If you’re a fan of the hit HBO show Silicon Valley, then you may be able to identify with the lead character’s plight to keep his burgeoning business from growing out of his control. He and his close-knit team that launched the company is having a hard time letting go of the startup culture.
It’s a common dilemma for many entrepreneurs. The startup days are hard, but the feeling of camaraderie and creating something from nothing is worth it. You want your business to grow yet you don’t want it to become a sprawling machine that lacks a warm heart at the center.
Just because you’re riding the wave of success and expanding doesn’t mean you have to lose the company’s original spirit. You just have to plot out a course that keeps the startup culture alive after you’re well established.
Use a Cloud-Based Solution to Keep People Connected
As the business grows you’ll need more people power – that’s inevitable. What started with a few people working side-by-side in a home office quickly morphs into a full-fledged company that’s hiring.
Where these people will work is an unknown for many businesses. As you scale up, it can be beneficial to use some type of scheduling software like Deputy so that you can hire part-time employees and offer flex schedules that allow people to work anywhere. From investors that are in another country to consultants across town to owners that are traveling, keeping everyone connected and invested becomes a top priority.
Cloud-based technology has been the answer to many entrepreneur prayers. There are now software solutions designed for modern businesses that want to keep everyone connected no matter where they’re working. Asure Software is a good example of a purpose-built platform that can measure employee productivity, manage space utilization and so much more. It’s a growing software segment with seemingly endless possibilities and applications on which you can capitalize.
Be Very Mindful of Who You Hire
Bringing new people into the fold is quite possibly the most stressful part of growing out of the startup phase. You want people who are going to fit in and understand your vision, but you don’t want to surround yourself with carbon copy “yes men.”
Three of the most important people to hire are the CEO, accountant and customer service manager. But there’s a good chance there are other roles that need to be filled. You can reduce the hiring anxiety by surrounding yourself with people who are just as passionate about growing the company as you are and make up for what you lack.
Make Time for One-on-One Meetings
A lot of meetings are mostly a waste of time, but one-on-one sit-downs with team members can help maintain the close startup feel. It shows new and old team members that they are valued and fosters a family mentality. No matter how many emails you send or phone calls you make, nothing is as impactful as face time.
Celebrate Wins Together
The core team of a startup will always remember that first sale or client. It was a huge achievement that everyone shared together. That’s part of what made it so special.
Celebrating wins together is just as important as the company grows. It helps to maintain the feel that everyone is in this thing together and supporting one another for group success. Another important factor is that celebrating as a company shows you appreciate everyone’s hard work, not just the decision makers at the top.
Create a Structure of Small Teams
One of the most effective ways to maintain the feel of a startup as you continue to grow is to create a company structured around small teams. These teams should have focused, shared goals that make up a puzzle piece of the company at large. They should be independent of other teams and autonomous like a company within the company.
This structure makes it easier to communicate, especially when one person is designated to lead the team. It will also encourage the agility that startups are known for. When you have someone you trust at the head of each team there’s less bureaucracy and red tape because they can make most of the decisions as needed.
Establish a Corporate Culture Based on Your Startup Days
Last but not least, establish a corporate culture. Don’t get thrown by the “corporate” part. Even a mega corporation can have startup values that guide its decisions, hires, branding, and product creation, etc.
The culture you developed during the startup phase is a contributing factor to your success. As renowned venture capitalist, Phil Thiel says “don’t f@*k up the culture”. Maintaining the culture, the soul of the business, is an extremely difficult task as you grow. Establishing what that culture is and the values that are most important is a giant step in the right direction.
