The Founder’s Playbook
The Three Cs of your company’s user manual
As soon as Uncork funds a company, we dedicate time to onboarding them. This involves getting to know the founders personally, understanding their business, identifying their goals for the upcoming months, and working hard to support and add value throughout their journey. Engaging with founders during these early stages brings me immense joy — a vast landscape of possibilities and a palpable sense of positivity infuse our conversations. Inevitably, numerous questions arise concerning hiring, compensation, and benefits. Beneath these inquiries lies a fundamental question that needs to be addressed: What are your operating principles? Or said another way, what is it like working at your company?
In the whirlwind of the early days, it’s crucial to take a moment to consider HOW you want to build your company and the operating rhythm you aim to establish. Things can move so quickly that you might find yourself making decisions on the fly. Before you know it, you may discover how your company operates doesn’t fully align with your vision. Shifting established behaviors is much more challenging than setting the right course from the start, and making those norms and behaviors explicit will prevent them from being implicit, leading to chaos. One of my biggest recommendations is for founders to create a “company user manual” **.
Organizing thoughts into threes helps me bring clarity to how I think. In the past, I have used the following framework to develop our user manual: Communication, Collaboration, and Community.
Communication: Effective communication involves more than just selecting the proper channels and tools; it also requires establishing explicit norms. Stress levels can skyrocket when communication expectations are not well-defined. For instance, if you receive a Slack message, should you respond immediately, or is it acceptable to wait until after your meeting — or even until the end of the day? Clarifying the purpose of different communication tools (e.g., Slack for urgent messages or brainstorming, email for formal communications, and phone calls for immediate issues) ensures everyone is on the same page. Additionally, the frequency and format of formal communications, such as weekly one-on-ones or monthly all-hands meetings, should be clearly defined. Lastly, what is your company's communication style and voice?
Collaborate: Collaboration impacts how work is accomplished. Whether your team works together in real life (IRL) and reviews progress at day’s end, operates as a fully distributed, hybrid, or in-office team, or sets specific work hours with an overlap period for all team members, these norms must be established. Techniques like design thinking at project initiation or using RACI charts for defining roles and responsibilities can enhance collaboration. Don’t forget about feedback — formal and informal. The key here is that everyone is aligned and speaks the same language regarding how you work.
Community: Building a strong community within the team is crucial for success. Initiatives that encourage team members to see each other as humans can significantly enhance team dynamics. For example, starting meetings by sharing our current state (red, yellow, or green) offers insights into each person’s energy level and well-being. Deciding whether to have lunch together regularly or to gather as a team once a quarter can foster a sense of belonging and shared purpose.
Understandably, you won’t have all the answers to these questions from the start. Building a company is akin to developing a product; it requires testing, iteration, patience, self-awareness, dedication, and the discipline to pause and reflect occasionally. This process allows for a deeper understanding of your team and the determination to cultivate the desired growth path. Taking the time to figure out who you are as a company will help you attract the right people for you and reduce the friction of doing the world, making it more efficient and fun.
** Link here for questions
