Here’s how startups can maintain their culture despite rapid expansion

Photo credit: Luke Porter.

Sofia, Tel Aviv, Montreal, Oslo, Bangalore, Singapore, Instanbul—looks like a travel bucket list to quench some wanderlust. However, these cities have more than just that as their claim to fame. You are looking at a list of emerging startup hubs across the world according to the Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking released by San Francisco-based Compass last year. While the Silicon Valley remains the first port of call for all things startup, these cities are fast creating ecosystems that are conducive to entrepreneurship.

Sure enough, more startups are setting up their base of operations in these cities, with bigger ones choosing to expand across regions and geographies. The Singapore ecosystem’s benefits include government support and ease of doing business. In Sofia, it’s their low tax regime; in Bangalore, it’s the low cost of good talent, and so on.

In a borderless world, it makes sense for an agile, growing startup to make the most of these perks and create offices that can work seamlessly to produce the best value for the consumer. BankBazaar, for example, started in Bangalore but has recently set up an office in Singapore. Being present in both these countries gives us access to two huge markets: Southeast Asia and India.

But having multiple offices, like traditional MNCs or big conglomerates, doesn’t come without its pain points. Maintaining a consistent work culture, ensuring an unhindered work relationship, building trust between founders and overseas employees, and understanding the market are but some of the challenges that growing startups face. It is far tougher for entrepreneurs to maneuver their way around these issues since most startups don’t have the luxury of time, funds, or resources.

Here’s how we think startups can mitigate the pain points and create a vibrant company.

Maintain an easily identifiable company culture

This is easier said than done and remains one of the biggest challenges for startups with multiple offices. It helps to do the following:

Write down the values

Remember the time when we were told to write it down? That still works when it comes to knowing and communicating company values. It works specifically for companies that are spread across different cultures and countries. Grab, one of the popular ride-hailing technology platforms, talks about a concept called Grab Life. It showcases concepts like moving forward together and building tools that empower people.

Use the storytelling approach

My CEO, Adhil Shetty, talks about the company’s milestones and challenges in the form of stories. He believes that:

“The stories we share with one another are important. They provide context and history as well as insight and wisdom. They connect us with the past and the people around us. And they provide inspiration. The stories we choose to share as individuals and as brands are important to our development.”

This helps humanize the brand, the culture, and the values and is even more important when these aspects need to be carried across teams and countries. Company folklore should be a trend soon.

Create office rituals

Choose a sustainable, more human goal

Frequent interactions with founding team

Build team spirit and hire the best