Article summary
I’ve been working with startups for the past several years, from lean two-person gigs all the way to startups with about 100 engineers. Each stage brings a different dynamic, and while the fundamentals of software consulting remain the same, the challenges and opportunities shift significantly based on the size and maturity of the company.
The Lean Startup
The lean startup is often a couple of founders with an idea and just enough funding to build an MVP. These teams operate with speed and urgency, looking for quick validation, and iterating rapidly.
Working with a startup at this stage means wearing many hats. On the plus side, there’s a lot of ownership—you have direct input into technical decisions, get to shape the architecture, and often interact with the CEO daily. It’s a greenfield opportunity where you can showcase your skills, move fast, and see direct results from your efforts. Changes impact only a handful of people, making pivots easier.
But the flip side is equally intense. Since everything is reliant on you, the workload can be overwhelming. The high level of CEO interaction can be both a blessing and a curse—direct feedback is great, but it can also mean rapidly shifting priorities. Budget constraints are often a reality, meaning creative problem-solving is necessary. Team collaboration is minimal at this stage since there’s usually not much of a team to rely on.
The Mid-Size Startup
Once a startup gets past the initial MVP stage and finds product-market fit, things start to mature. The company might have a more defined product, stronger stakeholders, and a bigger budget. This is often where the “Atomic team” thrives, as we excel at working in teams of four to six people, collaborating with product managers, designers, and developers.
In this environment, greenfield opportunities still exist, but they are balanced with a clearer vision and structured roadmap. The budget allows for better tooling, more thought-out infrastructure, and a focus on the bigger picture rather than just getting something out the door. Stakeholders are generally more experienced, leading to productive conversations about trade-offs and priorities.
However, the intensity doesn’t completely go away. While there’s a team to collaborate with, there’s still a lot of reliance on individual contributors. Mistakes have a bigger impact now as they affect more people. The stakes are higher, but so is the potential for meaningful impact.
The Large Startup
By the time a startup has scaled to 100+ engineers, the game has changed entirely. At this stage, the company has significant funding, a well-established product, and an engineering organization with specialized teams.
The advantages of working at this level are clear — huge budgets mean access to great tools, experimentation, and dedicated infrastructure teams to support development. No single person carries the entire burden, and collaboration happens on a larger scale.
But the challenges grow as well. With so many moving parts, changes underneath you are frequent. The landscape shifts constantly, making it harder to plan long-term. There are layers of people involved in decision-making, often leading to more politicking and bureaucracy. Mistakes don’t just impact a team or a department — they can ripple across the entire organization. While there’s still meaningful work to be done, it’s often focused on execution rather than shaping the big picture.
Finding the Right Fit
Each stage of a startup presents its own mix of opportunities and challenges. Some thrive in the chaos of a lean startup, while others prefer the structure of a larger organization. As consultants, adaptability is key — we meet our clients where they are, providing the right level of guidance and expertise to help them succeed at every stage of their journey.