Most privately owned businesses are very small, employing at most a handful of people. This means that you sometimes have more scope to grow your career as an employee within a larger organisation. Here are some truths about succeeding as an employee.
Good people will almost always do well
Talented, motivated people will always succeed. They develop an understanding of the landscape within which their organisation functions and skilfully chart their route to the top. If you feel you should be doing better, try to understand what is holding you back. Be prepared to discover that it’s you that needs to change and develop, not your organisation.
You won’t get richer starting your own company
Starting a business from scratch is hard work. Growing it takes time, a lot of time. Some of the wealthiest people around are those who led a management buy-out of the business, or part of a business, they already run. Remember that it’s the speed with which you increase a company’s value that dictates how wealthy the shareholders become.
Almost every organisation is the same and skills do transfer
Recruitment ads used to insist you had ‘industry experience’. This meant that the same old people moved round an industry with little new blood or fresh thinking. Nowadays, it’s common for people to make quite extreme changes of industry or sector. Your experience, skills and knowledge have real value to any organisation. Don’t restrict yourself to one industry sector.
The voluntary sector can be more rewarding than any other
Money isn’t everything. A career in the voluntary sector can be very rewarding, even though salaries tend to be lower. Many people move to this sector later in life when they’re past their most expensive years.