Re:Ask HN: How do I get over constant failure?
by multjoy on Sunday January 09, 2022 @11:58AM
(#29865039)
Is a company that's been in business for five years with a staff really a start-up?
Re:Ask HN: How do I get over constant failure?
by cj on Sunday January 09, 2022 @12:19PM
(#29865257)
People were calling Uber a startup as late as their IPO.
I think the distinction has more to do with the culture / vision of the company than just company age.
Re:Ask HN: How do I get over constant failure?
by xboxnolifes on Sunday January 09, 2022 @02:14PM
(#29866384)
It feels like the term startup has become synonymous with "large growth potential" and not "young company".
Re:Ask HN: How do I get over constant failure?
by muzani on Sunday January 09, 2022 @11:53PM
(#29870816)
There's two popular terms: 1. A fast growth company 2. An organization looking for a repeatable and scalable busines model
Neither really have much to do with age. An agency can be doing contract work for 10 years looking for a business model, and it could technically be a startup.
I think that's true when joining a young startup (e.g. company less than 2-3 years old).
But there are plenty of 15-40 person "startups" that have been around for 5+ years and are profitable - I would say these types of companies are good to join (if they've had a stable and consistent management team) since after 5 years, the company would have worked out most culture / HR kinks.
PS - things like "are you profitable" and "tell me about the management team/culture" are very acceptable questions to ask during an interview.
Edit: "how many employees were there 1 year ago" is also a good barometer for how hastily the company is scaling. If they're 100 today but were 50 a year ago, I'd steer clear. As another commenter mentioned, go for slow and steady growth startups rather than high/fast growth.