

10 Indicators that you are in the wrong startup. http://betterit.chetankjain.net - chetankjain
http://fwd4.me/117Y

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dm8
"4. You are not offered health insurance or many other standard benefits
usually given to full time employees. "

Wrong. Lot of early stage startups don't offer them unless they are generating
revenues or raised good venture money.

"2. The entire product requirements are just given to you as a brief list of
items. A single email. There is no clear product spec. You are expected to
figure out what is needed. And you are expected to then build it. Ask yourself
if your compensation justifies this."

What is product spec that you are referring to? And the person you are
referring is engineer/designer? In early stage startups you have to take
initiative all the time. Do problem solving and come up with ideas/product
specs. Its not big co where world moves along waterfall model and you get
product specs from your manager.

"8. The management team expects you to contribute your personal devices for
the firm's use."

Heard about BYOD? Even larger co's are implementing them.

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chetankjain
2\. And the product visionary (or maybe one of the founders) rests in peace
surfing the web)?

8\. BYOD should be rolled out as a policy or an option. It should be
communicated upfront and not taken as granted, while funds are diverted for
personal gratification as in this case.

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dm8
2\. "Product visionary" is the term thrown around nowadays. Much like "ninja"
and "rockstars" in dev jobs listings. CEO is the product guy. And in an early
stage startup (< 10 employees) he should actively code if he is technical. Or
design (in case designer) or make sales pitches (if he is sales guy/gal).

Its everyone's responsibility to contribute to product specs . Of course
CEO/Founder should be leading that effort.

BYOD - I'm part of founding team and so are bunch of my friends. In none of
the case I see founders are diverting funds for personal gratification. And
most of the founders I know take lesser salary than their employees. Liquid
cash is like ocean in desert. Unless startups have venture funding or huge
revenues, its pointless to buy every device for every member of company.

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chetankjain
I agree dm8, if you visit the blog again, I have updated point 7 and 8 there
and now it better conveys what I wanted to highlight

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klez
Why shorten the URL?

Here is the expansion: [http://betterit.chetankjain.net/2012/05/10-indicators-
that-y...](http://betterit.chetankjain.net/2012/05/10-indicators-that-you-are-
in-wrong.html)

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chetankjain
Ya shouldn't have shortened it. Looks like I can't edit it now!

