New companies tend to think that their startup culture isn’t as important to focus on in the early days as other aspects of the business, but in my experience, it’s critical at every stage.

Culture starts with basic principles. Those principles become the foundation of everything else you build. So take the time to ask yourself, “What principles will guide how we run this business?”

Values need to be an area of focus right from the beginning. Every business tends to start with one person or a couple of co-founders, and these values should align with who they are.