THREE EX-BARCLAYS BANKERS CONVICTED OVER LIBOR SCANDAL

CITYAM.COM
TUESDAY 5 JULY 2016
FEATURE
25
OFFICE POLITICS
Why it’s time
to shelve the
startup culture
stereotype
Ed Macnair says the infatuation with hoodies
and beanbags should be consigned to history
WHEN I tell someone that
I run a young tech
company, I always get
the same reaction. That
slight recoil as they get
their head around the fact that I
don’t conform to the stereotype (or
prejudice, by another name).
First, I’m often wearing a smart
shirt. The Zuck’s now famous t-shirt
and hoodie approach has become
uniform in our industry and, while I
don’t have anything against that, I
find it easier to sell things to people
when I’m looking smart.
Second, I’m middle aged and running
a high growth tech company.
It’s okay. It feels like an admission
one might make at counselling, but
I’m really fine with it.
Third, our fledgling firm (which is
spreading its wings around the
world, by the way) is headquartered
in Basingstoke. Yes that’s right, 50
miles south west of Silicon
Roundabout and a place with only a
mainstream latte selection. Why? It’s
cheaper and it works. All our HQ
needs is four walls, enough desks
and a meeting room. If I can get that
at a good price in a high-rise off the
M3, instead of squashing beanbags
into a Shoreditch loft, great. That
gives me more money to spend on
making my product better.
MIND AND MATTER
There is a serious point to be made
here. I believe a lot of company leaders
can become too embroiled in culture
at the expense of the growth of
their business. Everyone wants to be
Too many
businesses put a
funky culture
before product
an entrepreneur nowadays, which is
a good thing because it means
people are exercising their right to
be creative and independent.
However, I believe founding teams,
particularly at tech startups, sometimes
don’t question the reasons
behind filling their carefully distressed
office with free food and
table football tables. Retention?
Maybe, but I felt our staff would
rather be paid more than flick a tiny
ball around while eating a street burrito.
PRODUCT PEDESTAL
There are, of course, reasons behind
this culture developing. The bright
young things that were shaping the
early days of Silicon Valley liked
wearing jeans and had to work in a
KEEPING YOU
IN ORDER
Casual PM
Free
Another project
management
app, Casual PM
focuses on
making things as
visual – and
simple – as
possible. The
software hinges
on putting
projects into
flow charts. This,
the developers
argue, allows
you to see tasks
and ideas the
way they look in
your mind.
Follow a project
from start to
finish on one
large sheet, with
colleagues and
actions inserted
where relevant.
garage, because that’s all they could
afford. They made the best of the situation.
It was a counter-culture that
railed against the corporate ideal of
the time, discarding perceived business
wisdom to achieve their company
goals. Their sole focus was on
making technology that worked.
This is something that I would urge
young businesses to do nowadays. In
a world that puts high growth tech
companies on a pedestal, I think we
have become distracted by the gloss.
This is the world of celebrity startup
founders: are we guilty of being dazzled
by the bright lights?
Under pressure to manufacture a
company culture, founders sometimes
expend time and money
trying to be a startup, rather than
actually being one. This is entirely
understandable, as it can help hire
talent. However, it often detracts
resource from the one thing that is
more important than all others:
product.
Realise this, and everything else
will fall into place. Once you have
belief in your product, it shines
through your entire business like a
beacon for talent, investors and,
most importantly, customers.
Ironically, this mentality is far
truer to the startup ethos than any
of the accompanying sideshow.
Garages are dark and
uncomfortable, but they are an
excellent place to focus on building
stuff that works, cheaply. Figure this
one out, and the culture will take
care of itself.
£ Ed Macnair is chief executive of
CensorNet.