
Ask HN: Starting work at a early-stage startup, what should I expect? - inktony
Starting tomorrow I&#x27;ll be working at a very early-stage startup with $400K funding and three other people. I&#x27;ll be working as a software dev, any tips? Things I should expect?<p>Thanks all!
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davismwfl
Sounds like they got seed funding. Depending on the startup that money may go
a decent way or be gone in 6 months. Understand the runway and the
expectations as well as set reasonable deadlines for them. It is better to say
1 week and be done in 1 week, than say 2 days and be done in a week.

Other general advice:

\- Expect some chaos, it doesn't mean the founders are bad, it is normal when
things are this early.

\- Expect things to be a bit disorganized and that they won't have processes
setup and even on-boarding will not be smooth, just go with the flow and help
them find places it can get better.

\- Don't try to implement crazy processes and procedures when the company is
so early on. Product fit/delivery is more critical than having a good CI/CD
process or having deployments perfect.

\- Be willing to jump in and help do whatever is needed, be a true team player
and don't complain.

\- Find ways you can contribute to solving the problem beyond just writing
some code. Find quick ways to test ideas and to show the team results.

\- Enjoy yourself, and don't forget to take time to relax and unwind away from
work. Startups are fun, and hanging out with the people you work with is good
bonding and has lots of positives, but make time for things away from work and
separate from just work people. Otherwise you will lose your identity outside
of work and that is hard to recover from mentally.

\- If you have specific questions let me know, happy to share my personal
experiences and what I tell new hires myself.

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ericzawo
Congratulations on your next chapter. Some things I really wish I was told
before I went on a one-year stint at a tech startup:

\- Workplace policies have only ever been communicated to you, you're now
going to see them in action. Expect contradictions immediately, and set the
tone early for your expectations based on your hiring contract (i.e. If they
told you it's 9-5 but you observe this not so and you're de facto expected to
be there much longer, do not ignore this. Address immediately.)

\- Do everything you can to make your boss / the founders look good. This
includes your own job, of course, but show initiative in all manners of the
organization. Know a potential lead for new business? Make it known. Have a
suggestion that will speed up your teams output? Prepare a succinct
explanation of it.

\- Do whatever you can to be positive, it will be welcomed and deeply
appreciated. Founders are constantly smelling burning money and putting out
fires when possible. If you can smile occasionally it'll distract everyone
from the multitude of Horrible Looming Realities that follow every startup. If
you're known as a "nice colleague" it'll do you wonders.

\- Learn more about your own output. If you work in a better environment than
the one work has created, attempt to foster one that calls for better work.
Not everybody loves working in an open concept office/shared workspace.

\- Back up all requests / suggestions / comments with data. Nobody likes a
'talking head.' If you can speak your bosses language (increasing value
exchange) you'll have their ear no matter if they follow your requests or not.
It is extremely important you tie every comment you make about building a
better product/company clearly ties back to what you are all there to do.

\- Keep a work journal. This helped me immensely to process all the lessons
learnt in startup land. And I cannot recommend how important it is to reflect
on your work. Even 5 minutes of writing in a doc every evening will do you
wonders at making better decisions, especially as your team starts to
inevitably grow.

Best of luck!

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qhoang09
Lots of great answers here. I'll just add, as a founder myself, that things
will probably not be very structured at that stage.

That means you may find yourself working on very different things every day,
maybe even things outside the traditional software developer role. (For
example, you might be asked to help on customer support). Be open to wearing
multiple hats and being a team player.

Also don't expect to get too much direction. You'll need to be a self-starter
and autonomous. In fact, I encourage you to take the initiative and even lead
projects. There's no better way to hone your leaderships skills than at an
early-stage startup.

Finally, don't think of it as a regular job where you clock in at 9 and out at
5. You may not be told explicitly to put in extra hours but if others are
doing it you probably should too. You are a part-owner after all (if you're
getting equity).

That being said, don't forget to take breaks and recharge!

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wjossey
Hi there!

I’m two years in as a cofounder. We have one full time employee beyond me and
my business partner. We raised under a million in a pre seed round.

Prepare for what will feel like whiplash when it comes to the product. At this
stage, you’re trying to find product market fit within the market you’ve
chosen. The idea the founders pitched to you and their investors is likely not
where you’ll end up, and that’s ok! Just don’t misinterpret agility for
stupidity or lack of vision. Running a business is really hard, and getting
other people to buy what you are selling will be wavy and confusing.

As an engineer, invest in things that speed up your process. If you deploy
often, make sure your deployment process is optimized. If you need hyper
reliable software, spend time investing in testability, test documentation,
etc.

Spend a lot of time mentally preparing that what you build will get thrown
away, but that’s not a bad thing.

Realize that productivity is cyclical, and you when you’re most productive,
block off your time. When you’re less productive, try to tackle low hanging
fruit or bang out small tasks that are nagging you or your customers.

Get a therapist if you find yourself stressed or anxious. Talk therapy can
help you stay on track.

You’ll likely work a lot of nights and weekends, but carve out time for
yourself when you can.

Thank any significant others for giving you the space you need to be
productive.

Add a hobby that will force you not to work for an hour each day (we added an
8 week old lab puppy I’ve been training for the last year).

Get sufficient sleep every night.

Realize you’ll disagree with decisions that are made, but learn how to trust
those around you when they’ve been empowered to make a decision. It’s ok if
they’re wrong, and it’s ok if you would have been right. You’ll make mistakes
to, and that’s just part of life.

I could honestly keep going for an hour :) starting a startup is really hard!

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gus_massa
[Just to avoid a sad thread next year:]

How are you going to split the equity? Do you have that number in written?
Vesting?

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entelia09
Burnout is really, make sure you manage your mental and physical health.

