BigCorp vs. SmallCorp vs. OwnCorp
I want to start my own business for more flexibility in my time. I understand I will work even more hours than at my day job, but it will be hours of my choosing and it will hopefully be more enjoyable hours, working for myself instead of someone else.
Mike King has a different take on things. Currently working at a SmallCorp, he is looking to find a job at a BigCorp in order to free his time and his mind to concentrate on his personal life. I can say that he will definitely find his mind freer at a BigCorp; things happen so slowly that you can’t help but have some idle time once in a while. And you can usually leave everything at work at the end of the day, both physically and mentally.
| Work Environment |
Daily Hours |
Time Regimen |
Work Breadth/ Variety |
Annual Paid Vacation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BigCorp | 8-10 | Strict | Narrow | 2-3 weeks |
| SmallCorp | 8-12 | Depends | Wide | 2-3 weeks |
| OwnCorp | 12+ | Very Flexible | Very Wide | None |
I want to work for OwnCorp for the Very Flexible Time Regimen. It sounds like Mike wants to work for BigCorp for the minimal Daily Hours. This table is very simplified. It doesn’t include commute, mobility (ability to work over Internet vs. fixed physical location) or management attitude, but I think it helps to see what some of the trade-offs are when choosing who to work for.
- Thanks for reading
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- Carla Blazek, free from 9 to 5
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June 10th, 2005 at 10:59 am
BigCorp is fairly pleasant if you have the right people over you.
June 10th, 2005 at 1:52 pm
Why do you think the work breadth / variety is narrower in a big-corp than a small corp?
It could easily go the other way, with you being tied to your one (just) succesful product, and no time to do anything else, whereas big-corp man is swanning around from managing one factory, facing one set of problems to a completely different one, six months later.
June 12th, 2005 at 3:34 am
Phil,
From my personal experience, you get more opportunites to wear more hats at a small company. In large companies, I’ve always been stuck doing one thing because everyone is hired to fill a specific role and that’s all they’re expected to do. Plus, when I try to expand my role, I end up stepping on someone’s toes. I’ll admit, this may be because I just don’t handle office politics well. I have found it easier to do new things at a small company, because people are already overtaxed and are grateful for the help, plus I find it easier to get along in a smaller, more intimate environment. That’s just been my personal experience.
But you have a very valid point. Perhaps we just thrive in different environments.
June 13th, 2005 at 4:10 am
Sometimes it seems a logical step to me to be in BigCorp before moving to OwnCorp. The move from SmallCorp to OwnCorp is very difficult because SmallCorp is typically OwnCorp to one or more of the people you work very closely with and are likely friendly with. It is hard to justify to them why you only want to work 9 or 10 hours a day and why, when you are at home obviously doing “work,” you aren’t working to help the SmallCorp.
Often you are paid well at SmallCorp and depending on your role are expected to treat it like OwnCorp. And in some ways it is, if the SmallCorp succeeds you can often profit handsomely.
On the flipside though if you are working at SmallCorp but your spark for what they are doing has gone, the only thing you can do is leave. It is impossible to “fake” it because if the only chance the big-shot at OwnCorp has is to understand his company and what is going on there and in the marketplace, and if he doesn’t notice that his former or suspected superstar is just a nine-to-fiver then that SmallCorp is lost anyway.