Joining The Challenger Consultancy from a startup

I joined Elixirr as an analyst after spending 2 years in the startup world. Unlike some of my peers who, fresh out of university, took the corporate route, I took a risk to help build a business from the ground up. There I enjoyed a huge amount of autonomy, which I quickly realised is what made me passionate about my job. However, I started to get the itch for what was next. As fun, fast-paced and testing as startups can be, I felt that I wasn’t going to reach my full potential. And then I found Elixirr…

Why consultancy?

This is an easy one to answer. The colleagues I admired most in my previous roles were ex-consultants. They were often the brightest people in the room and had a sense of invincibility – no challenge seemed too great to tackle. I loved working with them, and I learnt loads. What’s more, the project-based work appealed to me, and I knew getting to the right consultancy would set me up for the rest of my career.

But… I didn’t want to lose the autonomy and sense of responsibility that I had enjoyed so much at the startup. I feared I’d soon become a number in the system, a small cog in a big machine.

Enter, Elixirr

Elixirr positions itself as a halfway-house between a startup and a fully-fledged consultancy, which so far holds to be true. Not only is it exciting to be part of something rapidly growing (37% year-on-year) but the entrepreneurial spirit percolates through every aspect of life at Elixirr. There is a real sense of community in the London office (where I’m based), not only celebrating company milestones but personal ones too. The culture is one of collaboration – I feel that everyone genuinely wants to see each other succeed. That’s because every employee is bought-in… in both the figurative and literal sense. Elixirr not only has a generous share option scheme (which reminds me of the startup world) but a market-leading Employee Share Purchase Plan. They match 100% of what you put in. 

The client base is wide and so I knew I would get exposure to a whole host of industries which was important to me at this stage of my career. Something unique that also drew me in is that Elixirr specialises in immersion projects. They connect large corporates with startups, injecting the energy, passion and pace into the larger company.

The meritocratic promotion scheme here is reminiscent of a startup – you’re promoted when you’re ready; it’s as simple as that.

The meritocratic promotion scheme here is also reminiscent of the startup world. You’re promoted when you are ready; it’s as simple as that. Unlike other larger firms, promotion cycles run quarterly so you really feel like your career is in your hands. 

Was this too good to be true? Here’s a look at what my first few months were like… (hint, I was not disappointed). 

Life at Elixirr

The first few months were a whirlwind. I followed the advice given to me at the start and said yes to (almost) everything.

In my first week, I helped write three proposals, in the second week I was staffed on a project and in my third week I was even leading client meetings. In between the project, I created and led data analysis workshops for the new graduate intake. Oh, and I failed to mention the 33 coffee trips and 5 pub sessions…

Life at Elixirr is fast paced. You never know what is coming around the corner, but I can safely say that it has lived up to its promise of being a firm of entrepreneurs.

So, what’s next?

The longer I am here the more opportunities present themselves – but the key thing I have learnt is that they are there for the taking. At Elixirr you get the real sense that your career development is in your hands. And what’s more, I have picked up an “unofficial” mentor to accompany my official partner coach, both of whom are invested in my career development.

I may have left a startup, but at Elixirr that culture certainly remains…

Sound good? Apply today.