After decades of backing entrepreneurs and building companies, I’ve watched countless startups flame out.
Flameouts occur…
Not from bad products. Not from lack of funding.
But often from toxic culture that rotted from the inside.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Culture isn’t something you “build later.” It’s happening right now. In your first hire. Your first investor meeting. The way you handle your first crisis.
Most founders think culture is ping-pong tables and free snacks.
But culture is actually this:
→ How you treat people when money gets tight
→ Whether you keep promises when it’s inconvenient
→ If you hire for character or just skills
→ How you handle the employee who challenges your idea
→ Whether you celebrate team wins or just individual heroics
I’ve seen brilliant founders destroy fast-growing companies because they ignored culture in the “move fast and break things” phase.
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The companies that survive? They establish their non-negotiables on day one:
• We communicate directly, not through politics
• We admit mistakes quickly and fix them faster
• We measure people by results AND how they achieve them
• We never sacrifice long-term trust for short-term gains
Culture isn’t built during team retreats or written on office walls.
It’s built in the daily decisions no one sees.
The question isn’t whether you’re building culture.
You are.
The question is: What kind?
