THE CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES OF WORKING AT A START-UP

MICHAEL KAZAZIS AND DR. RONALD GROSS, CO-FOUNDERS OF A LOCAL HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTING FIRM, HIGHLIGHT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING FOR A LARGE CORPORATION VERSUS A SMALL, ENTREPRENEURIAL START-UP.

This past Thursday, March 9, the Rollins Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) hosted Ronald Gross, CEO and founder of Censeo Corporation, and Michael Kazasis, CFO and founder of Censeo Corporation and alum of EMBA Class 24. Their topic was "Transitioning from the Corporate Environment to the Small Business/Start-up."
Their Maitland-based company, Censeo Corporation, started six years ago with five founders; they jokingly referred to themselves as "refugees" from Thompson, an electronic publishing company. Together, they gathered twenty-one employees with zero outside capital involved. They felt their commitments to each other were much stronger in the entrepreneurial setting than to an employer at a large company. Together, they raised $2.4 million and compiled 130 clients, most of which were Fortune 1000 companies. Censeo Corporation is a human resource consulting firm specializing in Internet-based assessments and surveys. The company provides two main services: counsel in constructing quality assessments and flexible, extremely powerful means of delivering the online assessments.

Their mantra is "keep things simple." They offered some helpful advice when starting a business:

• Make sure all the bases are covered. They highlighted that a good lawyer, a sharp CPA firm, and a great banker are all necessary elements.
• Only hire "A" players. When hiring, make sure you are selecting people who are committed to your cause.

In the start up setting, it's possible to apply everything you learned from working in larger corporations, especially how to avoid big company pitfalls. As with any new challenge, starting a business requires you to go out of your comfort zone. The speakers described the differences between working for small companies versus large companies. Large companies may have excellent benefits, but they are bureaucratic too. Small companies are more engaged, there is more flexibility, and people are more likely to work hard and play hard.

The speakers urged the audience to remember that it is not always about the salary one is making, but what you are doing and how you are growing. This is especially important to keep in mind when looking for internship experience. A few tips were outlined for students interviewing at small companies:

• Be sensitive to the fact that the interviewer has probably invested a lot of time in the company, particularly if he or she is one of the founders.
• Second, realize what you are worth to the company and understand the marketplace.
• Try to get a sense of the different exposure you might get within the small company versus a larger one.

From the small company's standpoint, one of the most difficult things is hiring and retaining good people. For Censeo, only the right people working as a team will allow the company to meet growth targets. The right people will grow and advance with the company.
This event helped students to understand the differences in working for a large corporation versus a small, entrepreneurial start-up. By drawing on their experiences in both areas, Mr. Kazazis and Mr. Gross offered students a personal perspective on the challenges and opportunities involved in working for a small, entrepreneurial start-up. The advice and insight of Mr. Kazazis and Mr. Gross will prove to be quite valuable as students begin to think about the type of company they wish to be involved in.

About Rollins CEO
Founded in the summer of 2004, the Rollins Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO) functions as the student arm of the Center for Entrepreneurship and is a chapter of the National Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization. The organization's goal is to provide students with a resource that exposes them to the world of entrepreneurship. This is accomplished through a series of educational and networking events throughout the year, as well as leadership opportunities within the organization.