Don't take this the wrong way, but you are living in a world of confirmation bias.
There are 288 companies in the world with a valuation of > $1b [1].
There is most likely over 100 million companies in the world [2].
With these numbers in mind you will have a 0.000288% chance of joining a unicorn.
Except, 50% of all new business fail within five years [3].
So, you will have a 0.000144% chance of joining a unicorn.
My company is doing well (approaching $4m revenue). I have already hugely defied the odds. I am one of the sucessfull ones. My return for a 5 year investment will be $600k at best. My story is a VERY common one. Yours is impossibly uncommon.
> My advice: If you can somehow spot a potential unicorn and you'll be one of the first employees, then drop everything and join it.
The advice you are giving is for people to drop everything for a snowball's chance in hell.
There are 288 companies in the world with a valuation of > $1b [1].
There is most likely over 100 million companies in the world [2].
With these numbers in mind you will have a 0.000288% chance of joining a unicorn.
Except, 50% of all new business fail within five years [3].
So, you will have a 0.000144% chance of joining a unicorn.
My company is doing well (approaching $4m revenue). I have already hugely defied the odds. I am one of the sucessfull ones. My return for a 5 year investment will be $600k at best. My story is a VERY common one. Yours is impossibly uncommon.
> My advice: If you can somehow spot a potential unicorn and you'll be one of the first employees, then drop everything and join it.
The advice you are giving is for people to drop everything for a snowball's chance in hell.
[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/06/unicorns-do-exist-and...
[2] https://www.quora.com/How-many-companies-exist-in-the-world
[3] https://www.inc.com/thomas-koulopoulos/5-of-the-most-surpris...