20 Reasons to Love Start-Ups

By nature, start-ups are not encumbered by many of the things we’ve learned to hate about giant corporations and their marketing practices. I’m talking about the kind of marketing typically practiced by giant consumer packaged goods companies, retailers, utilities, Hollywood, politicians, etc. With few exceptions, these organizations are the Queen Mary and start-ups are the cigarette boats that run circles around them.

Here are 20 reasons to love start-ups, for starters:

1. Start-ups have no silos–they can’t afford them. This saves you from having to tear them down.

2. Start-ups have more flexibility. There’s fewer people to ask and fewer nods needed for a decision.

3. Start-ups have the David vs. Goliath edge. Everyone roots for the underdog, and wants them to win (except Goliath).

4. Start-up people are aware from day one they’re inventing a company culture and that everyone contributes.

5. In the long run, start-ups that laser focus on one thing and one thing only will beat a major corporation (that “focuses” on 100) every time. This is the basis for virtually ALL acquisitions of start-ups by big companies. (It’s the singular focus that yields valuable people and patents.)

6. Start-up people don’t need passion lessons. They already give a s*** or they wouldn’t be there.

7. Start-ups are not afraid to try something new. In fact, for many start-ups, something new is not only the best path, but it also may be their only reason to exist.

8. Start-ups have a better chance of making news and getting found. Most people expect things that are actually new to come from a new company, not from a monolithic multinational.

9. Start-ups are exciting and fun to work for (unless you’re a slacker).

10. Fast-growth (i.e. successful) start-ups give their people the equivalent of three years’ experience for working one year, and often, the rapid advancement to go with it. This is a great career fast track, especially for those just starting out.

11. Start-ups are more likely to reward people for extra hard work and major contributions. It’s easier for stars to shine and not get lost in the masses, and there’s less concern about protocol or hierarchy when giving rewards.

12. Start-ups are more often focused on continuous improvement, and less likely to become stodgy and shackled by “because we’ve always done it that way” thinking. This also means that the best start-ups foster a learning environment that aspires to be better than their competition’s.

13. Start-ups don’t just assist their customers, they climb down into the foxhole with them and get muddy and feel their pain. They eat the same dirt. This provides a level of customer engagement and intimacy that seldom happens at a giant vendor that forces customers to conform to “their way” of doing business.

14. Start-up people are accustomed to “doing whatever it takes.”

15. Although there are exceptions, start-ups usually appreciate the attention they get via trade media and social media, and don’t allow arrogance to convince them they “deserve” much more.

16. Start-ups are more agile and nimble. They move quicker. This is essential to their survival and also enables them to seize new opportunities faster than the big companies can.

17. Start-ups usually offer environments where people’s creativity is nourished and allowed to develop instead of being squashed.

18. Start-ups understand how to be frugal and make do with less.

19. Start-up people work harder, but they often also have a lot more to show for it as a result.

20. Do I even need to say it? Start-ups are where most actual innovation comes from.

There are lots of reasons to love start-ups. What would you add? What did I miss?

[Based on a post that originally appeared in Steve Parker's Marketing Dissector blog.]

Tags: agile - company culture - creativity - hard work - innovation - learning - make do with less - passion - start-up