The Soul of Startups

Introduction

A workplace environment that values creative problem solving, open communication, and a flat hierarchy is popularly defined as a startup culture. Typically, in a corporate culture, the core values are communicated through a mission statement, products, and customer needs.

When it comes to startups, this statement couldn't be further from the truth. In the beginning, a startup company is scrappy, disorganized, and going through headcount stages that start at 1 and skyrocket to 5,000. Due to this rapid growth, the culture has no choice other than evolve from a business that's required to claw to a full‐blown hierarchical structure. This change is implemented to sustain the growth.

In this book, we will dive into the many stages of a startup company and watch how the culture has matured in the best and worst ways. I am going to take this moment to remind everyone reading that this is not a “how to” book. In these pages you will find a compilation of activities I've witnessed and situations I've experienced. Each one is like a tattoo or scar.

My hope is to leave you with a shortcut to immerse yourself into the startup culture. While reading you will learn from my joy and pain but then come to the end making up your own mind.

A BIT ABOUT ME

Reflecting on the past has never been my style. When trauma reared its ugly head, I was always the type of person who would blow past it and carry on with my life. In my mind I could hear myself say, “That experience can never ...