Need honest advice: Should I take a 25% pay cut for a Founder’s Office role?
Need honest advice: Should I take a 25% pay cut for a Founder’s Office role?
I’m in a pretty difficult career dilemma and would really appreciate some unbiased advice.
I have ~3 years of experience across Program Management, Ops and Founder’s Office. I recently joined an early-stage, fast-growing startup in a Founder’s Office role, but left within 3 months.
The role turned out very different from what I had expected. There was very little context or information about the business, while the expectations were extremely high. Over time, the management style became increasingly toxic and unbearable, and I eventually realised it wasn’t a healthy environment for me to continue in. We parted ways mutually.
I’ve now been unemployed for ~1.5 months and have been interviewing. I currently have one offer from a very early-stage strategy studio that works with startups on strategic problems. Founder's are from consulting background. I’d be joining as part of the founding team in a Founder’s Office-type role.
Why I’m considering it:
- The founders seem genuinely good, transparent and ethical after, had 3 conversations.
- Strong exposure to strategy, early-stage businesses and problem-solving.
- Significant scope to learn and potentially grow with the function and lead it end to end.
- Fast growth based on performance, qs promised by founder's (taking it on face value as of now)
- Could help me build a stronger career direction and eventually prepare for an MBA.
The catch:
- ~25% lower CTC than my previous job.
- 6-day working week.
- 6 months of probation period
- Another very early-stage setup, which worries me after my previous experience.
I initially declined because of the compensation, but the founders came back with a revised offer and seem genuinely interested in having me join. That makes the decision harder.
I’m wondering whether I should take the short-term financial hit for the learning + exposure + potential upside, or keep decline this because of poor comp. (In my job hunting this is my preferable role btw)
What would you do in my position?
Would love honest perspectives, especially from people who have worked in Founder’s Office, strategy, consulting or early-stage startups. Also, what am I potentially overlooking here? Need a blunt answer urgently!