"Sure, double whatever salary you're offering and I might consider it. Otherwise it would be a big drop in my standard of living - nice big apartment up here for cardboard box down there."
I think this gets to the heart of the cultural difference between the UK and California in terms of startups. I get the feeling that people working for / running Silicon Valley startups are living extremely cheaply (hence references to Ramen profitability), sharing places with groups of people, working long hours with very little time off, sometimes sleeping over in the office instead of going home.
I don't get the feeling that attitude happens within London, so working for a startup isn't much more different to a desk job in a big company - salary, set working hours, regular vacation time. Maybe a slightly better options/share stake in the company.
Also the business infrastructure of London doesn't facilitate a lean startup environment. Registering a company with Companies House is cheap enough, but running it is quite costly for a group of people who are trying to build something that might pan out later. It's like London only wants organisations with existing revenue streams, not startups with potential.
And there's the expectation of potential employees for London startups, they want the benefits of working for an established business. Silicon Valleyers seem more inclined to be involved with something interesting, and live a minimalist life outside of that role.
Am I completely wrong here? (Would be interested in hearing back from people working in startups in Silicon Valley and London, but also elsewhere in the world - how is your organisation legally registered, do you pay salaries or offer compensation in stock ownership, are you living comfortably, or living off ramen noodles until you've created a decent income stream?)
>so working for a startup isn't much more different to a desk job in a big company
Why would invest so much of your life and earning potential at a start up? Because of that negligible chance that you'll be the next Facebook? You'd be better off working in a desk job and just using your extra money to buy lottery tickets.
In my opinion the attitude you attribute to London is the wiser one.
I think this gets to the heart of the cultural difference between the UK and California in terms of startups. I get the feeling that people working for / running Silicon Valley startups are living extremely cheaply (hence references to Ramen profitability), sharing places with groups of people, working long hours with very little time off, sometimes sleeping over in the office instead of going home.
I don't get the feeling that attitude happens within London, so working for a startup isn't much more different to a desk job in a big company - salary, set working hours, regular vacation time. Maybe a slightly better options/share stake in the company.
Also the business infrastructure of London doesn't facilitate a lean startup environment. Registering a company with Companies House is cheap enough, but running it is quite costly for a group of people who are trying to build something that might pan out later. It's like London only wants organisations with existing revenue streams, not startups with potential.
And there's the expectation of potential employees for London startups, they want the benefits of working for an established business. Silicon Valleyers seem more inclined to be involved with something interesting, and live a minimalist life outside of that role.
Am I completely wrong here? (Would be interested in hearing back from people working in startups in Silicon Valley and London, but also elsewhere in the world - how is your organisation legally registered, do you pay salaries or offer compensation in stock ownership, are you living comfortably, or living off ramen noodles until you've created a decent income stream?)