Rapid Decision Making in Start-up Environment
11/30/2013 working on Hype
This is not a post about travel and holiday. This is my reflection about decision making in highly stressful and competitive startup environment.
It is now 1.5 years I am in 'tech' startup world. 1 year working on other startups, 5 months on starting my own. I mentioned tech, because 'tech' startups tend to distinguish themselves from all other industries. You see, 'tech' startups are some kind of subculture where accelerators replaced universities, starting a company and creating jobs replaced getting a job and investing replaced retirement. Also, the younger you are the better. Think all education, experience, normal hierarchy we had for the past decades reversed. It is very interesting structure nevertheless.
Before getting into 'tech' subculture and learning all the codes - you know - VC, Angel, Lean, PPC, MVP, Convertible, Incubator, Delaware, Accelerator, Round, Overnight Success etc, I was in creative industries. The difference - there is no difference. Except you have different vocabulary, you have to be artistic (means very strong crazy or extraordinary personality) and there is no mentality to get 1 million to make your IDEA happen (think VC funding in presentation with no product).
So, let's talk about speed.
Me and my co-founder Aleksandr are very different personalities. To make the story short, we disagree on almost everything and have our own point of view. As you can imagine decision making could be slow if we wouldn't be clever around it.
BUT.
We both love speed and hate wasting time.
This is the reason we use Emirates Airline in East London to make decisions very rapidly. No drawing boards, no meetings, no 2 hour discussions. The flight to get to O2 is 12 minutes, and we have to make a decision by then. End of story.
Also, this way we get inspiration. Doing work at the places where people don't do work and at times people don't work at all is the best way to come up with something new. It is the same like being out of your comfort zone. Everything you do, do the opposite.
I actually think long meetings, discussions and meeting rooms are a waste of time for a startup. I think about it as a luxury. If you are a company which is making millions in profit, you can afford luxury to spend hours in the meetings every day. Or if you have funding you can burn... I generally think burning money is wrong.
In creative industries, you always have limited budget or no budget. You learn to honour time and there is no culture of meetings. You do stuff. A lot of stuff.
In my opinion, one have to do decision making meetings where one have limited time, like at Emirate Lines, or outside where is cold or during lunch. Spend time on sales meetings only. Networking is a luxury. Do networking on your free time, during lunch, on Saturday, Sunday, in the tube etc. Avoid people who are middlemen. They usually explain simple things in complicated language and also waste your time. This is how they fulfil their day. I also call them consultants. I avoid them, all of them.
99% of the time should be spent on DOING. Posting, writing, coding, playing, experimenting, selling, marketing, testing, counting.
I will probably sound like Hitler here, but I hate lunch time in the co-working offices when everyone start this crazy relaxed chatting, which doesn't stop for hours. 1 hour before lunch everyone starts preparing for lunch, then all start having lunch and then all start preparing to work again. What is it? Greek siesta in the modern form?
Why am I talking about this? We want to create a working culture at Hype (http://hypeapp.co). We want everyone to be free to do what they want, but to work very very hard. To make quick decisions. To not spend time at the meeting rooms. To not waste time. And to be creative. Work at places others don't work, do stuff others don't do and measure every single day.
Written by Gintare Zitkeviciute