Somehow or rather, both sides don't seem to like each other.

MNC's will say startup guys are

1. Hard to control
2. Lack discipline
3. Un-manageable
4. Crazy
5. Slackers

Startup guys also say MNC people are

1. Rigid
2. Looks only at processes
   
3. Numbers driven
4. Looking to corrupt the world
5. Slow to adapt

Maybe I am exaggerating but that is the feeling I get when I was going through the FI course. It was not just local guys but those who were sharing with us from the US as well!

But I really feel that MNC's will benefit from having people with startup training in the organization! Maybe not in all roles but for project based roles or product based roles they will be great!

So why do I say that?

1. Startup guys will slog to get things done. What is sleep when there is passion!
2. Startup guys are resourceful. If they can't do it, they know where to look!
3. Startup guys know how to get things done cheaply. They don;t have huge budgets!
4. Startup guys can do multiple roles. They have to plan, design, program, pitch, financials and clean the room!
5. Startup guys can think out of the box. There is no point to do something which someone else is doing!
6. Startup guys can quickly look for solutions. No point in crying over spillt milk!
7. Startup guys can pitch in 5 minutes. Save time, do more!

I'll talk about why corporate guys are good for startups later on... but these are my thoughts for today. Do let me know if I forgot something!

As I ponder to share what I learnt from startup training, I realize I see many similarities in it while working in the many companies I did previously. Today I am going to talk about the fundamental thing of any company. Get shit done!

When working in a company, the difference between a good employee and a bad employee is not how much they do, but how they communicate what they did. In startup life, it doesn't matter how well you can tell what you did, but what did you do. Did you get shit done?

A lot of time is wasted in meetings and meetings and even more meetings to tell others what did you do. Sharing of reports, analytic studies, decision making, making sure everyone is happy and heard. It's important but many times, those who make decisions are not those who need the meetings, but those around you are the ones who do. Much time is wasted validating each others decisions to ensure no mistakes are made.

But then, it is good as you will always know what is happening... right? We all don't have time to read emails because we are all caught up in meetings are more meetings. It does helps us come to a decision when we are not sure but so does a phone call.

Anyway, I would like to share with everyone is to focus on getting your work done first. Reduce your meetings and always have a PAL with you during your meetings. If you don't have a PAL, your meetings are useless. Ensure you know what you are spending your time other than getting shit done.

After the FI graduation, while we were having some drinks, I started to think "Will startup courses like FI be relevant to MNC companies?"

Problem is that MNC's don't liek startup guys and well, startup's don't like MNC guys as well. There were so many mentors who said don't hire people from MNC backgrounds but realistically in today's economy, if you don't have a steady income or savings, how are you going to get a company up and running in Malaysia?

So I started thinking, what did I learn in FI and would it be useful if I was still working in an MNC? How will it help? Will it be beneficial at all or would it make me quit my job?