How to build a great company culture in your startup

Culture is the soul of every organization. Whether you plan it or not, culture will happen. So as a startup CEO this is one of the core things you want to get right.

HubSpot has published a “culture code”. They published it partly as “manifesto” and partly as “employee handbook”. It is absolutely worth checking out.

Here are some of the highlights from the HubSpot Culture Code:

  1. Culture is to recruiting as product is to marketing.
  2. Whether you like it or not, you’re going to have a culture. Why not make it one you love?
  3. Solve For The Customer — not just their happiness, but also their success.
  4. Bankrupt companies don’t delight their customers.
  5. Success comes through educating customers, not exploiting them.
  6. Power is gained by sharing knowledge, not hoarding it.
  7. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
  8. You shouldn’t penalize the many for the mistakes of the few.
  9. We don’t have pages of policies and procedures.
  10. Results should matter more than when or where they are produced.
  11. Influence should be independent of hierarchy.
  12. Great people want direction on where they’re going — not directions on how to get there.
  13. Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.
  14. We’d rather be failing frequently than never trying.