My 7 principles for building a great consumer tech company

As a friend of mine recently put it, “Groupthink at an early-stage company is actually a good thing.” The most effective teams have a shared set of principles.

I learned this the hard way when I joined Thumbtack six years ago. We didn’t all have the same fundamental beliefs, and we spent a lot of time fighting over whose were right. The back-and-forth both slowed us down and was emotionally draining. I almost quit.

I don’t think my set of principles are the only ones that can result in success. But as a founder, I believe the best way to build a successful company — and create a fulfilling place to work — is to find people who share these principles.

1. Don’t compromise on your long-term vision but be flexible about how you get there. Have a strong worldview. Be willing to pragmatically change everything else quickly.
2. (Good) growth cures problems. Momentum is infectious. Scale gives you data, which speed up learning cycles. Always be thinking about how to be bigger, but don’t “buy” growth that’s unsustainable.
3. Great companies are built with great execution. Winning depends more on how effectively we build than whether we have the perfect solution. Make decisions quickly. Hire people with a bias for action and a drive to ship.
4. Prioritize rigorously. Companies can only do a few things well at once. Don’t try to do more. Don’t hire people who can’t contribute to a mission-critical goal.
5. Great people are multiples more effective than good people. Keep the bar high. Build a culture that attracts & retains great people.
6. Those great people thrive when they have ownership. Leaders should give their team members room to run within the bounds of a clear vision and goals. But if a project is make-or-break for the company, leaders should get their hands dirty.
7. It’s hard. Fight and drive are essential to winning. That may require weekend work sometimes, but it shouldn’t be a consistent pattern. Hire people who are motivated by both challenges and winning.

Share these principles and have an interest in joining an early-stage company in New York? Get in touch!