The successful Start-up rules I followed !!

The successful Start-up rules I followed

About the Writer

Paul Thomas has been with major start-ups since inception to building and managing scale, processes, and profitability. With over 15 years of experience in the startup ecosystem, he hopes to be of value to anyone who would look to him for any specific advice on his learnings through the years.

The successful startup rules I followed

I’ve always been asked to pen down my thoughts on what my experience has been working with these great organizations from inception and I hope you enjoy the read. I have made 4 broad themes namely Passion, People, Discovery and YOU from my experiences and while I could write a lot more I will probably need to keep that for Part 2 of this blog.

PASSION “It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together.”

Convince Yourself. Convince Others.

The whole story’s success is dependent on how convinced you feel about it yourself. Do you believe in it? Do you trust it? You have to start with being able to convince yourself. It’s only when you achieve this first step that you can graduate onto building a pitch which will convince others to get on board. Talking to others about what opportunities await them is going to make them believe there is success at the end of this path that they have chosen to embark upon along with you. After all, they’re taking a big risk themselves.

I once had a guy who walked in to our 500 square feet office. He used to work for Oracle where everything was already in place. From getting picked up and dropped right outside his house, a huge cafeteria, getting paid assured bonuses based on overall company performance, to banks running after him to give loans just by virtue of being associated with a big name… he had everything. At least that’s what it looked like. For somebody like him, it would be a gamble to join a start-up.

Years later, after having worked together and becoming close friends, we happened to be chatting about the difficulty of recruiting in a start-up. He told me about his own fears he had when he first walked in to the office. The first thing he thought was “Am I making a mistake? Where will I even sit? What if this does not work? Will I be able to get back into my MNC job?” The reason why he took the gamble was because I convinced him that he wanted to be part of something extraordinary, something which he could call his own. If I could believe in it so strongly, so could he. He understood pretty well that the team knew what they were talking about and when I explained the project, I had sold him his future. That’s what you do when you sell people a dream, a future full of hope; you better well be very convinced about it yourself.

The Domino Effect: You never know when you start a chain reaction.

Every chance you get, you should be able to find yourself talking about what you do. Be it your family, your relatives, your friends, your acquaintances. Anyone. Everyone. You just don’t know where the balance tips and the chain reaction begins.

I remember going to a family get together at my sister’s place and I was introduced to this gentleman who was the CEO of an MNC. He asked me what I did. With my natural instinct, I automatically went into a pitch mode; I started talking to him, explaining what we did with children across the country and how what we did impacted their lives. It turned out that he felt strongly about education as well and why his son’s school did not offer what we offered. He told me to contact him the next day and put me in touch with his sister who was the principal of another school. He also put me across to the Chairman of his son’s school. A casual conversation had transcended into an opportunity for our project to expand. Do you have to be modest about what you’ve accomplished? No… There will be a time when you will get down to modesty; it’ll come when you’re able to afford massive marketing budgets. But until then you need to be able to talk as much about what you’re doing; you’re the marketing team yourself when you’ve just begun.

It’s not just that you have to wait for someone “important” to come along to talk about what you do. I realize my friends and family have become my marketing team as well; over a period of time they have heard me talk so much about what I do to them and others, that whenever they introduce me, they also introduce the project I am involved in. I’ve had so many conversations with people which began by my friends introducing me saying “Hey, he’s the guy with the interesting job I was talking to you about…”

Reinforcing Positivity. Motivating Others.

Never forget that there is always a silver lining in the cloud. When you’re involved so deeply in a start-up, you have to remember that there will be situations that bring you down. Not only do you have to rise from them yourself, you also have to ensure you provide the necessary support to people who have embarked upon this journey with you and taken the risk which you sold them. There is a need to constantly reinforce positivity in yourself and those around you.

There was a constant frustration that I could sense from time to time in one of the Marketing Heads I worked with in a Sports Retail startup. Given the nature of a startup, it is only natural for anyone to get frustrated as you don’t always get to implement what you ideate because of thin budgets; you have to improvise and come up with the best possible solution given the circumstances. You don’t have to necessarily look at this negatively. A startup is in fact the best playing ground for learning. Tomorrow, if you want to quit and do something of your own, the experiences you have with a startup would give you the strength to delve into the unknown with greater confidence. You would’ve already faced similar situations and come out of it with flying colors. This is something I had to remind the Marketing Head every time he would get dejected. It’s about how you look at a situation that makes all the difference. You have to ensure you feed in the power of positive outlook in your people to be able to empower them to do their best. His LinkedIn recommendation for me was a pleasant surprise where he spoke about my ability to bring about the positives in any situation. The truth is when you motivate yourself about what you want to achieve, it is only natural that you can motivate others too.

PEOPLE “Different people awaken different beasts in you”

Hire your own boss.

This is a practice I have learnt in the sports startup I was involved in while setting up their project in India. I haven’t hired for only those set of responsibilities that are a direct derivative of that position, but have tried to look for a person who can lead the organization in the future. It is your responsibility to hire your boss. Sounds strange but it opens avenues to immeasurable successes. You have to look for the person who has the potential to take the game to the next level where you couldn’t yourself possibly reach as easily. You have to be fearless while making this decision. You may have to wait longer, interview more people, get over your own insecurity and look for someone who will not only be the perfect fit for a position but for the future of the organization.

In the startup, I was a Brand Manager for their second biggest brand (cycling) with an additional responsibility of handling the HR function. Although I wasn’t a cycling specialist, I had project management skills to drive this brand forward which landed me the job. While meeting some vendors, I came across someone I could learn from, who had great leadership skills and passion for cycling. I went up to the CEO to let him know I had found a person who could be my boss. There was no such position available but since I insisted, he let me create the job and get this guy onboard. Later that year, our brand generated 27% of the overall revenues and was the leading contributor of the year. It also opened up new opportunities for me. A while later I was in charge of the HR function setting an example for others to follow to hire great people across the organization irrespective of any fear driven by their own insecurities.

Don’t look for “The One”. Groom the perfect one.

It’s not like finding “Neo” in the Matrix. There is no “The One”. Let’s face it, finding the perfect guy for the role in a startup is a daunting task. You’re restricted by factors beyond your control, financial constraints, physical environment, team sizes, nature of work, etc. Everyone in a startup has to get their hands dirty. Your dream guy may not just want to do that. You really need to look for the right attitude and groom these great guys into masters of the trade. It’s an investment worth making. Spending time on nurturing this talent and providing them superb avenues to learn will pave the way to having your perfect guy.

I once hired this girl for a position of a school sports trainer; she was a psychologist and had no prior experience in training kids. However, what stood out was her attitude. She had a genuine passion for kids and was meticulous and detailed in her work. She went on to outperform everybody and was soon doing different roles. She was very receptive of the way I motivated her to push herself to learn more. She became a master train-the-trainer and subsequently moved onto the people analytics team under HR after completing her masters which she pursued while working with us. She introduced various new recruitment procedures which mitigated our recruitment risks which got us our perfect fits. What make people successful is the attitude they carry and how they apply it.

Overcoming your barriers. Making tough calls.

You will only be successful if you keep up with the pace of the growth of the organization. Sometimes, people you start with may not be those who will remain with you throughout your journey. This is a fact that you must accept.

When the organization moves ahead so rapidly it’s being pushed by the entire team. If you don’t manage to keep up with that pace you will be left behind. In some cases you will be asking others to slow down when you can’t keep up. That’s when you become a liability rather than an asset. You must take the call of letting people who are dragging you down go. It may shock everyone when you do that, but for the larger good it has to be done. Someone would be exceptionally capable to handle an organization which is 50 people strong, but to handle a 500 strong team takes a different animal all together.

We had someone at the initial stages who was Mr. Magic, everything revolved around him and he could fix any problem that arose. But after a while he was doing just that, fixing problems and not creating long term solutions. Even if he made a process, he himself would not follow it in the future because it didn't cater to a long term answer. We had to let him go in spite of the fact he was with us from the start. It was shocking for everyone who was very dependent on him. He was completely in control of the entire chain. That was something we had to avoid. The new replacement was a process driven and detailed oriented man but with lesser amount of social skills than the previous, however his interventions made sure that we were able to scale up and also get more process orientated and not just rely on people skills.

Understanding your teams

It helps when all managers and team mates understand their styles of working and that of their fellow mates.

We did a Harrisons assessment report for everyone in the organization and everyone was coached on their styles, these reports were shared with all the other stakeholders. My CEO made it a point to send his own assessment report to everyone in the organization so everyone could understand his style of working. Not that this is a very necessary step though it is desirable to understand deeper why people react the way they do. It helps to build close bonds in the team. It’s nice to encourage teams to spend time outside work together and let their hair down to celebrate a milestone. Doing an activity which has positive reinforcement is a great way to start a party.

Discovery “Mistakes are the portals of discovery”- James Joyes

Create your organization culture plan.

Unlike what most people think it is not necessary that your organization culture evolves into something better or worse. It’s what you plan for it to be. Its driven by the leadership. Its about being fair and open. A startup is all about turning a dream into reality. You have to start by dreaming about where you want to be and then slowly find those small but meaningful, tangible steps forward. The dream will allow you to find two very important pieces of the puzzle: the purpose and the culture. The purpose is the very reason of your existence; it’ll give birth to a vision for your organization. The culture is what will define your values into leading this project. It’s important to break this down into groups and days so that you don’t get overwhelmed with the magnitude of what you’re embarking on. It’s actually simple if only you are persistent and true to what you want to achieve. Celebrate every milestone in this plan so that you know when you meet what goal and what the next step is. There is no organization ever which just got lucky to have a great culture; there is no lottery draw in this subject.

Create a 1000 day Organization Learning plan

A startup can grow so much in 1000 days. Priorities and dynamics work so fast that it’s difficult to create a real plan since you are moving so fast. Learning by itself is not immune to that. Except that you will need to be committed that everyone keeps learning as much as they possibly can. You may create a plan and break it down. It’s OK to keep modifying the plan according to the business needs but it’s also important that the 1000 day plan have learning and change adaptation as the theme throughout. Document the journey. We pulled it up after 3 years and it was truly remarkable what all we have learnt and achieved in 1000 days.

Intrepreneurship: the way to go

While I was a brand manager in the retail sports start up. I was made to understand that I would have absolute autonomy in deciding every aspect of my brand. Right from which product to order, what should be the retail space, the pricing, margins and even the MRP of the product. The only broad guideline given was the “lowest possible price for the customer”. When I asked about profitability they simply replied “what do you think the profitability of your brand should be?” The push was always to be the complete owner of your brand. It made everyone in the team feel so strongly for what we were working for. It’s not just someone sitting up there in the Strategy team deciding everything for you. It’s important to give autonomy to your people and trust them to make great decisions. Yes they will make mistakes but they will come out stronger and better; you will see the powerful impact this has across the board. When everyone is accountable for what they do, there is nothing stopping you.

Making Mistakes and Asking for help

It’s a good thing to make mistakes; the only disclaimer here can be that one must be aware of having their ethics and morals in the right place while making them. It is in fact unavoidable. So the best thing to do is embrace and learn from them. To have people you work with always worry about negative repercussions of every decision they make can only clip their wings. The value of courage and ownership far outweighs the errors made. Of course, this empowerment is a responsibility as well.

We once had a Marketing Campaign which went horribly wrong, right from the planning to the execution. The Manager took the entire responsibility on himself and offered to resign as well. He in turn was rewarded for the display of courage during our Rewards process. That of course after a deep introspection and reporting findings on what went wrong and what could be done to avoid it in future.

Asking for help is a sign of a great organization. It means you have an organization of doers and not of experts. It means that people are aware of their limitations and it should be encouraged at every level possible. On the other side, people should be coached to be coaches as well. It helps when you have an organization full of coaches, it’s very powerful.

YOU “It only takes one person to change your life: YOU”- Ruth Casey

Keep yourself fit

So you want to spend 12 -14 hours with your project and then spend time with your family and friends and also have time to party. You are going to need a lot of stamina to do this. You keep your fitness at the top of your to-do-list bucket. A run, a gym workout or an hour of yoga. That 1 hour should be time within and not separate from your work hours since you going to need that energy for the rest of the day. If you have not done it before then join a support group to help make it happen.

I was into a lot of sports in school and college but lost track later after getting bogged down by a lot a work. However joining Bangalore Runners high group and joining a friends group that played football on Wednesdays at midnight kept me motivated to keep myself really fit. The tough part is being consistent and that teaches you to be a lot more disciplined. The 10K run was not the tough part, but getting up at 5am every day to practice for it was so much tougher. That sense of discipline will pour into work as well.

Make your 1000 day personal learning plan

You can be a completely different person in 1000 days. I don’t recognize the guy I was about 4 years ago. Even when you move away from your project you would walk out with so much more if you set out a learning plan. Set yourself a plan and push people around you to do the same, hold each other accountable for it. If you are not into reading a lot like me and prefer watching, then you will discover the power Course era and YouTube. Discuss what you are learning with your group and keep the pressure on yourself. Break down what you will be learning into months and weeks (32 months and 128 weeks). If you are travelling a bit or a lot then it’s so much easier to carry the stuff with you for that journey. Treat yourself and your support group for every milestone or certification you complete. Help guide and recommend courses for your teams and ask them to do the same for you. It becomes a fun habit for your team to follow and gives them something to brag about as well. The tough part sometimes is “what do I learn?”. Well the answer is anything. It does not need to just be relevant but just enjoy what you’re learning. I once even did a course era topic on the “Conflict in the Middle East”. It all helps, though there should also be some topics that you find relevant to your work.

Work 10-12 Hours a day

Let’s face it; we are not the Germans or the Japs. As Indians we are grossly inefficient in managing our work time and tend to get carried away with discussions that are inefficient. If you’re young and not spending time working 10-12 hours a day or if your team is not, then you have a problem. Either you are not doing enough with your project or you’re simply overstaffed or you not delegating and empowering people to work better. You set a habit of working 10-12 hours a day and nobody is going to complain when it comes down to 8-9 hours later. I’m not against having a great work-life balance; it’s more in lines with work-life compatibility. Let me explain this in the next point.

Create your support groups

It helps when you have a support group in your family and friends that you talk a lot to about work and what you’re doing. It helps when you can vent out things to them and having them reassuring you that they are there for you and you have nothing to worry about. It also makes it OK to take some work home and not feel guilty about it. My support groups would know familiar names and people involved with me at work. They also get to meet these mystery people from work at the annual Christmas party I would throw at my place.

Save for a rainy day

People who know me would say I’m the last guy to talk about this, but learning the really hard way has made me realize how important this really is. Getting used to a flamboyant or debt cycle kind of lifestyle will make you averse to taking a risk in the future. You may become successful and there is a chance that you may not as well. So keep your saving plans of 1000 days just like you keep your learning plans. Things of course you don’t compromise on are your family and celebrating your milestones, also throw some holidays. But just be careful to save and have some liquidity to last you about 4 to 6 months in case you take a plunge in the future.

Take a break as often as possible

Yes of course, do those extended weekend trips with family and friends and leave your phone at home. You work hard and you need that time alone. Try travelling alone as well. You will never get bored talking about your project to the tourist friends you will make. Make the list of extended weekends and share it with your teams as well. Don’t give them a hard time getting those leaves and don’t scam them with crazy clubbing of leaves and other ways which will discourage them to take the leaves.

Be ready to share your success and wealth

The success of a startup is because of the teams and the energy that is involved. Reward everyone who has made the project successful. Not only by the money and stocks but also with the credit they all deserve. This is separate from your rewards and recognition structure that you may create. Many people stay with startups because they are part owners and are learning a lot more than they would anywhere else. Use this to your advantage.

Thank you for your feedback.You can get in touch with me if you liked the read or connect on Linkedin.