🌱🤸‍♀️Build Your Statement: A Real Guide for Founders

When you’re launching a company, it’s easy to think culture can wait, after all, there’s hiring, product development, fundraising… But defining your culture early is one of the smartest, most impactful things you can do.

Culture isn’t just a slogan. It’s the shared values and behaviors that guide how your team works, solves problems, and grows together. Without it, misalignment can creep in, and it gets harder to fix as you scale…and at the end of the day you are always building your culture, by doing or not doing…

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build a meaningful company culture, even before your first hire.

1. Define Your Core Values: What Do You Stand For?

Your values are the foundation of your culture. They influence everything, from how you treat clients to how your team navigates challenges.

🧠 Start with a founder values brainstorm

Set aside time (even just 30 minutes) and ask yourself:

• What do we celebrate as a win?
• What behaviors feel like a red flag, no matter the performance?
• What kind of team do we want to be part of 5 years from now?

💬 Get external feedback

Ask trusted friends or early collaborators:

“Based on what you know, how would you describe what we stand for?”

Sometimes, others can articulate what you’ve been living.

📝 Tell stories instead of listing buzzwords

Rather than “We value collaboration,” tell a short anecdote that shows how your team solved something together. Then extract the value from the behavior.

📌 Stick to language that feels real

Avoid values like “synergy” or “innovation” unless they actually reflect your day-to-day. Use terms you’d say in a team meeting, it doesn’t have to be fancy or profound, you and your team are the one who assign a meaning to that word.

✅ Test your values in real decisions

Would this value help you choose between two great candidates? Would this value will help you to define if move forward or not with a client you are not sure about? If not, refine it.

2. Open Feedback That Impacts

Culture is what people do, not what you write down. As a founder, you set the tone. Your habits become the team’s habits. Saying that you have open feedback is vague. Your team is a source of information, so do your best to push for the right information and manage that in a constructive way.

🤝 Lead with honesty and appreciation

Hold regular 1:1s, not just for updates but for real conversations. Use the “sandwich” technique for feedback: start with something positive → share what needs improvement → end with encouragement. It builds trust and safety.

✅ Be consistent

If you say “we value balance,” don’t send weekend Slack messages. Your actions carry more weight than any value statement.

📢 Invite feedback (if needed)

Create regular feedback loops, open discussions, anonymous surveys, team retros. Teams perform better when they feel heard. When you walk the talk, others follow.

Even though open feedback sounds great, the reality is that not everyone can share their opinion about everything. Would you imagine?

Instead, set the general dynamic for group meetings. Also, when you expect feedback, remember there are no right or wrong answers, but you should never ask for feedback you’re not able to act on.

3. Create Habits That Talk by Themselves 🧩

Culture is reinforced by repetition. Even with a small team, build intentional habits that cost zero but have a huge impact.

🎉 Instead of saying we value what you do! Celebrate small wins

Recognition matters. Try a Slack emoji chain, quick team shoutouts, or weekly wrap-ups. These rituals create belonging and motivation.

📢 Instead of saying we are transparent, share useful information

Hold weekly check-ins where goals, blockers, and decisions are shared openly. Make clarity the norm from day one.

📖 Instead of saying we support learning, encourage people to do it by themselves

Try rotating “show and tell” moments, Loom videos, or a shared Notion doc. Everyone can learn from small things.

Hey, I prepared this video for John about creating requisitions in our CRM. In case it helps, it will be here.

These small practices grow into strong team culture over time.

4. Hire for Culture (Not Same as You Are)🤝✨

There’s often confusion about the importance of values when hiring. Some founders think that if one of your values is have fun, you need to hire only extroverted people. Wrong. Building a team is like building a sports team. You don’t need everyone to play the same role. Some defend, some attack, some hold the middle. You need balance in skills, not copies of each other.

🗣️ Ask the right questions

None will say I dont like to listen or I cant manage a conflict, but there are other ways to know how to manage that thing.

• “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate.”
• “What kind of work environment helps you thrive?”
• “How do you respond to high-stress situations?”
• “What made you proud of your contribution in a past team?”

📌 Share your values and invite reflection

Ask candidates:

• “Which of our values do you relate to most, and why?”
• “Is there a value you’d bring to our team that we haven’t mentioned?”
• “How should culture evolve as we grow?”

🔁 Look for adaptability

Startups move fast. Ask how they’ve handled change or picked up new skills on the go.

Be thoughtful… but move. Don’t rush hiring, but don’t drag it out either. A never-ending process is exhausting. If you need help structuring a fair, efficient process, our team can support you with a proven hiring plan.

5. Communicate Your Culture Clearly and Often 🗣️💡

Culture only works if it’s visible and lived, not hidden in a doc no one opens.

📄 Document your values clearly

Include them in onboarding, internal docs, and job descriptions. Add real examples of what they look like in action.

🙌 Talk about culture often

Use shoutouts in meetings to spotlight behaviors that reflect your values. Example: “Big thanks to Joel for stepping up with real ownership this week!”

🏆 Recognize aligned behavior

Create rituals around recognition. Monthly kudos, team emails, or shared wins can reinforce the kind of culture you’re trying to build.

🚨 Address misalignment quickly

If someone’s behavior clashes with your values, address it early. Culture fades when you let exceptions slide.

💡 Keep your culture present as you grow:

• Hold monthly “culture check-ins” to reflect on what’s working.
• Ask the team: “What cultural habit should we start, stop, or continue?”
• Model your values through your leadership, especially when things get tough.

Your Culture Starts Now, Make It Count

Culture isn’t a logo or a catchy phrase on your website. It’s how your team acts when no one’s watching.

It starts with you.

Define your values early. Lead by example. Build small rituals. Hire with intention. And keep the conversation alive.

Even before your first hire, you’re already shaping your culture, in how you make decisions, treat partners, and face challenges.

If you’re wondering how to put all of this into a more structured format, we recommend checking out HubSpot’s Culture Code. It’s a great example of how to document not just who you are, but who you’re becoming.

Use it as inspiration, not a template, your culture should reflect your story, your team, and your goals.

Start now. Your team will thank you.😉