How do you convey startup culture to customers and investors?

I don't like the question. You shouldn't have to 'convey' your culture - it should be evidenced in every action, interaction and word that you use. It's like when you walk into a great restaurant. They (hopefully) don't have a section on the menu that says 'our values and culture support culinary excellence and emphasise great customer experience'. They just make sure the food's great and you have a lovely time. So whoever you're talking to, don't tell them about your culture - let them experience it.

In my experience, culture starts from the founders. As a founder/owner/leader your actions, reactions go a long way in determining the culture of the start up, staff productivity, customer loyalty and ultimately sales as well as profitability. It is all on the founder(s).

Customer-Centric Approach: Understand your target customers' pain points, desires, and preferences. Your startup culture should align with addressing these needs. For example, if your culture promotes exceptional customer service, share stories of how your team goes above and beyond to satisfy customer demands. Tailored Messaging: Customize your communication to resonate with your customer base. If your audience values sustainability, highlight how your eco-friendly culture results in products or services that align with their values.

One thing I have found clear at Kuberjee is the identification of our Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs). This clarity significantly aids in conveying our message to customers and channels. Additionally, our focus on providing user-friendly financial services, financial education, community engagement, and forming strategic partnerships builds trust, transparency, and empowerment. We achieve this by sharing customer success stories. For investors, alignment with their expectations is crucial. Transparency allows us to establish a robust relationship, fostering our mission of financial inclusion in rural Bharat.

A company's culture is more than only knowing your audience and more than just messages and stories. Of course, these are important factors, but I think the discussion about company starts with the basic fundamentals. What is a company culture? A company's culture is the shared values, attitudes, behavior, expectations, and standards that people working together have. It is about the experience that people who work together. How is the company culture shaped? The culture takes shape and appears first in the team between people working together on common challenges and then it becomes a company-wide topic. When a company is small, the team is small and the culture appears as a relationship between these few people.

And don’t forget that there are types of customers, who don’t care about your culture. They care only about your performance: whether your goods or services are superb, whether customer support was fast and efficient etc. Each of us is such type of customer regarding some goods: whether it’s a pen you randomly use for writing, or some kind of software. For instance, my friend recently was looking for companies, that generate logos using AI. She found plenty and tried about 5 of them. Did she search about their culture or values? No. She searched for the quality results for reasonable money. Therefore don’t overload your audience with messages about your culture if that particular audience doesn’t care.

Clearly state the core values, mission and vision of your startup. What does your company stand for? What are your long-term goals? This forms the foundation for your startup culture.

Your values form the bedrock of your culture, serving as the compass for your actions and decisions. To effectively convey these values, opt for a show-not-tell approach. For instance, if customer satisfaction is a paramount value, recount instances where attentive feedback analysis, innovative problem-solving, and an unwavering commitment to delighting customers have been pivotal in nurturing lasting relationships and fostering brand loyalty.

Absolutely, at Kuberjee, our values form the foundation of our culture. For instance, trust is a fundamental value for us. We maintain a full fledged call support system to address any transactional issues promptly, ensuring trust is never compromised. As a fintech transactional success is the way to building trust and delighting our customers through seamless and efficient financial services.

I love what Simon Sinek said about people not buying 'what' you do but 'why' you do it. I'd like to extend this with the idea that people choose you for 'who' you are and what you stand for. People in general, customers and investors, want to join a group that shares their values. To bring values to life you need to make sure each team member lives and breathes them. The customer will experience your values when they become part of you! For creating solid guiding values check out 'The Buddha and the Badass' by Vishen Lakhiani. A powerful tool for showcasing is Employer Branding. Present your people, let them talk both on the recruitment website and LinkedIn and share some "behind the scenes". This is where people see the true you.

In today's culture, culture is best and deeply established through experiences. Digital or physical. With shallow digital brands being born and dying daily, physical experiences are what's making the deep rooted connection. That aspect of culture creating channels can open pathways to brand love.

Develop intrinsic values, share your story, and showcase your team's passion. Show real-world impact and focus on innovation. Convey thought leadership, transparency, and community building. Leverage branding, regular updates, and investor relations. Consistency brings trust, attracts talent, and secures crucial support. So be consistent in whatever you convey. In the dynamic startup world, effectively conveying your culture is your ticket to success. But always remember, action speaks louder than words. So act wisely.

What are the company's values? A company's or a team's values are the guiding principles and fundamental beliefs that help a group of people work together as a team, towards a certain common goal. To be able to maintain the values, it's vital to be able to articulate the common goal - which usually is the strategic direction of the company or specific milestones in a certain direction. Once the team understands the goal, it's important to understand that the values will guide the decision-making. When working in a highly competitive environment, team members might be tempted to cut corners to get small wins, or make large leaps. The values of the company or the team will anchor their ideas on a path that the company agrees to take.

Elevating your brand above the competition requires spotlighting your unique identity. Your culture serves as a beacon of distinction, showcasing what sets you apart and why you're the ultimate choice. To accentuate this differentiation, pinpoint and accentuate your competitive edges. What exclusive offerings define you? How do your methods surpass the norm? In what ways do you consistently deliver unparalleled value to your audience? Craft a narrative with lucid and persuasive language to communicate your distinctiveness and value proposition, casting your brand as the unequivocal choice for those who seek excellence.

Absolutely, our local partnerships and women-led focus are strategic advantages that set us apart. These partnerships create a strong network of social entrepreneurs who understand the local dynamics and build trust within their communities. This trust allows us to offer a suite of financial services. It's not just about transactions; we're nurturing long-term relationships that drive our growth in rural financial inclusion. We're more than a fintech company; we're a movement empowering Bharat through women's social entrepreneurship.

Find the 3 highest common values that are common to your audiences. Mind map their sub-values and beliefs for each stakeholder and repeatedly see how you can get people to experience these three values.

Culture often plays a pivotal role in fostering distinctiveness, with the collective efforts of individuals shaping this culture. It is a rarity for multiple teams to exhibit precisely the same working style, resulting in comparable cultures. However, in the realm of competition, culture becomes the decisive factor that distinguishes one company from another. People are inclined to collaborate and make purchasing decisions based on their affinity for a company's culture. Since it is impractical to personally connect with every individual within an organization, our affinity typically aligns with the company's overarching ideals and principles. Inspiring more individuals to embrace a company culture, will inevitably lead to differentiation.

Consistency and authenticity are the pillars of a genuine brand culture. It's not a fleeting marketing tactic; it's a dynamic, ever-evolving essence. To effectively convey your culture, ensure uniformity and authenticity in every interaction and platform, from your website and social media to your blog, newsletter, pitch deck, and customer service. Align every facet with your culture and brand identity. Uphold integrity; avoid over-promising or espousing values you don't uphold. Be forthright and transparent about your identity and actions. In the realm of branding, consistency and authenticity form an unbreakable foundation for building trust and loyalty with your audience.

I couldn't agree more the significance of upholding authenticity while communicating a startup's culture to both customers and investors. This principle stands as a cornerstone for establishing trust, credibility, and enduring relationships. Moreover, an authentic and consistent startup culture serves as a potent distinguishing factor, drawing like-minded individuals and entities toward your venture. It's important to remember authenticity extend beyond words; they manifest through your actions.

Absolutely, in the competitive landscape of startups, consistency and authenticity are crucial for growth and trust-building. Making false promises or failing to deliver on commitments can have a negative impact on a startup's reputation and its ability to attract and retain customers and investors. At Kuberjee, we understand the significance of aligning our words with our actions, ensuring that our journey towards empowering Bharat through women's social entrepreneurship is built on a foundation of trust and transparency.

Championing a distinctive cultural identity, disseminating this culture to a wider audience, and inspiring more individuals to embrace it will inevitably lead to differentiation. It is possible that the message, the stories, and the overall communication of a company to be different depending on the channel of communication, but it should always be based on the company's culture and core values. The company's culture is the anchor that keeps the team engaged, the customers loyal, and the investors interested. If a company doesn't remain consistent and authentic to its core values, then everything falls apart sooner or later.

Elevate your culture from a one-way narrative to an engaging dialogue. Cultivate a dynamic exchange by actively seeking audience engagement and feedback. Pose questions, prompt discussions, and acknowledge valuable insights. Demonstrating a genuine appreciation for your audience's contributions underscores their significance. Equally crucial is being receptive to feedback, whether it's a commendation or constructive criticism. Embrace the opportunity to learn from missteps, celebrate milestones, and refine your approach. In the world of branding, fostering a collaborative, responsive culture not only deepens connections but also fuels continual improvement and growth.

Feedback and engagement are invaluable for staying connected with our audience and understanding their evolving needs. in the startup model this gives us a competitive edge. It allows us to stay agile, respond to market changes quickly, and tailor our services to meet the specific demands of our customers, which is crucial in the fast-paced world of startups.

The culture of a team or a company will exist, and can exist only as long as people working there are connected. Engagement and feedback are part of being connected and are vital for the development and maintenance of the culture. Feedback, both positive and negative, is the tool that companies should use to understand what is important and what is not. It is the way to assess how your audience and customers respond to your offering. There is no better way to validate that the actions have an impact than receiving feedback.

Emphasize how your startup’s culture benefits your customers. Emphasize how your values align with addressing their pain points or providing a unique experience.

As a Startup Coach, I once worked with a young fintech startup that had a strong focus on financial literacy. However, they struggled to communicate this to investors and customers. The breakthrough came when they started offering free mini-courses on financial planning as part of their app experience. This initiative not only showcased their values but also served as a differentiation point in a crowded market. To ensure authenticity, they invited users to give feedback on these courses and incorporated the suggestions. The result was a surge in user engagement and increased investor interest. This experience highlighted to me the power of aligning your value proposition with your culture for impactful communication.

Culture is really cult-ure, it is the single most hardest thing to build, you can build great products without a culture. If you aren't looking for believers in your cult, you won't build cult-ure. A brand is a symbol for a promise to live up to a common set of values that buyers or stakeholders already value. Culture is how those values are lived, breathed and delivered so the values are reiterated. Culture is what people do when no one is looking. To signal culture it must naturally and seamlessly and consistently flow between and manifest itself in all the touch points of your brand. Eg. Spatial design or digital, typefaces to people you hire, the way you conduct negotiations to how you treat your front and back ecosystem.