This topic has been debated over and over. Based on my first-hand experience, I feel qualified to share my thoughts on signs indicating that your start-up is no longer a ‘startup’.
- You take the entire weekend off. i.e. 2 full days, i.i.e. complete Saturday and complete Sunday
- You spend more time on preparing client presentations than investor pitch decks
- You no longer monitor the Google alerts for your company or product name
- You are not all OCD about what it says on your company’s “About Us” page or the “Team” page
- You keep checking your Stripe/Adsense/<insert payment method> almost everyday.
- You set up an invoice tracking system.
- You ignore most emails from individuals with the title ‘Business Development’ in the signature
- You spend time thinking about the “company culture” and the “policies” on vacation time or sick leave.
- You understand what ‘HSA’, ‘Workers Comp’ insurance is all about.
- You no longer spend your time reading random blogs debating the differences between a startup and business.
Have a great day!
PS: I co-founded a ‘startup’ TrialX in 2009 that matches patients to medical research studies. I now consider it more or less a steady-small-revenue-generating business.