Want to work or start a biz?

The dilemma begins when you bag three lucrative job offers during the campus placements — and all with big reputed organisations. That’s when you find yourself at crossroads. One hand you have a pay package that promises you a cushy life and, on the other hand, you have dreams to pursue — start your own business or help build one. Before you take a the final call and pick from the two options, these are some of the things you would like to bear in mind.

Chance to be creative

Unlike an established organisation, a start-up will not have a structure to follow. That may be scary for a beginner. “The teething problems of infrastructure and problems of setting up process could land up creating a frustrating environment at work. It’s important to be patient in such situations as it could pay rich dividends once the company gets established,” says Madhu Bhojwani, COO, Emmay HR. However, a start-up offers ample opportunities to do things the way you want.

Money matters

Though mature start-ups are at par with their competitors, when it comes to salaries, a start-up may not offer the same. In case of a new start-up, apart from getting the seed money, one has to ensure a consistent flow of capital as the gestation period of the business to break even varies. That could take anywhere from 6 months to three years and maybe more. Says Vijay Kedia, MD, Kedia Securities, “ Eight out of 10 times new start-ups fail due to lack of equity, experience or both.”

All work no play!

The definite characteristic of working in a start-up would be burning the midnight oil. Its simple maths — if you work double the time that you do presently, you should take home double the salary you do now — which is a rare situation in a fresh start-up.

Be sure about yourself

Unlike an established organisation, a start-up is full of uncertainties. Though this at many-a-times is the reason why people want to join — the excitement of working for a start-up transcends that of settling down in a routine job. However, the benefits that come with established organisations may be missing
in a start-up.