#88 - The company is the product (Sam Corcos, Josh Clemente & Michael Mizrahi)
Mar 17, 2022
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Sam Corcos, Josh Clemente, and Michael Mizrahi discuss the importance of company culture and how it evolves as the team scales. They highlight the concept that the company is the product, emphasizing the need to focus on how the company works. They also explore the benefits of building a culture of experimentation and making good decisions, and the challenges of delegation and depending on your people.
Focusing on company culture is essential for building a strong foundation and preventing organizational breakdown.
Culture and values impact a company's ability to create meaningful products and should be embedded in its operations.
Making good decisions, optimizing delegation, and running experiments are crucial for success and moving the company forward.
Deep dives
Practical reasons for focusing on company culture
Focusing on company culture is not just a philosophical exercise but a practical necessity. Building a machine that can build the machine is the goal. By embedding culture at the root of the entire company, it scales as the team scales. Culture is the foundation upon which everything is built on.
The importance of culture for startups
Startup founders consistently emphasize the importance of culture. Culture sets the foundation for the company and influences its future growth. The first 30 people in a startup shape the culture for the next 30, and this pattern continues. Focusing on culture ensures a strong foundation and prevents cracks that can lead to organizational breakdown.
The company as the product
The company and the product are interconnected. Building an effective product is not separate from building an efficient company. The culture and values at the company affect its ability to create and iterate on meaningful products. It is crucial to understand that the company and the product are part of the same goal.
Investing in good decision-making
Making good decisions is crucial for success. Structuring the organization to enable good decision-making is key. This includes providing time for deep work, avoiding ad hoc decision-making, and optimizing delegation. It is essential to consider alternatives, run experiments, and learn from them in order to move the company forward.
Solving context collapse and scaling challenges
As companies grow, context collapse becomes a challenge. Maintaining clear communication and avoiding redundancy is crucial. Experimenting with different solutions, such as audio and video communication, documenting processes, and leveraging support staff, can help address these challenges. Continuously reevaluating and adapting processes to match the company's growth stage is vital.
Levels Head of Operations, Michael Mizrahi and Co-Founders, Sam Corcos and Josh Clemente, sat down to chat about why we focus on culture, how it evolves as a team scales and how it relates to the concept that, “the company is the product.”
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(04:50) – Don’t just focus on the product
(05:29) – Develop your core group
(09:42) – Size impacts agility
(19:55) – Culture fit is more important than skillset
(25:30) – The company is the product
(27:57) – Focus on how the company works
(38:04) – Build a culture of experimentation
(39:58) – Making good decisions is important
(47:03) – Optimize your delegation procedure
(52:26) – The pros and cons of depending on your people