Startups That Scale Culture Win: 5 Tactics to Maintain Culture as You Grow

Why Culture Needs to Scale with Growth

Scaling a startup isn’t just about revenue, hiring, or product-market fit - it’s about keeping your culture strong as everything else changes. The companies that do this well build engaged, high-performing teams that stick around and contribute at a high level.

The ones that don’t? They struggle with team disengagement, high turnover, and a diluted mission that no longer feels aligned with the original vision.

Culture isn’t a nice-to-have: it’s a unique or even unfair business advantage.

This article shares five proven tactics to maintain culture as you scale with real-world examples from Swiss and global startups that got it right.

Culture ManagementCarolin SchneiderFebruary 19, 2025Practical Advice, Start Early, Compensation, Salary

Compensation Models That Scale: A Blueprint For Growing Startups

Creating a compensation model isn’t just about paying people — it’s about setting the foundation for fairness, motivation, and alignment with your company’s culture. A well-structured model helps startups attract top talent, retain great people, and scale sustainably, all while reinforcing the unique cultural DNA of your company.

Here’s your high-level blueprint to design a compensation structure that works, even as you grow.

Culture ManagementCarolin SchneiderDecember 5, 2024Practical Advice, Start Early, Compensation, Salary

Building Company Culture: It’s About Habits, Not Posters 💡

Building a startup culture that truly lasts isn’t about catchy slogans or mission statements; it’s about embedding habits that bring values to life daily.

While many startups spend time crafting vision documents, real culture change happens through small, consistent actions that everyone can see and feel.

In this article, we’ll explore how to design habits and rituals that turn abstract ideas into daily practices, creating a culture that scales with your growth.

Culture ManagementCarolin SchneiderNovember 7, 2024Practical Advice, Start Early, Rituals

This Is How To Recruit Board Members With Confidence 👀

Creating a successful startup involves many components, one of which is forming an effective advisory board.

An advisory board can provide invaluable guidance, oversight, and support in today's competitive business landscape.

This article builds on the People & Culture episode I recorded with Daniel Aghdami, Executive Search pro and co-founder and chairman of Board Owl, on how to build and leverage advisory boards to drive startup success. And how much this is recruiting after all.

Hiring Interns in Startups: Benefits, Dangers, and Smart Strategies

Many startups view hiring interns as a cost-effective way to build their team, due to their eagerness to learn, inexpensive cost, and fast learning curve.

And rightfully so! More often than not they are the true life savers to step in and get that work done that has been piling up - and in (sometimes even exceptionally) good quality, too.

Nevertheless, it's crucial to be aware of the potential pitfalls and understand when hiring interns is beneficial for your business and when it isn’t.

This article explores the nuances of intern hiring, outlining key considerations and smart strategies for making informed decisions when it comes to hiring interns for your startup.

People ManagementCarolin SchneiderAugust 12, 2024Practical Advice, Hiring, Recruiting, Interns

Listen Up Founders: Culture Starts With You

Let’s explore the critical role of founders in shaping company culture. Because Founder-led culture is crucial, particularly in the early stages, and it can be incorporated into many practices to make hiring easier, strengthen team cohesion, and improve overall performance.

This article will give you the practical steps to translate values into action, helping you in many ways every day. Let’s kickstart your culture today, shall we?

Building a Great People Function: 10 Common Pitfalls and How to Overcome Them

We kind of all know it, but then we don’t: building a robust and effective people function and a solid and aligned company culture is critical for the success of any startup. But what does that even mean?!

People ManagementCarolin SchneiderJune 10, 2024Recruiting, Interviews, Practical Advice

Uncovering Candidate Motivation: 6 Key Questions for Effective Recruiting

Recruiting the right talent is a critical and challenging task for any founder. While some believe it's a straightforward process, many quickly realize that effective recruiting is an art that requires skill and insight.

A crucial aspect of this process is understanding a candidate's motivation – why they want to join your team and if they are likely to stay.

Here are six powerful questions that can reveal much about a candidate's motivation and how well they fit your team. Read on to learn how and why that is important.

People ManagementCarolin SchneiderMay 8, 2024Recruiting, Interviews, Practical Advice