Comments on: Vision – small companies vs big corporates

By: Uno

Uno — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:30:38 +0000

Yeah, I have definately thought about it. I have no doubt that I am one of the luckier ones in the company.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’m a Naspers zealot (as most Mac users are but I have definately drunk the Koolaid.

I don’t think I’d work for Naspers forever, I’m not a corporate type (and that might be where we are similar), but I do find that I can learn more where I am at the moment *Personally*.

You should come pop into our offices once we’ve re-setup and you are in cpt.

By: Nic

Nic — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:53:19 +0000

Uno – while I see what you are trying to say, it appears to me that Naspers has successfully indoctrinated you with propaganda.

Maybe you are one of the exceptionally lucky employees? Have you thought about that?

Also, I sat on Executive committee meetings in my previous job, with CEOs, MDs, GMs, Editors, Business Managers, big wigs and the like. I was there, and personally I found it stifling *Personally*.

I know that not all big companies are the same, some might argue that Google hasn’t got a single unhappy employee. I say Pah! to that, I can ensure you and anyone else that at every company (big or small) there are unhappy people. I have made a personal choice based on my varied experience in different companies, different industries and markets. That’s all!

Thanks for the debate and insight though. I am glad that there are big companies striving to make their environment more cosy!

By: Uno

Uno — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:45:42 +0000

Hey Nic,
I dunno if I agree with you. I totally understand where you’re coming from, and it’s easy to think that way, but wouldn’t say “all big corporates are bad places to work at”.

You can shuffle icons on your desktop in any job, it just depends on how motivated you are to work.

I’ve found a very good niche where I am at Naspers. I learn a lot, I sit in lots of very high level meetings (even if I’m not a board member) and I have access to very high powered people in the company and have asked their personal opinion on numerous matters.

Different companies have different power distances, and different managers have different ways to manage people. Some try a hands-on micro manage approach, others prefer a looser, you can manage yourself, and you can find either in either company. From my experience, founder ego’s are often less involved in large corporates than they are in smaller ones, but that also differs.

What I like about a big corporate is that there are so many different great minds working in one company (we’ve joked that we should hold an internal 27 dinner), as well as access to resources (sometimes).

So while I would still want to start my own business one day, I feel that I can learn more in a large corporate at the moment than a small business. But for other people it’s different.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:28:18 +0000

When I first left ad college, I worked for a company that grew from 8 employees to over 400 in five years. An enormous factor that contributed to me leaving was the change in the culture of the company and the employees who, like me, had been there since the start. Personalities changed in line with their new positions. As more money streamed in, more people were quickly hired – while others were fired – and it became a totally toxic environment in which to spend more than half of my life. I left to join a smaller company but soon left to start my own. I think I learnt the hard way that big corporate life can be suffocating, and that there’s true freedom (and a different kind of stress) in being part of a smaller team with people who live, eat and breathe the business – and who all contribute signficantly to its success.

Congrats on the move Nic. You won’t look back.

By: Ismail

Ismail — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:18:02 +0000

wow, Great post i like your thinking on this!

I have always been under the view that EVERY single person should always start with a very small company when they graduate or as their first job! It offers you the best chance to explore and learn.

The problem comes in though, as a company grows in size you start to loose these advantages of a smaller company. (From a people perspective as well as a strategy/being quick)

Take Google as an example, they have grown so large that employees are leaving to smaller companies and to start their own companies.

The question is how do you keep all the benefits of running a small company, while still running a large corporation? I believe it’s either smaller autonomous teams … or some kind of crowd sourcing model within the company. (Google seems to be moving in this direction)… this actually warrants a full post… if i get time ill write up a response to this.