Then we hit 50 people.
And then 100.
I have no doubt that this growth is thanks to the people who made up and defined that culture.
It's the secret sauce that fuels a company's growth and it’s the reason that talented people will gravitate towards certain companies - for their entrepreneurial culture, freedom from rigid processes and a strong sense of accountability in owning your sh*t and supporting those around you to do the same.
But as companies grow, their biggest risk as a business is losing that magic.
Teams grow and the tight-knit collaboration and sense of shared purpose that existed in the early days can loosen and lose its seamless flow.
The natural reaction is to build rigid structures and processes to fill the gaps so that balls don’t get dropped.
But then those structures and processes start to stifle the entrepreneurial spirits that got you to where you are today and… well… good job.
Your business has become very efficient, but its spirit, and your competitive advantage, is dead.
Many businesses, especially in advertising, see culture as a nice-to-have perk. They prioritise efficiency, adding layers of red tape and silos as they scale. But this crushes the very thing that made them successful: their passionate, nimble team.
The key is finding a balance. As businesses grow, you need processes, but it is critical that these processes serve the people and not the other way around.
This is why building and maintaining culture is so critical. It removes the need for an overreliance on unnecessary structures that force everyone to act in the same, predictable way. When everyone shares a vision and pulls in the same direction as a team, magic happens. But building and maintaining a culture is not easy.
It's about shared values that bind a team, a sense of ownership, and clear communication. It exists in the values we share, our ways of being, working and leading. It's the invisible thread that weaves individuals into a powerful collective.
Have something that you stand for and believe in. At Rapt is our obsession with each individual’s capacity to grow 1% every day, and encouraging each other to find their vision of their +1%. It’s a mindset that drives care, accountability, entrepreneurialism and collaboration. And these are the values we will live, breathe and operationalise at every level as we grow.
Know what you want: Define it, hire for it. Culture is shaped by its people. Shared values come alive through employee actions, and research suggests we're influenced by those around us. Research by Dylan Minor, an assistant professor at Kellogg School, suggests that sitting within seven metres of a high performer can boost your productivity by up to 15%. In the same way, culture is infectious. The values lived by each individual in your business will influence how others will approach their work and live the culture.
Culture isn't a fluffy feeling. It's a quantifiable asset. Measure your values just as closely as any KPI or financial metric. It's about walking the talk, hiring for fit, and having the courage to let go of those who don't align - A high performer is not worth the risk to your people.
Here's the truth: process can kill creativity. But without some structure, chaos reigns. The key is striking a balance. Empower people to make decisions. Hire for cultural fit, for those who share your vision and values, and that will do a lot of the work. And where you do need processes, make sure they don’t stifle the very talent that made you successful>.
