Large Company vs Small Set-up

Its a truly big paradigm shift for me albeit a good one. I moved from a very large corporate structure with more than 2000 employees which I worked for the past 5 years to a small set-up where I am one of the mgmt team of abt 20 staffs all over APAC and US. It scares a lot of people to know that now, instead of having a namecard that says the name of a company someone can identify with immediately, now people says 'Huh?' when you mention your company name. But the exciting thing is we are really working to raise the profile of our company, i-POP Networks Pte Ltd and I am glad that I am going to be in part of the action.

So what are the difference of working for a small setup vs a large corporation?

1. You are closer to the top mgmt to understand the thought process of the top management. This allows me to improve myself constantly and learn from the experienced.

• CEOs rather make decisions with 75% of info rather than a slow decision wth 95% of info (A bad decision on Monday is better than a good decision on Fri)
• They have to adapt to changes at the speed of light
  
• They have a knack to use analogy to allow ppl of all lvls to grasp their words.
  

2. You learn how to set up your own email client not only on PC but also on your smart phone. You get a better understanding or actually learn to set-up your office local area network(LAN). Work is almost round the clock making me appreciate every single rest time I have.

3. You cannot say I don't know this as that is not my area. In a small set-up, you have to be everything and wear every hat. Good for those who likes to learn new things all the time like me.

4. Your teammates are more helpful as they know that you stand together or die together. Really feels cozy and like a family here.

5. You know or aware of the profit or loss of your company enough to be able to adjust your compensation accordingly; bigger bonuses for higher profit, work harder when company is in loss/debt. At least you have the drive to determine what you are worth to the company and what your company is worth to the market.

So, was it worth the jump? You betcha. Plus more opportunities to travel and meet people in the future. Just like what Seth Godin says: Small is the new BIG! - Small is the new big only when the person running the small thinks big.