What no one tells you about working at a startup

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Working at a startup is often glamorized but behind the scenes are also many challenges that aren’t as commonly discussed - especially in the hyper-growth phase 📈

Here is my no BS take on what it’s really like as an early startup employee (currently @Notion) and how to normalize the rollercoaster of emotions following the all-too-common growing pains 🐣

⏰ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:37 Quick Background
01:04 Phase 1: The Honeymoon Phase
03:58 Phase 2: The Pressure Cooker
06:02 Phase 3: The Fleeting Highs
08:10 Phase 4: The Art of Giving Away Your Legos
10:48 Phase 5: The Pains and Privilege of Scaling
12:25 Phase 6: The Three R's for Stability

🎷 Music

👋 Don't be a stranger
Instagram: @itsamyjenny

📍 quick disclaimer: this video is solely based on my own experiences and does not represent the views of any company or employer. hope you enjoy!

#Notion

[saliexplore]

gold: "Be aware of how you're feeling because you want to make note of how that's manifesting into your behaviour. "

[brightonshifu]

barely a month in and I think I'm about to burn out.. startup is basically becoming a full stack by default and the learning curve super steep

[mariedzi]

Thanks for the video 🥰 I've just joined a startup a month ago - basically, that's my first full-time job after university - and honestly I feel like quitting already cause I'm so confused all the time 🙃

[RatedM]

Currently working at a startup; only perk is remote, tons of work. RIP

[MayankSehgal]

Just started working at a startup a month ago, my first full time job out of uni — thanks a LOT for this video! This was sooo helpful.

[keepingupwithjess_]

I'm a month in and I didn't realize I've been mostly struggling with the challenges of working at a startup and not interpersonal things. Thank you so much for putting this out there. You've verbalized things I've been feeling, but couldn't explain because (even though this sounds crazy), I didn't really realize I'd be working in a startup organization.

[nicolemartorella]

Love this! My last job was working for a start-up, but unfortunately I was let go along with another co-worker of mine. We were a team of 8 and then once us two were let go, it was 6. Definitely lots of highs and lows and at times it felt like we were growing uncontrollably. Communication was extremely poor regarding new processes or any updates to our products. But it did feel like I was a part of something magical, and that's what kept me there! The stability at this particular company was very poor and during my time there, 4 other people had been let go too. I really enjoy start-ups for that newness and potential for growth mindset, but you have to be sure that your job is stable and that their finances are in good shape before joining the team!

[juliodasilva]

Thanks for this! I am opening a startup and this will help on how i make sure my people don't burn out if its not necessary.

[gauravm.]

LMAO, this is so relatable. I work at a startup and about to complete my first year there. We are a very small team of 5 working on a product. The emotional roller coaster is a real thing. Thanks for creating this video. It makes me feel, that I belong somewhere.

[chunli]

The startup I'm working for now actually took the notion startup credits and then started to subscribe notion. The notion was super helpful to a degree that we ended up moving everything from our Asana & Google docs to notion lol

Thanks for sharing the behind-the-scene story! From outside, the notion startup program looked so successful, yet like every startup, it took so much to grind

[LaLa-cvcn]

I work for a startup and we use notion and it is helpful! I love it. This video was so needed to hear. I didn’t realize that what I was going through is actually startup culture. There are pros and cons for sure

[bensoto]

There's so much great info here and it's so relatable to my own experience working at a startup. It can be such a rollercoaster, I've joked with my coworkers that my next business idea is Startup Trauma Therapy haha.

[Arestkaramazov]

Got all my attention, which is actually pretty hard, especially in the mornings when I'm jumping from one video to another, nice content.

[rachelwongster]

I’m soooo glad to have watched this video, thank you so much for sharing a realistic and relatable view on working in a start up. I’ve started working at a hyper-growing startup as an intern and now full time, and been recently hitting a burn out phase. Watching this really consoled me and made me felt like I’m not entirely alone in this journey. :”) thank u and pls keep posting ❤️

[lindzb]

THIS IS SO HELPFUL! I came from a huge corporation and was hired as employee #60 at my new job. I was told my position was new and that we would be figuring out my job duties as we go so that contributes to more grey area. I’m someone that likes structure and gets anxious with uncertainty so I’m trying to “go with the flow” and ride things out through this “honeymoon phase”? 😅😂

[bennynguyen]

Im start my first day at a startup next week. This will be my first job out of university. Appreciate the video!

[MeetDaveG]

Having worked with startups in the past, and being part of one now, this video is a must watch. It provides real insight on the rollercoaster journey experienced in the early stages. The part of the video that especially hits home is that we're all just figuring it out, including the founders, and the necessity to regulate emotions.

I immensely appreciate you doing this video.

[SatoPandaxSamurai]

lol my first job was working for a startup and it was the worst experience ever, sigh i envy those who had a better startup experience though I appreciate you taking the time to make this video, its a very nice heads up thanks

[steven]

That's so me. I just joined a startup and it's been almost a month. Plus, it's also my first developer job after career shift. To be honest, it is confusing and frustrating at the same time. My manager is so nice and willing to help me when I'm needed. But I feel like I'm not getting enough directions and have to reaffirm everything on my own. We are using AWS which I have zero experience. Sometimes, it feels like walking in a dark room. I feel burnt out. I'm trying to find my good balance. It's nice to know I'm not the only one feeling like that. Great video. Loved it

[trafficface]

If your still at notion, firstly thank you and secondly notion has helped me have an effective life as neurodivergent adult