Today we have decided to meet with real start-upers in the co-working space in which we work, to understand why working in a startup is so attractive. Of course, you probably won’t be paid as much as if you were working in a big corporation, but there are so many good and enriching reasons to plunge in the startup world. Behind the clichés of this appealing environment, you will discover why some of them have chosen to work in this ecosystem. We asked 5 of our co-workers for you.

1     It is Corporate life ………. But it’s not

We all have the image of a startup being young, casual and fun. But as Camille would say: “You have to get things done. For the company to move forward, you sometimes need to put on your suit and go get the contracts.” So, a bit different than what one could expect right? This serious statement was followed by “But to be honest, as soon as my appointment is done, I can wear a sweatshirt and my sneakers: I activate casual mode”. As for Juliette, she says that sometimes, she doesn’t even feel like she is at work: “All the departments are linked in one, so you have contact with everyone! The Marketing Manager is in front of me, I know him, he is not Mister Something whom I have to call sir… I don’t even call my boss sir. It’s like I am working with friends!”

2    You’re a newbie ……… But not exactly

We are all scared of the first day of work. Being the newbie in a company is always hard. But according to Ian, being the new guy in a startup is not that bad: “It is easier to be new in a startup! The processes to learn are easier. You have way more freedom to do what motivates you and what you are good at.” For Ian, the decision of working in a startup was also made because: “I am never considered as an assistant or a regular employee. I always felt like I belong in my company, I am a colleague, even my boss’ colleague, not his worker.”  

3    You work hard ………. But you play hard

Working in a startup usually means long hours of work, but as we have seen with Juliette, it is like working with friends. As we work in a co-working space, we meet a lot of young and creative people. Dorine, a hard-working girl, would say: “The atmosphere in the co-working space is laid back. When you are on a break and you go in the common area, you always find someone to have a coffee with! We sometimes go for a few drinks after work, but not only with our colleagues, we also go with the other startups’ teams!”. She concluded by “What is fulfilling in working in a startup is that there is a time for everything and you are free to organize your time as you like: everyone works hard so everyone is always ready to play hard with you!”

4   You have a specialty ………. But you don’t exactly do what you are supposed to

You are polyvalent when you work in a startup, it is general knowledge. Nowadays, you study to get you diploma but you will never end up doing what you were prepared for in college. Nathan is the perfect example of that situation: “I studied management for 5 years in a business school and when I arrived in my startup, I quickly realized that I will not only do management. I help my colleagues for the Marketing & Communication strategy, I am handling the business development for my startup etc. It’s awesome to be able to gather a bit of experience in all domains!”