Company Culture - A Story of Evolution

Here's a little tale of success and culture...

You make a little star template out of wood for your granddaughter. Her little friends like it. After giving away a couple of dozen plus a batch to her pre-school - it hits you - POW! "I could sell these."

Embryonic
You start to peddle them around town after work hours and make them on the weekends. You've expended to several different templates. But you're maxed out.

So you hire a college student and a junior woodworker part-time to market and make the product. You name the template enterprise "StarWorks" Clever, n'cest pas?

Culture: You think about how you want your daily culture to be and decide on the theme, in this case I would make the word "Star" the centerpiece.

Start-Up
The addition of a Bookkeeper, another student for selling, plus the rental of a mini-suite with a roll-up door in the back elevate StarWorks to a start-up.

You cut your job work hours and work here half-time and more.

Culture: This is the most energetic phase of company growth. Use lots of imprinted stuff to build identity like t-shirts, caps and mugs, anything. Bring in lunch once a week on the company. Sell the culture frequently in emails and postings.

Small
A year passes and demand for your toys has grown to region-wide, including all of Southern California.

Among others, you've added a Purchasing Agent, an Accountant and a shop Foreman. You wisely use helpdeskHR to establish a basic Human Resources program and keep you in legal compliance.

You're there 70 hours a week. Headcount reaches thirty - you're a small company! Before you know it you have 100 souls working at StarWorks.

Culture: Logo golf shirts, include culture in new hire orientation, start a newsletter,
have a picnic type event for employees (not families yet) and maybe have a "Starmap" to find the "Picnic Galaxy."

Medium
Life is good as you expand product offerings, go national and appear on QVC - you add a Call Center for nationwide orders and a Sales staff to work the retail channels.

You are now CEO of a fully functioning business, becoming a player in the toy industry and setting the pace for competition. Congratulations!

Culture: Shift to more sophisticated programs such as recognition awards for accomplishments (Shining Star,) expanded newsletter (The Pulsar,) a family picnic type event (Star Cluster,) and start a regular employee communications program (Nova.) May sound overdone in one dose but it works in realtime.

And that is how it's done. It takes energy and persistence to keep your company identity intact but it's worth it. Remember Costco.

Lance