People in large organizations are used to having everything in place: computer and IT support, cleaning services, HR services (salary payments, training, etc), etc. The sheer multiplexity of things that startup founders have to work on on top of “just running the business” is something new to many novice founders.

When you have been working in a large company for a long time, you are being trained to think in processes, hierarchical authorization and optimization of existing knowledge. When you then move to a world where you must feel comfortable with not knowing how to perform well, what direction to take and being fully responsible for one’s actions, this is often difficult for novice entrepreneurs.

In the corporate world, people are used to working from 9am to 5pm, whereas entrepreneurs are only starting at 10am and finish later. When corporate professionals are changing to this new rhythm, they dislike having to reorganize their personal lives.

In a startup, one is not paid on a regular basis, and it is difficult to predict who will be rich and who won’t. This uncertainty about financial reward is difficult for many people transitioning from “corporate” to “startup” jobs.