Every startup chases funding rounds, rapid growth and the next big product breakthrough. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: none of that matters if your culture is broken.
Culture is not the same as perks or gimmicks. It’s not beanbag chairs, pizza Fridays or a beer fridge in the office. It’s the glue that binds a team together, the way showing up to work makes you feel, the moral compass behind every decision. Building a positive culture doesn’t just happen. It must be intentional and takes work. And the only way to create and scale it is by living your values daily, without exception.
Values that actually mean something
Every startup needs clear core beliefs and principles to serve as its company DNA. These should be more than just fancy words on a website or on posters dotted around the office. They should translate into daily behaviours. You can’t replicate this from other companies, as every company is different. You should build non-negotiables that shape and make your company unique, that represent who you are and who you want to be. You are not Google or Zappos, so do not try to replicate them.
Define your principles and standards early, as without them, culture will form accidentally and it then becomes difficult to change it.
Don’t just hire for skills
Hiring in a startup, especially in the early days, is critical as these new hires will help shape the company. Hire for cultural fit and not just for skills. In fact, you can compromise on skills, as skills can be learnt, but never compromise on culture. One bad hire can disrupt the company fabric, and then it can unravel quickly.
Culture starts with leadership
Leaders need to set the tone. The company’s identity is not an HR issue…it’s a leadership issue. Leaders need to demonstrate their mindset and ethos more than anyone else, as people pay attention to what their leaders do and will look to replicate their behaviour. Culture does not live on what you say, but rather it lives on how you act every single day.
Communication builds trust
Startups are fast-moving, chaotic and priorities seem to change daily. Be transparent and regular in your communications. Over-communicate. No one ever complained about having too much information. Openness, honesty and clarity build trust. Uncertainty erodes the foundations.
Scaling without dilution
As a company grows, culture dilution becomes a real issue. You need to actively onboard new hires to adopt the same principles and mindset as the rest of the company. Be deliberate about your onboarding process. Embed it into your hiring practices and how you manage performance. Assess employees not only on their work output, but also on how they live the values. Train leaders to reinforce them.
Never compromise on the company principles for short-term gains. Rejecting a candidate who has all the technical skills, but is misaligned with the ethos, may be difficult in the moment, especially when you need to fill that hard-to-hire role, but it preserves the integrity of your company long term.
Your culture is your superpower
In summary, culture is about the shared values, behaviours and a sense of belonging that hold a team together like glue and give meaning and purpose to the work. It’s how a company makes you feel and a shared positive mindset. In a startup, culture is both your safety net and your superpower. Build it with intention, lead by example, and protect it fiercely as you grow.