Should You Work for a Startup or Launch Your Own?

By Ed McLaughlin and Wyn Lydecker

If you’ve been wondering if you should work for a startup or launch your own, we’ve assembled some arguments on both sides: 15 reasons to work for a startup and 15 reasons to launch your own. What’s your opinion?

15 Reasons to Work for a Startup

Reasons 1 – 5 come from an article written by Adam Arbolino, co-founder and CTO of DesignCrowd.com.

Start Doing Real Work: In some respects, it’s a little like taking the red pill and getting ejected from the Matrix. Everything you do in a startup makes a difference.
Learning and Responsibility: The reason for this is that everyone in a startup is expected to wear multiple hats.
Shape the Culture around You: There’s nothing more rewarding than feeling excited to come into the office in the morning to tackle the next challenge the world has thrown at us.
An Environment of Innovation: This can spark inspiration on every level, leading to truly innovative ideas and developments.
Starting Your Own Venture: Startups pay you back in opportunities and knowledge on how to take charge.

10 more reasons come from entrepreneur John Rampton:

Startups Are Hiring
Potential Ownership or Growth
Awesome Work Environment
Responsible For Various Tasks
Get Inspired
You’ll be Pushed
Learning Experiences
No Red Tape
Your Work Will Be Recognized
Meet New Connections

15 Reasons to Launch Your Own Business

Not sure you want to work for someone else? You are not alone. Here are our 15 reasons to start up:

You are on fire to start your own business
You want to take control of your own destiny
You have a great idea for how to fill a real need
You believe your idea could transform lives for the better
You have a special talent or unique competence that you can use to start the business
You want to disrupt the status quo
You want to leave your mark on the world
You are tired of working for someone else
You are fed up with being told what to do and precisely how to do it
You’ve lost your trust in the system
Human Resources makes you feel like replaceable part
You are looking over your shoulder in fear at work
You’ve had enough of playing the game by other people’s rules
You are dying to make your own rules and create your own business culture.
You have the opportunity to have more fun and make more money that you ever could working for someone else.

So there you have it. Consider the pros and cons. No matter what anyone else tells you, starting up is hard work, and it is filled with risk. But once I started my own business, I never looked back. It was the best business decision I ever made.

Ed McLaughlin is currently co-writing the book, The Purpose Is Profit: The Truth about Starting and Building Your Own Business, with Wyn Lydecker and Paul McLaughlin.

They are currently offering a complimentary eCopy of The Startup Roadmap: 21 Steps to Profitability here.