How to be a good startup

This is something I wrote in Aug 2016 when I was looking for a job at a startup, having already turned down working at Oracle. Read the Zoo of Jobs for context!

-

This post assumes the startup has an idea of what they're building, has about 10-50 employees and is not necessarily funded yet. Most of these have been written with a tech startup in mind, but apply to businesses/established companies/institutions as well.

I've been job hunting for the last month or so now, and have spent a good deal of time looking for internships last winter, summer, and the year before that. As of now, I don't have the liberty to pick and choose which startup's idea I like, and so have been going through hundreds of websites. Here's a list of things I realized during this period:

All a company is a group of people who have come together to create a product or perform a service.
  • State clearly what you do
    In the simplest of words, explain to me like I'm 5 what you do. All those fancy animations and flashy pictures won't help if I don't understand what you do from the first page of your website. If you're working on a product, videos speak a million words.
  • A company is only as good as its people
    The key is to make sure each member takes complete ownership of their responsibilities.
  • Hire like a boss
    Hire people based on the value they will bring. Make sure the new hire is better than the previous hire, raising the bar up a notch each time.
  • Have a good HR team
    Even if it consists of just one person. That person needs to know the ins and outs of what the company is doing, should be a fluent speaker and must leave a lasting impression on whoever they speak to, be it Jeff Bezos or a summer intern.
  • Zero politics
    Restrict hierarchy for as long as it is possible, and keep favoritism away. If you start off with zero politics, you will grow with zero politics.
  • Organize
    Be as organized as an ant colony. Since a company consists of a group of people, you will be dealing with humans more often than you'd like. And people are inherently messy, forgetful, clumsy. Make organization and punctuality priority. 

Comments

  1. LaraibApril 2, 2018 at 4:57 PM

    Yes i am totally agreed with article and i want say that this article is very nice and very informative article.I will make sure to be reading your blog more. You made a good point but I can't help but wonder, what about the other side? !!!!!!THANKS!!!!!! golden gate ventures

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finding My Parter

Finding my partner feels more like finding  my kind . I’m this mix of an Indian boy with Indian familial ties, but European hobbies and a European way of leading life. I've lived in both worlds for 15 years each. There aren't many that have seen and lived in both worlds, and experienced completely different ways of life. Maybe I am asking for too much, but I don’t understand why one wouldn’t. If I have high standards for most things that I do in life, why wouldn’t I hope or want my partner to think from the same lens? Here's my value system. Be generally optimistic. A positive, happy person whose baseline state is to lean towards an optimistic outlook towards everything in life. Be fit. If one is not physically fit, there's low chance they're mentally fit. Plus, being fit shows discipline and consistency. Be hard working. Everything in life is a project. From raising children, to picking up groceries weekly, to building a home. And no one wants to work with a lazy ...
Continue reading »

Two Worlds, Two Lives

I’ve been in India for the past two months now, and for the first time in my life, I can imagine myself live here again. Nothing drastic has changed in my day to day life, nor in either of the nations per se, but maybe I’ve had enough time to experience the flip-side to know what India’s strengths are. I’ve always acknowledged how I get the chance to live in two different worlds. But this is the very first time I’ve realized I also lead two different lives each time I switch countries. For me, Germany is a nation where you put the self first - you learn about yourself as an individual. It’s also a country where you learn to live life in the way they show us in movies - walks in parks, play sports any time of the day, vacations in every season the climate has to offer, meetups at little cafes with chairs out on the street. Work is secondary, rarely one’s primary driver in life. Therefore, it is also rarely one’s identity. The country and the mindset is averse to change. The philosophy h...
Continue reading »

Keeping Fit in India

I have a bold claim to make: As compared to Europe, it's much easier to get and keep fit in India. But it's far less likely. Easier because: Relatability In India, you can relate to the others' bodies. Everyone around you has the same body style, our carb heavy diet that causes so many of us to be skinny fat. And so when you go to a calisthenics gym, it really helps to be able to look around and see that a person who looks like you is fit . That shines hope, telling you that it is possible in the first place. In Europe, the same is counterproductive. Looking at the European's low body fat, tall yet muscular physique makes me think they're just born with it. (Which is not true. I suppose they really do have great genes, but their meat heavy diet and walkable/cycleable cities help with keeping fit). Food is easier in India. You know your food here. You know the spices we use and how it tastes. It's that familiar feeling of eating something you know, as opposed to...
Continue reading »