In a few years, startups have invaded our universe: funds are being raised, the media give us thousants of success stories to chew upon, job offers are spreading all over the internet. Young graduates don't dream of working for LVMH or Nestlé anymore, but rather to found their own company ; business schools are adjusting their speech and create each incubators to foster the unicorns of tomorrow. Everyone has seen the rise of Mark Zuckerberg in the Social Network, and has ran to a library to buy Steve Job's biography... Doesn't matter if you read it or not, the main thing is to have it on your bookshelves.
What is it about startups that is so fascinating? Why do we feel this hint of envy when we hear "I work in a startup"? At Urban Linker, we decided to have a guess
A FLAT HIERARCHY
Bye bye n+3, n+4... In a startup, the hierarchy is flat. You have a function, a manager (sometimes) and a boss (often), but that's it. Consequence? The decision-making process is a lot simpler and you work with much more autonomy. Communication is smoother, and managers more accessible. You often share the open space with the rest of the company, which inevitably facilitates bonding. Which leads us too...
A REALLY REALLY NICE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Startup founders were quick to understand that a happy employee is far more efficient, so they adopted the "feel good management". Everything is made so that employees feel like at home : nap area, ping pong tables, arcade games... mix up with desks and meeting rooms. There's nothing weird about going for a drink with your teammates and your boss affter work, and any occasion calls for a celebration (a fundraising, a new employee joining the team, the end of the month / of the week / of the day...). The Y generation tends to favor their well-being at work over their salary (at least at the beginning of a career), which could explain why startup employees are so young!
AN ECLECTIC GROUP OF COLLEAGUES
Although having a degree from a Grande Ecole will always help you in life, startups are mostly betting on their employees personnality. Atypical profiles are much appreciated, so you will end up working with colleagues that are self-educated, passionate... and exciting!
BYE BYE ROUTINE...
In a startup, everything is to be done: each employee is an actor of the company's development. The financial means are quite low (not to say inexistant), and everyone must contribute. Result? You'll never get bored! The tasks are various, which allows you to develop new skills very quickly. Another perk? The outlook for development: if the startup meets the success that everyone wants, its growth will be exponantial. The lucky few who were there from the beginning will get high responsibility jobs with high income.
... HELLO BRIGHT FUTURE!
The digital is the future of our economy. If France is still a bit late on a few sectors, regarding innovation she has got nothing to envy the Silicon Valley for! Tech specialised startups burgeon and bloom, in Paris and all over the country. A good indicator of this presence is the French Tech label, that takes under its wing every French innovative company. By opening your eyes (or by checking on Google), you might realise that French startups are all over France.
