Find the "Void" of your start-up

30 spoke, a total of a hub, when it is not, there is a car.

Yan Clay as the device, when it is not, has the use of the device.

Chisel Shu think room, when its none, have room to use.

Therefore, there is no profit, no thought.

--The 11th chapter of Laozi

There is an old riddle to ask: If a wooden boat travels around the world, but every plate of the road rots and is replaced by a new one, the final board of the journey is gone. Q: Is this still the same ship? Does this ship travel around the world?

Laozi's view is "yes", because the ship's function is still-the "no space" created by the board is the essence of the ship.

What about yours? Every minute of your "boat" is also replaced-trillions of cells divide, grow, and die. Are you still 10 years old? As far as the body is concerned, it is not. On the DNA (basically) or, but it belongs to identical twins with common DNA, not the same person. Can you accurately describe the emptiness created by your body, or what is the churning electrochemical surge in your mind? ""

Let's extend this analogy to start-ups. is a company with only 2 employees and 150 customers with a company that has grown to 150 employees and 25000 customers or is the same company? Not from the visible, but the company's "none" inside is its essence and the target of this group of people.

So the question is: what is constant for startups? What has not changed after we have developed? What is it that binds us together on the journey? What do we convey if we replace every board in the process of "traveling around the world"?

Will not be a product function, these will be like cell changes, development and even death. Nor will it be the marketing slogan, which is the market empathy that is shaped by A/b test. It will not be human-the composition of the team will change, and those who remain in the team will change themselves. will not be the indicator, the change of the index is often geometric level. Even company logos and names can change. It will not be office space, which I have already pointed out.

So, what's the same thing? Whatever that is, this thing must define the startup and its goals, the answer to this first question: Why should anyone, whether employees or clients, join the founders ' journey and share this very personal responsibility?

In WP engine we refer to these immutable things as our "values"-our sacrosanct constitution. Whenever we need to make a difficult decision, the result is determined by our value. For example, if we want to make a choice between doing what is good for the customer and we have to lose money, we choose the former. Or if we have to decide on the fate of a person who works very well but is dishonest or works for himself rather than a team, we always choose to expel him.

In fact, whether you agree on core values is the embodiment of whether you let everyone develop a sense of ownership. Does a person who joins a technical support week choose to return a large refund to the customer or is willing to pay an extra amount of time to help the customer solve the problem? If you already have a value framework that makes it clear that the latter is the right move, then he can make a decision without a series of approval processes, meetings, and arguments. Isn't that the definition of authorization? Isn't that part of the "expansion" solution?

That's why it's important to write down the company's value in black and white. As far as we are concerned, we are putting it on the wall, and its status is equivalent to the Declaration of Independence of the United States. You must make sure that not only does everyone agree to regard it as a professional condition, but it is remembered for external requirements, and because they already embody those values in their bones, they will naturally continue to propagate these values to the people and followers around them.

"Corporate Culture" is the output of your values. Whether as an individual or an organization, it will never be perfect, no matter at what time, you will have some cultural deficiencies, and you always try to let it meet their expectations. This is a healthy situation.

I founded WP Engine before I founded 3 companies. The three companies were financially and technically successful, but I never thought about things like culture and value. This is wrong. Today, two companies are still in, and after 10 years of development, but it lacks a higher goal, the lack of a really important to our customers mission and contribution to the staff, but perhaps no one cares about this?

Why are you dismissive of that success? Because of the type of work it creates? Are you happy? Are you empowered? Is there any guidance or instruction from others? Have you had a career that you were proud of? Do you feel like you're not wasting your life this time?

I do not know. Financial success is a means, not an end. The company is unsustainable without financial success, so this is a necessary condition for success. But "money does not make people happy," of course, will not make others happy, or bring a full and meaningful life.

So what can bring these? To answer this question, use your culture to reveal the void created by your values, and you will truly accomplish something important to you and to others in life.

What is your void?