As the dreary funding winter continues to soar, at e27, we are kickstarting a new article series Line of Hire to understand an organisation’s culture and hiring philosophies to empower tech workers with the right growth tools and enable business owners to attract talent.
Cory Brown is an experienced entrepreneur with a passion for customer service. With over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, he co-founded Pronto Marketing, one of the leading website management and marketing agencies for SMBs.
Brown is the Founder, CEO and Product Owner at Simplesat, a customer feedback management tool designed to make it easy and fun for businesses to gather and understand customer satisfaction.
Brown’s obsession with customer service and desire to create a better feedback tool led him to create Simplesat. His vision for the company is rooted in the belief that simplicity, usefulness, and fun are key to building great customer relationships.
Brown discusses his company’s culture and hiring philosophies in this candid interview.
What personality traits/qualities do you look for in potential employees?
We’re all about finding the right people for our team. Technical skills are essential, but we also look for certain personality traits that make a great Sim. We want people eager to learn and grow, bring a positive attitude to work, have a proven track record of success, and have diverse interests outside of work. And I love it when we come across someone a little weird or different.
At the end of the day, we’re looking for individuals who not only excel at their job but also fit in well with our team culture and values.
How do they fit into your company culture? Tell us a little more about your company culture.
We embrace a “leader-leader” approach at Simplesat, which means that everyone has the potential to be a leader and contribute to the team’s success. We’re also all about flexibility and responsibility — we empower our employees to take ownership of their work and make decisions that work best for them.
Also Read: There is an opportunity in every winter: Stephanie Ping of WorQ
Our brand values are another critical aspect of our culture. We’re all about keeping things simple, useful, and fun! We strive to make our products and services user-friendly and solve customers’ problems innovatively. And we try to make everything we do enjoyable – after all, we believe work doesn’t have to be boring!
As for my leadership style, I’m a hardcore introvert and prefer not to micromanage people. Instead, I believe in fostering a culture where everyone is self-motivated and autonomous.
Simplesat’s overall culture is one of collaboration, creativity, and innovation, and we’re always looking for ways to create a positive and productive environment for our team.
How do you foster transparency and encourage achievement in the workplace?
Transparency and achievement are two critical components of Simplesat’s culture; we take both very seriously. Here’s how we foster transparency and encourage achievement in the workplace:
- We use daily check-ins using Basecamp, allowing everyone to see what others are working on.
- We have monthly town hall meetings where we share updates from each department.
- I meet with each employee regularly to allow them to ask me anything they want. These meetings allow employees to voice their concerns, share their ideas, and receive feedback on their work.
- We’re a relatively small startup and don’t have a robust “levels” system for career goals yet. Instead, we’re focused on creating value for our customers, and adding more value constitutes achievement at Simplesat.
- When a team member achieves something noteworthy, we celebrate it. Whether hitting a significant milestone or completing a particularly challenging project, recognising and celebrating achievements is essential for building a positive and supportive work environment.
Do you have a mental health policy? What does that look like?
We don’t have a specific “mental health policy”, but I think Simplesat’s culture and benefits accommodate those struggling with mental health issues. Here are a few things we do to support the mental health of our team members:
- Work from home: We’re primarily a remote company, which means that our employees have the flexibility to work from comfortable and safe spaces. This can be especially helpful for those needing daily breaks to manage their mental health.
- Flex days: We have a flex days system where employees can work on a weekend or holiday and then take another day off. This system allows employees to manage their workload in a way that suits their individual needs and can help prevent burnout.
- Sick and vacation days: We offer generous sick and vacation days, giving employees the time they need to recharge and take care of their mental health when needed.
- Open communication: We believe in creating an environment where employees feel comfortable talking openly about their mental health. We encourage open communication between team members and provide resources for those who need extra support.
WFH or WFO, or hybrid?
We’re hybrid. We don’t have any set rules or requirements for how many days per week employees should be in the office. Instead, we encourage our teams to work together to find the best arrangement for them.
I’m not a fan of 100 per cent remote work. While WFH can be convenient and beneficial in many ways, personal relationships and face-to-face interaction are extremely important for building trust and fostering creativity.
Ultimately, our goal is to create a work environment that allows our employees to be productive, engaged, and fulfilled in their roles, whether they’re working from home, the office, or a combination of both.
How should a tech worker prepare for the funding winter?
In general, when preparing for a funding winter, tech workers must focus on adding value to their company and being as efficient as possible.
Also Read: Keep learning and building relationships during funding winter: Richard Yan of Airwallex
For employees to position themselves not to get laid off, ensuring that their actions directly contribute to your company’s goals and objectives is essential. This means taking a proactive approach to your work and finding ways to add value wherever possible.
For founders and CEOs, we need to focus on efficiency. This may mean eliminating waste and trimming excess fat in your company’s operations. Review your marketing campaigns, features you’re building, or other company initiatives to see where you can streamline processes and reduce costs.
To end with a positive note, a funding winter can be a strong driver that forces us to become leaner and more profitable.
How do you measure the performance of your employees?
It’s important to have a combination of formal and informal feedback channels to ensure everyone is clear on their responsibilities and KPIs.
Performance reviews every six months allow for a more in-depth evaluation of each employee’s performance and values. Complementing these reviews with self-evaluations and 360 reviews provides a well-rounded picture of how employees perform and their colleagues perceive them.
In addition to these formal evaluations, it’s important to have ongoing feedback channels in place. This can include daily or weekly check-ins to ensure everyone meets their responsibilities and KPIs. As a smaller company, it’s also easier to identify when someone isn’t pulling their weight and address the issue early on.
When hiring, will you consider a moderately skilled person with great honesty or a highly skilled person with less honesty?
If a less-than-honest applicant tells us he or she is highly skilled, how can we trust that he or she is telling the truth? 
Do you encourage ‘intrapreneurship’ in your organisation?
While we’re a startup focused on executing our product and marketing roadmaps, I do encourage my team to innovate within their own roles. I actively discourage micromanagement and instead value self-motivation, proactivity, and action-oriented mindsets that are common among entrepreneurs.
I wouldn’t say that we encourage intrapreneurship in the traditional sense of employees developing their own products or services. As a small team, we need everyone rowing in the same direction to ensure efficiency and success.
How do you support upskilling for your employees?
We have several initiatives in place to support their growth and development. We have The Simplesat Library at our Bangkok office, which has books on various topics. If an employee wants a particular book, we buy it for them. We also allocate a generous training budget for anyone who wants to attend a course or conference.
I also believe that employees should take responsibility for their upskilling. I encourage our team to be proactive and self-motivated in learning, trying new things, failing, and learning from their experiences.
I don’t believe in organising training sessions that feel like school. Instead, we clarify what is expected of everybody and provide them with the necessary resources to meet those expectations.
Ultimately, I want to support our team in their professional growth and development, but I also expect them to take ownership of their learning journey.
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The post We are all about keeping things simple, useful, fun: Cory Brown of Simplesat appeared first on e27.
