Top Perks of Working at a Small Business

Last week, we discussed the pros and cons of self-employment vs. working for a large company. As mentioned, for those individuals who work with large businesses, there are obvious perks that come with the job. For starters, larger companies can often offer very nice benefits, as well as larger salaries and plush offices. For many people, these are the things that intrigue and impress them the most and are often the perks that convince people to work for those larger businesses. However, for those who are considering working for smaller businesses, there are certainly perks, albeit different ones, to this kind of employment as well. Whether you’re trying to decide between job offers or you’re just wanting to learn more about options available in the working world, consider the following top perks of working at a small business:

1. Room for Growth

With large businesses, it’s often very hard to break through certain status levels if you haven’t been around for very long. In fact, even if you have been working for a large-scale business for quite a few years, it can be very difficult to make a spot for yourself unless someone else will eventually be stepping down, and that also means you’re likely competing with a lot of other employees for the spot.

In comparison, it’s much easier to move up quickly within a smaller business because there is less competition and there is more opportunity to gain greater responsibilities.

2. You’re Closer to Senior Leaders

In large corporations, it’s not uncommon for some employees to never even meet the person in charge of the business. In these kinds of situations, individuals who are higher up may not even be in the office more than a few times a year, which can often be frustrating for employees further down.

In small businesses, one of the huge perks is that you’re likely to know way more people that you work with, and you can get to know them on a much more personal level. This will often include individuals who are higher up, whom you’ll likely get to meet with much more often, and who might even work in the same office as you throughout the week.

3. Increased Camaraderie

As mentioned above, working with a smaller team means that you’ll likely know way more people in the business, and you’ll know them on a personal level as well. This is often the key to a successful business—everyone is working together toward a common goal, and it becomes even easier to want to reach that goal when the team is connected on a more personal level.

4. A More Relaxed Atmosphere

Smaller businesses often do not require their employees to show up in suits and full-blown business meeting attire on a daily basis. In fact, lots of businesses are embracing a more relaxed atmosphere to help reduce stress and increase relaxation, comfort, and creativity. Not only that but decorating a small business might also mean having a much more modern, relaxed office space that doesn’t support small, restricting cubicles.

Nowadays, small business employees are more likely to enjoy open floor plans, which encourage a lot of conversation, brainstorming, and communicating with other workers.

5. Better Tools

Businesses that are catering to 30 floors of employees often struggle with offering the best of the best when it comes to work tools. It isn’t easy trying to keep up with maintaining hundreds of printers, fax machines, internet shortages, and a handful of other daily problems.

Luckily, in small businesses, one of the great perks is that there are fewer workers to provide for, which means more of the budget can go into better tools, including the fastest networks, the best laptops, and quality cartridges like the Canon Pixma mg3520.

Having top-of-the-line products means that employees don’t have to spend time waiting for things to get fixed; more efficient tools means getting work done on time and in the best quality possible.

6. Learning About More Fields

When there are 100 people working in sales and another 200 working in budgeting, it’s likely that you’re not going to be learning much about other fields when they aren’t your specialty (and if they’re on a totally different floor).

One of the great perks of a small business is that you can easily start dipping your toes into other fields when your team is such a closely knit unit. You might notice that working in this kind of environment leads to having more hats in the company, and that you’ll be able to learn a lot more about the other departments and whether you can contribute to them as well. Instead of feeling as though you can only grow vertically in a specific field, smaller businesses often have opportunities to grow horizontally, as well, across various trades.

7. Great Training for the Future

If you’ve ever thought about beginning your own start-up, being a part of someone else’s small business first is a great way to start. This way, you can start to see exactly how a business grows from the ground up, what kinds of approaches tend to work, and what things are often more harmful than helpful.

8. You Won’t Be Forgotten

Running a smaller business often makes it much easier for owners and management to take their workers into consideration for all kinds of different things. Generally, with such a small team, owners have the unique opportunity to speak with their employees and to get feedback from them on all kinds of things pertaining to the company. This is ideal since employees will often feel much more appreciated and valued when their management takes the initiative to include them in the workings of the company.

Conclusion: Perks of Working at a Small Business

There are different perks when it comes to working with a larger business, but, for those employees who are looking for something much more personal with greater possibilities, a smaller business venture might be the ideal place.

Smaller businesses might not be working with quite as large of a budget, but it’s likely that a smaller business with a hard-working team will see success as a result of their efforts. If you have the patience to see a business grow and flourish, you might consider researching new start-ups in your area to see what kind of opportunities await you.