The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier
updated 2mo ago
The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier
- “Lots of folks have said to us, ‘You’re growing, you could grow faster if you hired more people.’ I think a lot of companies and investors overpitch growth at all costs, but sometimes that causes a ‘more people more problems’ issue .”
It should come as no surprise by now that Foster politely said, “Thanks, but no thanks,” to these well-meaning folk... See morefrom The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier
Britt Gage added 2mo ago
- Think about distribution from day one
If you’re going to build a product, you want people to use it. But far too often, founders get drawn to the building and tinkering side of the business, forgoing the go-to-market piece until they’re actually ready to get out and sell.
That’s a mistake, says Foster. “I think one of the biggest things that founder... See morefrom The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier
Britt Gage added 2mo ago
- As an extension of this “don’t hire until it hurts” philosophy, Foster notes that Zapier was very hesitant in the early days to bring on anyone with management experience (even though the founding trio themselves didn’t have any). “Our first people managers were just me, my co-founders, and early employees that we promoted into those roles. We were... See more
from The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier
Britt Gage added 2mo ago
Early stages require both execution and strategy, the doers and the managers. Find both.
- Foster likens his approach with Zapier to playing poker. Sure, there’s a general set of guidelines and best practices to follow, but there’s no golden rule that applies to every single hand. “We tried to deeply understand the cards that we were dealt and if the advice applies in the particular situation that we've got,” he says.
from The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier
Britt Gage added 2mo ago
Building startups is not a particularly glamorous thing in spite of how the media makes it look. A lot of it is just doing sales or doing customer support hundreds of thousands of times over and over again and being really committed to becoming exceptional at it.
from The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier
Britt Gage added 2mo ago
If you remain flexible – even in the places where you really do think you got it right – and give yourself the chance to be proven incorrect, you’re setting yourself and your company up for success.
from The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier
Britt Gage added 2mo ago
The future of work is flexible - teams need partners that are flexible and and allow for flexibility in their work structures.