Want to build a great culture for your startup? There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.

What defines a great startup culture? Is it one that follows the footsteps of Silicon Valley startups – cool breakout areas, flexible working hours, unlimited leave, and numerous other benefits that seem too good to be true?

Having produced the likes of Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, the Valley’s culture has long been fawned upon by many aspiring founders worldwide. But should it be emulated in Asia’s context, given the differences in culture?

During Founders Night after Day 1 of Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015, Khailee Ng (managing partner of 500 Startups), Ray Chan (founder and CEO of 9Gag), and several selected Bootstrap Alley startups gathered in a cozy setting at Hive Shibuya. The meetup sought practical insights into building a great culture – and we’ve distilled some key takeaways from the session.

Will the Silicon Valley culture work in Asia?

Khailee started the ball rolling by sharing a personal encounter of a founder who rarely complimented his teammates. Inspired by his meeting with a Silicon Valley startup, he decided a change in approach was for the best, and started to praise his team more frequently. While one might expect a positive reaction, it took an unexpected turn – six employees asked for a pay raise.

Ray chimed in with an account of how introducing an unlimited leave policy in his company was surprisingly met with strong objections. After some probing, several of the more candid employees admitted that they resisted the added responsibility that comes with more autonomy over their work schedule.

Ray went with it anyway, and this policy still remains in place at 9Gag.

The moral of the story, both founders agreed, was that no matter how great your policies and the intentions behind them are – people don’t necessarily view them the way you do. Their advice to founders: it is not about following policies that have worked for others, but rather, making the decisions that you think is best for your company.

On managing people

Managing a team is not something founders of tech startups set out to do. But like it or not, it’s something they have to face. Trust is a fundamental element in managing people, and Khailee observed how Western and Asian values differed in this aspect. While the former takes an “innocent until proven guilty” approach, the latter tends to head in the opposite direction.

Knowing how to communicate effectively is key too, and management styles should be tailored according to who you are dealing with.

On hiring and retaining talent

“Building a company is like building a religion,” Ray quips. He believes that the team should be made up of individuals who resonate with the company’s mission and direction. The 9Gag founder explained that he had to let go 40 percent of his team within a month. “When you keep people who aren’t a good fit with the company, you are essentially driving away people who are a good fit,” he added. The results spoke for itself – despite having fewer people on the team, their metrics went up.

Have fun, get shit done

The duo does not believe in work-life balance. They see it as an integration rather than them being separate entities.

“Have fun, get shit done” is the mantra they live and breathe at 500 Startups – they even have their own hashtag for it at work: #hfgst. While counter-intuitive, Khailee explains that if the team is not having fun, their work is not going to be sustainable anyway.

“Many people think working at 9Gag is a lot of fun. They think that they get to stare at funny pictures all day long. The end result is funny – but before that, you have to get shit done,” Ray interjected. It’s akin to the tons of effort comedians put in for a mere five minutes under the spotlight.

Making your own way

The duo ended their hour-and-a-half-long conversation with a word of advice to all current and aspiring founders – find your own path.

While they might not necessarily have as much experience or success in the industry compared to seasoned entrepreneurs, Khailee reasoned that founders are the people who know their own business best, having worked on it harder than anyone else. The best thing to do, they opined, was to find what works, keep improving on the process, and take responsibility for your decisions.

Ray summed it up succinctly. “Even the best advice, it’s bullshit. Just find your own way.”

Founders’ Night ended with a mini photo taking and networking session. The fun continued at Night Crawl at Club Camelot, the conference’s post-event party. Check out the photos of our second edition of Tech in Asia Tokyo.

Like what you just read? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see during our future conferences and meetups in the comments section below!