A sharing of experiences, tales and rants of the path leading up to and including my 6th startup company (the Rubicon Project). 6 startups = $1BN+ market value including 1 IPO, 2 acquisitions, 1 failure, millions in venture capital $, hundreds of employees in cities worldwide and the building of my latest venture, the Rubicon Project - one of the fastest growing advertising companies in history.

Start-up Step 1: Build A Culture Plan

By Frank Addante


The formula for a great company is not a business model, or financial projection.

I used to think that company culture happened naturally.  After starting and building five companies, I've learned that great culture doesn't just happen—you need to make it happen.  In general, a company's most expensive asset is its people.  So it surprises me that so many companies fail to develop a culture or "people plan" to invest in and grow that asset.

When I started my most recent venture, the Rubicon Project, an online marketplace for ad buying, the first thing I did was create a blueprint for our culture.  I talked with the founding team about the kind of organization we wanted to build and the values that we'd instill to guide our employees.  
We didn't start with a business plan, product roadmap, or marketing budget.  Why? 

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