Signs that you need to ditch the startup culture now
Many employees within the startup ecosystem would vouch for the fact that the startup culture is the best part of that ecosphere. But do the leadership and management concur at all times? Well, for starters, the employees are the leaders in the case of a startup; but for how long? That is one among many other dilemmas that you, as a founder, will have to face when your startup begins to scale up, leading to the big question: when should you ditch the startup culture and go for a more streamlined, so-called corporate approach?
Image : shutterstock
When there are clear issues
The most important issues are the obvious ones. As a founder, if you notice blatant disorganisation unravelling in front of you, then you know it is time for a change. More often than not, it could be due to the lack of a stable hierarchy in place. You might need to rectify it immediately.
When you notice the ‘I’ before ‘we’
A keen managerial eye is required for this. As a founder, you need to be on the lookout for any employees who have lost track of the bigger picture your startup was founded to work towards. If you see more and more factions turning power-hungry, then that is a clear sign as well.
Processes begin to unravel
Your flexible processes and systems might have worked at the grassroots level of your startup firm. But as you scale up, if you notice business and other valuable prospects slipping away due to operational inefficiency, then you’ve got to change your processes and imbibe a more fool-proof way of doing things.
Is technology pushing you out?
Many feel the startup culture to be a product of the technological innovations abound in this age. But the same technology could also be the reason for you to be out of business after a while. Hence, just like a lot of big corporate organisations, even you might have to change changes in technology.
Finding it difficult to bounce back from failure?
Your startup’s inability to bounce back from a loss or a debacle can be an adequate sign for you to realise a paradigm shift in ideology is in place. Though startups have the luxury of making mistakes in the first place, big businesses possess the know-how as well as the experience of bouncing back.
Misuse of freedom
A simple example would suffice in this case. If your employees keep flouting your flexible work-hours policy, then it is time to introduce a relatively rigid philosophy that keeps such elements in check. Abuse of the freedom that the startup culture affords you is detrimental to the cause in the first place.
Shouldering of responsibility now a burden?
At the beginning, you might’ve been gung-ho about shouldering the responsibilities within the startup. But as you keep growing, there is only so much one can take on to their plate. If you realise you’re running out of breathing space, then it has got to do a lot with the systems in place. Letting go of the startup philosophy will help in shifting this weight off to a few others.
A startup can’t remain a startup for more than a year or two. Becoming a big company also brings in recognition along with some of the conveniences that your startup doesn’t have room for.
