RentRedi- Structure of a Startup

Working at RentRedi has allowed me to experience how small businesses and startups operate. While these positions can be very rigorous, they often have a different structure than most 9-5 jobs. Since there is only a dozen or so employees at RentRedi, it is easier to hold each other accountable. Each team member has deliverables, and everyone (including the founders) are aware of its importance and status. As a result, these businesses often give employees more flexibility with hours worked and deadlines. For instance, since I keep in relatively constant contact with my supervisor, she has a relative sense of when I am working and what I am working on, eliminating the need to clock in and out to work and meet specific deadlines. Since there is trust and understanding of each other’s roles, it allows me to work in a way that I can greatly benefit from. Specifically, I am able to take my time and take the time to understand a project while I am working on it, rather than rush to meet an arbitrary deadline. Especially considering the remote context, I find that working in a small business allows me the flexibility to learn at a fast, yet manageable pace.

Another aspect of RentRedi that I have greatly appreciated is how communication works in a startup. As mentioned above, working with a small team makes it significantly easier to foster trusting relationships and work towards a common goal. An essential part of this is communication. While trusting that a teammate is accomplishing their goals, I have also learned the importance of periodic conversation for the purpose of checking in and making sure both parties are on task. When I am given a project to work on, I quickly learned that it is better to clarify any issues before starting and being open to any suggestions that a teammate has for me. Working for a startup involved with technology, I have also learned to appreciate how communication has evolved. We frequently use Slack to communicate, share content, and ask questions. This platform allows us to communicate efficiently, professionally, and in a much more informal manner than e-mail.