I was the first employee of a huge startup – and it was tough. Here’s my advice to anyone thinking about joining an early-stage company.

• Adrian Granzella Larssen is a content strategist, editorial director, and founder of Sweet Spot Content.
• Nine years ago, she was the first employee at The Muse, a content-first career website founded by Kathryn Minshew and Alexandra Cavoulacos that now reaches millions of people.
• “You’re always in a rush, you’re broke, you’re exhausted,” she writes of her first days at the company.
• What follows is her candid advice to anyone thinking about joining an early-stage startup, like asking yourself what you hope to get out of the experience and being honest about your tolerance for change.

It was an uncharacteristically sunny day in San Francisco, which I only remember because I was wearing flip-flops.

I was late to meeting my team at our co-working space, and as I saw the bus approaching, I sprinted to catch it. You can probably already picture the rest: One sandal edge got caught on the sidewalk, and I flew through the air and face-planted on the ground. The bus drove by without stopping.

As I peeled myself off the asphalt, I thought, “Well, I sure hope I didn’t break anything – I don’t have health insurance.” But even if I did break something, it didn’t matter. I had to get to work.