In my short career, having left university back in 2010, I have had the opportunity to work for two very small companies: the first had fewer than 35 employees and now here at Sermelo, I am the fifth full-time member of the team.
Personally, I’ve found working for a small company a fantastic experience – you are given the opportunity to prove yourself immediately; you are exposed to new experiences every day and feel like every action you take can directly benefit the company. It’s also beneficial having a greater level of responsibility because the more involved you are, the more valued you feel and integrated with the company you work for. I often wonder whether you get the same varied experience working for a multi-national corporation. Having spoken to several other graduates who work for FTSE 500 companies; it appears that too often, their role becomes pigeon-holed and much of their skillset is ignored and neglected. This is not to say that working for larger companies puts you at a disadvantage, but from a junior perspective, working in a small, closely knit team has definitely worked for me.
The last four months has taught me one thing in particular – that the people that make up smaller businesses must work together to achieve their targets. I also cannot stress enough the importance of transparency and honesty as relationships with colleagues are built almost entirely upon trust. It is a great feeling to be relied upon and again, I’m unsure as to whether I would get the same level of satisfaction at a big corporate firm.
In less than four months at Sermelo, I’ve been able to experience many parts of the business operation: I’ve experienced the world of PR and begun forging relationships with journalists; I’ve managed the CMS system for our evolving Sermelo website; I’ve written blogs, and built IKEA furniture as we look to expand further; not to mention pitching to new potential clients!
At Sermelo, there is no great hierarchy and we all work together towards one common goal: to exceed the expectations of our clients. And our size is part of our competitive advantage; we have the agility and flexibility to react quickly and capitalise on opportunities without having to go through levels of approvals. Our only focus at Sermelo is the quality of work we deliver and our relationships with clients. We avoid the anonymous, faceless corporate façade and I like to think that we continue to succeed by winning new business because we are good, not because we are big.
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