rules #3 — Important to be good at prioritizing what work will be done or postponed.
What I realized when working at a startup is that you will be holding many projects at the same time, and you have to be good at determining the priorities and focus of your work based on the type of client, deadlines, or the size of the impact to the company. so, you will not feel overwhelmed at your main job and take care of too many things that are not so important.

Rules #4 — Be prepared for sudden changes.

There are no ideal jobs, tasks, rules, or even culture. So don’t be too surprised if new rules will be applied, or your job will change, the team will change, etc. When the leaders in the company don’t have a basic strategy or long-term thinking about the company, then there can be many sudden changes that will make you tired (or even angry) every day.

The smaller the company, the more biased all decisions in the business will be, and sometimes only 1 or 2 people will pay attention to their decisions (no matter if they are right or not). However, at this time I learned that a good leader is one who allows everyone to fail and learn from mistakes, not forcing them to obey their own decisions. Because everyone has a perception, and sometimes when a team has made a decision, it is based on careful considerations.

So, I feel that when you want to enter a small company — an early-stage startup, it is very important to know well your C-level team and your users before you join the company. Talk more. Know more. Be an active person when you interview. Don’t be lazy to learn every detail about the company before you join. So that you can understand every decision they make, how they lead the team, to how they can manage every conflict and problem that exists in the business (because every business is inseparable from new problems). I think, the founders really play important role in the company and you have to concern about it than the company itself.

Then, after almost 2 years of working, I finally got a new job in a bigger company, a different industry but quite common and has a leader and users who make me learn a lot.

Why did I resign from this company?

There were two circumstances that led me to leave the company.

#1 — I don’t have room to make an impact in the company.
What I felt, every small job I did was always regulated and left me with no room to study. And although decisions based on various considerations are ignored and only depend on the C-level. There is no room for failure, no room for learning, let alone developing. And when I start looking for a new office, I look for gaps in what problems I can solve and what steps I should take. It makes me even more excited to work.

#2 — Same problem every day, but not resolved.
Work should be able to handle different problems, then move on to other problems, which makes us more critical. But not here, I feel stagnant with the same problem and the wrong way of solving it. So, I feel that dwelling on the same problem really disturbs my mental health.

However, from all that has happened, there are many lessons to be learned. When you really can’t depend on anyone for the project that has been taken. You have the skills to learn quickly. I have good reading and writing skills because I work in a Corporate Strategy. I also learned to communicate coherently and clearly, and no longer be shy when meeting new people.

The startup is indeed a place to learn for yourself when you want to go fast.
However, a startup is not the final place to work, you have to move and move so that your industry and work insight is wider, generalist, and diverse.

I feel proud to be able to write this as one of my evaluations when I have changed jobs and to inspire everyone to be able to choose their first career in the startup industry. The first job is the most important, as you will move on to better jobs, bigger companies, or more diverse clients. I feel that every journey of life must have meaningful writing as a form that you have successfully passed 1 stage of life.

“Let’s work again and congratulations on taking a higher career, dear Abel.
Hopefully, you will always find lessons from the good and the bad, and make you much better as a professional or a leader.”