What It Really Feels Like to Work at a Startup (The Beautiful Chaos)

Working at a startup is like trying to build a rocket while it’s already mid-air—and someone forgot to pack the parachutes.

You’re handed a title that sounds fancy, but it often means everything and nothing. “Head of X” could mean leading a team of five—or being the entire team. Monday, you’re in a strategy meeting mapping out the company’s five-year vision. Tuesday, you’re figuring out how to fix a broken Google Sheet that controls the entire product pipeline. Wednesday? You’re sweeping the floor because the office cleaner didn’t show up, and someone has to.

It’s exhausting. And exhilarating.

There are no rules—just priorities that change by the hour. You learn to be scrappy, not because it’s trendy, but because the budget demands it. You make decisions with half the data. You test, fail, and pivot before lunch. You get used to hearing “no,” “not yet,” and “can you do this too?”

But here's the thing: every small win feels massive. Because you know how hard you fought for it. Every new customer, every uptick in engagement, every Slack message that says “this is working”—it matters.

You work closely with the founders, see the company’s guts, watch the vision evolve in real time. It’s not always inspiring. Sometimes it’s messy, even demoralizing. But there’s a strange beauty in that proximity to the fire. You see how brands are actually built—from blank slides and sleepless nights.

And maybe you don’t stay forever. Maybe the startup runs out of money. Maybe it gets acquired. Maybe you burn out and need a reset. But what you leave with is real.

You leave with speed in your veins. With sharper instincts. With the ability to make something out of nothing.

You learn to trust your gut. You learn how to move.

And you’ll never look at a “stable” job the same way again.