Startups, Work Culture and Balance

"It is not about ideas, it is about making ideas happen."

When one says Startup, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? For me, it is a rush of feelings. I think about how they came up with the idea in the first place and why I never thought of that. I also think of the struggles that they would have gone through to turn the idea into reality.

I know how hard it is to put my thoughts into writing and make it into a half-decent blog. If it is that hard for me to come up with a 1000 word article, I can only imagine how hard it would be to start a business and run it successfully.

As someone who has had the first-hand experience in working in dynamic startup environments, let me draw a picture of what it is like and what are the things to look out for.

I am a part of Teachmint. Teachmint is an Indian, Edtech startup. It is a one-stop online teaching app that is enabling teachers and tutors across the country to conduct online classes. When I gave my first round of interviews, they had asked me if I would be open to work in a dynamic environment and I was more than ready, I was excited. I was excited about the learning opportunities and the kind of work that I get to do.

Advantages of Working in A startup

1. Learning Opportunities

The kind of learning opportunities in a startup environment is commendable. You just have to be open to changes and ready to learn. As mentioned, it is a dynamic environment and self-learning opportunities are wide and it is a steep learning curve. It is a unique experience and you figure out a lot of things on the go. One of the best things is that there’s no handholding or safe carpet, you figure things out, and trust me when I say, it is going to help you by leaps and bounds.

2. Adaptability

Startups are new entities and things are bound to change. There might be a lot of changes down the lane. The company ould grow, new people would come, your managers might change and your responsibilities may widen. You will learn to be adaptable and in a world where change is the only constant, adaptability is a great skill to have.

3. Ownership

You will get to take ownership of the work that you do. The startup environment helps employees to be self-dependent, it pushes them to be proactive and quick. This is another one of the main advantages of working in a startup.

4. Explore New Avenues

In a startup, as mentioned, you will have a lot of opportunities and you will be able to widen your skill base. You will get to try new things and explore areas that you otherwise wouldn't get a chance to.

Teachmint has been a learning-unlearning experience for me. My mom is a teacher and I have seen the amount of effort that she puts into teaching. Teachmint is helping n number of teachers like her and there’s nothing that makes me happier than being a part of something that is making teachers’ lives easier.

When I was a kid and whenever people asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I would tell them that I want to be a cat, because then I would get to sleep and eat all day. Next to that, my most popular answer was to be a teacher. Well, let’s just say that life had different plans. But now, there is nowhere else that I would rather be. I am working in a dream and towards a dream! A dream of democratizing online education in India.