#AskPS
A successful startup vs a highly paid corporate - What to choose?
Rajesh Garg .

Is it worth leaving a successful start-up for a large company?🤔🤔

My friend is currently a marketing head in a successful and high growth start-up that is very popular. Everyone is nice, life is easy and work-life balance is perfect.

But now, he has an offer from a much bigger organization with thousands of employees. The scope is bigger, so his remit is also bigger. The title is also equally senior and Pay is better.💰💰

Until he joins for sure, it's hard to know the culture or work-life balance or the autonomy he will have.

Is it advisable to quit a role and place with better work-life balance for the temptation of better pay and a bigger role and remit?🙄

What have you guys chosen if you had been in his place?🧐

Originally Posted Here
29 Comments

Aayush Arora

Looks like he's happy where he is. Why is he looking out really?

Rajesh Garg

He is in ambivalence because of the pay that he is getting from there. Its is higher than what he is actually getting in the startup! So, what would you recommend here?

Aayush Arora

Money can sometimes make lives miserable. Ask him to speak to future colleagues on LinkedIn. Better yet, ex-employees of the large company.

They will give a clean picture.

Also, he's in a start-up, he might be getting esops. Have they vested?

Lastly, would he consider talking to the startup? They might give him more money, if that's the only factor.

Find out why he applied out in the first place. Is it only money? If yes, is the delta more than 50%?

Rohit Pind

Big companies kick more easily.

Rajesh Garg

Yes exactly! He is only seeing the money aspect right now. But as other Pushstarters said, he should talk for equity in the company, what are your views on that?

Aayush Arora

depends on his situation. There are too many variables here. The reason he's so excited to jump could he either he doesn't have confidence in the startup or he doesn't see his progress. Or ofcourse, the delta is too high.

Rahul Rajvanshi

If he has ESOPs benefit in the startup stay

Else

Leave

Rajesh Garg

No he don't have a ownership benefit. Just the salary!

Rahul Rajvanshi

he should leave then so maybe this is the best time to ask for ESOP

Rajesh Garg

Yeah may be! I will talk to him about this! Thanks for your suggestion bro!

Rahul Rajvanshi

yeah if he wants to startup someday, working at a bigger company will give him much more credibility too

Rajesh Garg

Yeah agree with you Rahul. I will convey him the choices. Let's see how it goes!

Kshitij Patil

Best time for him to leverage the current offer for some vested share options in the current startup he's working for. For all the quotes I've read, it's always preferred to have money in the bank. Solves all problems.

Rajesh Garg

Yes agree equity share should be there when you are working for a startup! But currently he is working only on salary! No vested benefits

Kshitij Patil

EXACTLY! This is the time you either get some shares it exit

Abhinav Sankar

for me it is work-life and satisfaction at the work place over money.

Din ka 1/3rd of the time is on office work, so it matters how happy you are doing the work.

Jeet Parekh

Pay should be focus.

Rajesh Garg

Any specifics reasons?

Jeet Parekh

esops nhi hai and work is similar.
Work load kam hoga in big company and more pay.

Aur kya chaive life main

Anaggh Desai

Freedom. Independence. In exchange for higher package. Also his probation begins once again. But if he is 35+ then go for it purely on money aspect.

Arun Babu

Well, it depends. If you need experiences in multiple things, Startup might be a good option. At least for me, it's a gamble, You start with low, either it can be hit or miss. You make big if it becomes a success, or get nothing. Since in the comments as you mentioned there is no ESOP, even it gets to the moon, the friend is not going to make anything big.

I feel in a bigger organisation, he doesn’t have to deal with multiple things, better work-life balance, but even the company make billions in profit, you need to satisfied with the salary offered. nothing more nothing less. PS: This is my POV. might be different for the individual based on various other factors.

Rahul Rajvanshi

i dont think he is working in a medicore startup , if he would have there wouldn't be any point in asking this question at all

Indrasen Bhosale

I would have chosen better pay in large company. afterall I'll always be an employee no matter start-up or large company so why not go for better pay!

Gururaj Rajur

If you love 360degree exposure better to stay in the startup, if only money matters choose big guy

Ankit Mishra

Never try to join things which are not broken

Shivam Malhotra

switch.for an employee,money should be a major factor because a startup is a founder's hustle.

Ankit Jha

Worth a shot. He can always come back to the startup with an experience of a bigger corporate. Why leave the opportunity of a new experience?

Ankush Mehrotra

Everyone is replaceable.

If he is heading the marketing and have bagged an offer, he must have put efforts to grab that. So no point of dilemma because that's what he wanted to pursue.

Depending upon his performance and contributions in the fairly popular startup, he may be given a retention chance by HR or leaders.

Even that's rare.

There is no point coming back to the startup, because one is leaving the company for one's own benefits during these times, which is acceptable; but coming back to it once it has grown without one's contribution.

You have been replaced. Period

Apoorv Bapat

Rajesh Garg- I will advise against, unless he is confident of a similar culture. Gains in good start up are exponential, which no "large company" will provide. And Large companies, except for hiring at very top, will never give you responsibilities till 2-3 years in the job, and most likely, rightly so. If he is looking at a 6+ year horizon in this company, then he can move. but for a 2-3 year mindset, he shouldn't

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