So you have a dream of starting your own company.
Let’s say a sustainable clothing brand. You love sewing and designing new looks. It has been your hobby since you were a child and it has become your passion as a grown-up. Now you want to share it with the World...
But you feel like you don’t have enough knowledge and experience in the industry. So first you plan to get a job at a bigger clothing company.
There are certainly benefits to it.
1. You are not taking financial risks.
Unlike in your own business, you don’t need to put your own money on the line. Every month you will get a paycheck to cover the rent, food, and travels. Any production company would require quite substantial capital investments. If you haven’t tested the market that can easily become a sunk cost.
2. You learn about the market.
Any big company has a division that researches the market and customer behaviour, tests what products take off or not and why. You also get to see B2B and B2C interactions in the chosen industry. Having access to this knowledge early on can help you to choose your niche and develop your style of communications. It can become a great foundation for your future business activities.
3. You get the network.
One way or another through meetings with your colleagues or external counterparts or by visiting relevant events, you grow your network in the industry. So once you are out on your own, you will most likely have people you can partner with to build or grow your business.
At the same time taking a job at a bigger brand has significant setbacks you need to consider.
1. Your enthusiasm is wasted on big corporates
There are just too many stories where young people full of hope and eager to act get undermined and undervalued in a big company. You risk getting your brilliant ideas and your entrepreneurial buzz crushed against the hierarchy and corporate politics. Eventually, you will leave the place, but the bitterness will reflect on your future business for a while.
2. You can’t do what you want when you want
Well, it’s a job. You probably have to stick around in the office from 9am to 6pm. For you as a newbie there, most of that time will be filled with unnecessary time-wasting tasks and gossip in a coffee corner. If you have a true entrepreneurial spirit, you will not last long in those conditions. But you also risk getting locked in a “golden cage” - a comfortable pay every month vs few compromises on the side of your freedom, potential, and sanity.
3. You may get disappointed in the industry altogether
Even if you’ve been a loyal customer to this company before, once you are in, you will see its “kitchen”. You will see how things are done there and in the industry in general. Depending on what you see and what kind of person you are - you might decide to drop your business idea for good.
There is no one recipe for everyone. And if you decide that you want to join a big company - great! If you need further advice - get in touch with your Business Navigator.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia Skupchenko is Personal Navigator in Business Growth. She enables companies and individual experts to unlock new markets and business opportunities using their uniqueness. To her clients, I provide a logical no-nonsense diagnosis of their business as it is. Julia has an international background and experience of working with clients from wide range of industries including Oil & Gas, IT, Consumer Goods, Social Media Marketing, New Technology & Innovation on the European and Russian markets.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia Skupchenko is Personal Navigator in Business Growth. She enables companies and individual experts to unlock new markets and business opportunities using their uniqueness. To her clients, I provide a logical no-nonsense diagnosis of their business as it is. Julia has an international background and experience of working with clients from wide range of industries including Oil & Gas, IT, Consumer Goods, Social Media Marketing, New Technology & Innovation on the European and Russian markets.