Startup Secrets presents a lecture on how you can form your culture, vision, and mission at your new startup!

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Culture, Vision, and Mission
startupsecrets.com

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Workshops
Full descriptions of each at
startupsecrets.com
1. What’s Your Roadmap to Success?
2. Building a Compelling Value Proposition
3. Turning Products into Companies
4. Culture, Mission and Vision
5. Hiring A+ Talent
6. Game-Changing Business Models
7. Go to Market Strategies
8. Getting Behind the Perfect Investor Pitch
9. Funding Strategies to go the Distance
10. Have You Got What It Takes?
11. Mastering Mutual Mentorship

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Building an Enduring Company:
Simplification
Vision / Mission
Value
Prop
People
Execution
Cultural Consistency Enduring
Company
Startup
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Why?
 Why are Vision, Mission, and Culture important to a startup?
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Many, many reasons. Simplified:
 Ideas are worth little to nothing without:
• People to execute
• Culture to select the right people and empower them
• Vision to attract, retain and unify all stakeholders
 Execution
• Focus
• Alignment
• Empowerment
Why?
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Agenda: Vision / Mission
Vision / Mission
Value
Prop
People
Execution
Cultural Consistency Enduring
Company
Startup
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“Give everyone the power to create and share ideas
and information instantly without barriers.”

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Vision: Impact
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 Vision
• How the market will evolve?
• How will you will lead it?
Vision: Development
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Mission?
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 4 M’s of Mission Statements
• Memorable
• Manageable
• Measurable
• Motivational
Mission: Development
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Kayak Mission
“The Best Place to Plan and Book Travel”

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Check: Vision or Hallucination?
Visions and hallucinations look the same…
...until you try to realize them
Try to tell the difference early
BIG visions may not be much harder to achieve than smaller ones
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The only difference between
vision and hallucination is two
letters:
P.O.
(Purchase Order)

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Agenda: Culture
Vision / Mission
Value
Prop
People
Execution
Cultural Consistency Enduring
Company
Startup
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What Is Culture?
For the techies among you:
 It’s like the Operating System for your Apps
 e.g., the Platform to empower your People
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Multi-faceted!
Simplified:
 It’s HOW you do business
 The organizational embodiment of things like:
• Personality
• Style
• Heart & Soul
• Sub conscience & conscience
What Is Culture?
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Culture: Example Framework
 Shared Values
• Beliefs
• Guiding Principles
 Living
• Leading
• Modeling
 Executing
• Responsibility and Accountability
• Success and Failure
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Values
• Team First
• Customer Second
• Revenue per Employee Third
• Have fun. Engage people.
• Get results. Output matters.
• Be cool. Be kind, and honest.
• Be efficient – in person, in email, and in
code.
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 Comes from YOU
 Comes from the top
 Is modeled
CultureStartup Enduring
Company
Startup Secret!
Culture:
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 Comes from YOU
 Comes from the top
 Is modeled
 Is valued by consistency
Startup Secret!
Culture:
CultureStartup Enduring
Company
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Jeff Bezos and the “door desk,”
which came to symbolize Amazon’s
frugal culture.

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Can Culture Have a
Physical Manifestation?

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Physical Manifestation
OFFICE CAN RAVE
DESKS CAN ROLL DJ CAN ROCK
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Can Culture Have a Physical Manifestation?
 Yes!
• Office layout
 (open plan vs. cubes vs. offices)
• Founders wall
• Mascots
• Etc.
 … think about what else represents your culture
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Linking Culture &
Execution
DOING THE RIGHT THING
VS. THE EASY OR OBVIOUS THING

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FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE

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DISASTERS
HAPPEN!

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New York, 9/11 => “the one
way rental”
(Enterprise provided a series
of one-way rentals for those
affected by 9/11)
FOCUS ON CUSTOMER
SERVICE

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Culture as a touchstone
 Fall back to it when there is no obvious
• Answer
• Direction
• Priority
 Knowing what the RIGHT thing to do is…
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Strong Cultures
 Strong Cultures are values & principals people can:
 RELATE to
• Personalize
• Internalize
 ENGAGE in
• Act on
NOT too abstract
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Linking Culture &
Execution

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Vision, Mission & DNA
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The System: Shared Vision to Win!
Leadership Principles
Company Values
Company Strategy
Company Operating Plan
Unit Operating Plan
Execution
Measurement
Execution
Results
Unit Process

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Vision:
Breakthrough endpoint security that's strong, simple, fast & affordable
Mission:
To create a more secure world through superior protection that can be adopted by any
organization to stop modern sophisticated attackers
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Our DNA
• Inspire loyalty
- We’re passionate about understanding our customers needs so that they achieve their goals. We’re easy to
work with and we always have their back.
• Play to win
- We set ambitious goals and believe in them. We make and meet commitments, take ownership, and focus on
what’s important.
• Step up
- We take charge of challenges and never blindly accept the status quo.
• Get the facts
- We drive decisions with data as our guide and course correct when we need to.
• Be true
- We tell it like it is, constructively, with a priority on listening. We earn each other’s trust and respect every day
and always act with integrity.
• Have fun
- We attract exceptional people with a sense of humor who revel in the work they do

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Comm-you-nication
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Communication as an Enabler
 Communication is the lifeblood of your startup
• Don’t assume it, even when you’re small
 How do you communicate?
• Inside and outside (customers, partners, suppliers)
 Formal / informal, cadence?
• Water cooler, Standup Scrums, Town Hall
• Meet ups, Customer Advisory Board, User groups etc.
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Recognition & Rewards Reinforce Culture
 Form, Substance Style
• Form
 What does it reinforce?
• e.g., Who comes to sales “club”?
 If only sales people, what does this say about the rest of the org?
• Substance
 Alternatives to Stock / Money?
• Customize to the recipient
 e.g., Management take a day to do community work of their choice
• Recognition, Acknowledgement can be powerful
• Style
 Management and / or peer rewards?
 Public or privately given?
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Culture
 Define it early, authentically, thoughtfully so it can endure
• Try to find things to live by, model
 Don’t Pay Lip Service
• Should be consistent
 Even when pivoting your business
• e.g., Making acquisitions
 It’s a good test for whether the acquisition is a fit…
 Walk the talk
• Defined by YOU, so lead by example
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“EVERYTHING [IN OUR
STRATEGY] OUR
COMPETITORS COULD
COPY TOMORROW, BUT
THEY CAN’T COPY THE
CULTURE – AND THEY
KNOW IT!”
Herb Kelleher,
Co-founder
Southwest Airlines

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Do it Right and You Can Build…
An Enduring Company!
Vision / Mission
Value
Prop
People
Execution
Cultural Consistency Enduring
Company
Startup
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Company Formation
Agenda:
“Foundations for Building an Enduring Company”
 Part I (here)
• Vision
• Mission
• Culture
 Part II (on startupsecrets.com)
• People
 Hiring – we do a deeper dive in this class
 Team Building
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info@startupsecrets.com

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Culture, Vision, and Mission
startupsecrets.com