“All of those things I’ve taken into account and modeled very early, so anyone who comes on experiences that or is gravitated toward that,” Fontes said.

That meant treating customers and each other with kindness and respect, giving people time to take a break when they’re not feeling well and balancing workloads. When Fontes launched CultureCircle in 2016, she wanted it to be a place where people could show up and be human.

It will guide you to people who reflect those core values or have the skills to introduce new values that expand on what you want to create, Fontes said. “As soon as you have that idea, start building that culture because you won’t be far off from what starts to manifest and speed up as you grow.”Īnswering those questions will give your company a foundation from which to grow. That’s why the moment your idea turns into a business, you need to be thinking about how you want your employees to be treated, how you want them to act and what type of environment you want to create, Fontes said. This can lead to bad hires, employee gossip and toxic work environments. If you aren’t intentional about setting that culture from the start, you’ll quickly lose control of it. Why You Need to Establish Your Culture Right AwayĬulture may not seem important when the company is just you and your co-founder, but startups can easily grow from two employees to five to 20 in a blink of an eye. “You will become a company that will birth humans that go out and do better in the world.” “If you’re feeding the culture, watering the culture and doing the things it requires - which are very basic and simple things - it will yield you an enormous abundance that will touch beyond the core of your company,” Fontes said. That approach manifests itself in open communication, free-flowing creativity, and yes, benefits like wellness stipends, flexible work hours and resources for child care.Ī healthy culture will not only keep employees around, but it can also impact their lives. The best startup cultures are noted for how they place people - employees and customers - first. “Humanity will cross-pollinate the core functions of the culture from the way you recruit and hire, that first and last day experience and all the interactions in between.” “A little humanity goes a long way,” Fontes said.

When Fontes works with startup leaders on their culture, she instead has them focus on how they want people to feel when they work for them. Instead, Fontes defines startup culture as a set of shared values, thoughts and beliefs that shape how people work to reach the company’s goal.

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