

Startups and design or: How I stopped worrying and love startups - stylejam
http://blog.stylej.am/startups-and-design-or-how-i-stopped-worrying

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ThomPete
There is another way to think about this. Instead of working for one startups,
work for several.

I have probably done work for around 100 different startups since I started my
company in 2005.

What really helped me though was that I started the company with Morten Lund
(Early investor in Skype) who had several companies in his portfolio and a
good connection in the venture capital world. That helped send work our way.

Instead of going for design conferences go to conferences with a lot of VC
guys. Show your portfolio around and you will most likely get some work if
it's good.

You will need to be a little more flexible with regards to pricing but that
can be solved once you realize how most startups get their funding.

In the angel round, companies are normally pretty cost sensitive.

One way to solve that is to charge less than your normal would but with with
an option to cash in if they get their series A funding.

This is a great motivator and that is only one of the many many advantages of
working for startups.

~~~
stylejam
I believe that focusing on a single product is an unbelievable learning
experience honestly, and is the real gain for designers, but your point is
still valid.

~~~
ThomPete
There are many ways to gain understanding of how to design for startups and if
anything. By working on so many startups, some briefly, some all the way to
series C funding, some to exit, I have learned that there are no one way that
is the right way.

Also mind you I still have had to build my own company (from 2 people to 60
people back to 30 people and from 2 partners up to 8 partners and back to 4
partners) so you can say that I have stayed focused on that.

~~~
stylejam
Sure, I wasn't commenting on you obviously, just talking about me :) Sorry if
I wasn't clear.

