Think Small

Working for a small business can be substantially different from working for a medium sized or large business in ways that many people don’t realize. Personally, I have worked for mostly large and multinational enterprises throughout the majority of my career...at least up until now. You may recall an earlier blog entry where I stated that I was beginning a new position at a much smaller company. I have been there for a little over a month and thus far the change in environment has been refreshing! I am now an advocate of working for small businesses and think it’s an interesting and highly beneficial experience that everyone should have at least once.

Why do you ask? Here’s some food for thought…

In a large company you may never interact with the CEO or head honcho, but in a small business, you’re more likely to interact with them frequently or even work directly for them. If you have any interest in running your own business in the future, particularly in the same field, the things you can learn from C-level executives will be invaluable.

Depending on what you’re looking for in a job, when you work for a small company, there will be times when decision-making tasks will fall on your plate. There are fewer people to discuss issues with and many times critical decisions are left up to one individual. In this environment, you’ll quickly learn to handle the stress of decision-making. This level of responsibility looks good on resumes and also builds character.

Typically smaller companies offer a more relaxed and casual work environment. Small businesses are more likely to be located in less glamorous office spaces; therefore, the company doesn’t need to worry as much about projecting a certain image to neighboring businesses and probably won’t have clients visit that often. Dress codes tend to be very loose, you can take interim breaks and you may have the flexibility to listen to music.

Even if your boss is so busy that she doesn’t seem to be aware of your contributions to the company on a day-to-day basis, you’ll have a much better chance of getting credit for your work when you’re not competing with 100 other employees who also want the boss’s attention. When you are more closely involved with your boss, it can be easier to justify raises and promotions because the person who can give you these things will have plenty of firsthand knowledge of what you’ve done for the company.

There are some great pros to working at a small business and although this list is not exhaustive, also realize that there are a number of cons too. With that being said, you may find a list of negatives in a future blog entry. Moreover, when considering today’s economic downturn and speculative job market, to be working anywhere is a good thing. Whether you think big or small, think employed and stay connected.