Bretton Putter is a leading expert on startup and high-growth company culture. As Managing Partner of a global executive search firm, he sourced CxOs, VPs and Directors for more than 400 startups and high-growth companies. He is the founder and CEO of CultureGene, a company culture consultancy, he also writes a popular blog on culture-driven companies, is a sought-after speaker, and a contributor to Forbes. His new book is Culture Decks Decoded: Transform Your Culture Into A Visible, Conscious And Tangible Asset.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
Stan Miller CEO of Base
When business started difficulties overcame:
“I had run a business for 16 years and the obvious difficulties were I was a little too comfortable, I was making really good money, I was in a place where I became a little bit lazy. And so the first difficulty was actually forcing myself. Even though I believed in what I wanted to do and I knew that this was an opportunity in the market was moving this way it was still really hard to actually break out of the comfortable shackles that I was in and to break out of the comfort zone that I was in”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization Book by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow LaheyFavourite Quote:
“company culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage that a CEO has complete control over” David Podu
Recommended Online Resources:
- LinkedIn – is a business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Founded on December 28, 2002, and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs.
- Twitter – It’s what’s happening. From breaking news and entertainment to sports and politics, get the full story with all the live commentary.
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“if you are going to found a company and you are setting up with other cofounders do your due diligence on him. 65% of venture capital backed companies fail because of management and often founding management issues. So if you are going to set up with a co-founder or cofounders make sure you understand exactly where you all are because lawyers are expensive to undo that sort of thing. And if you have got a great team then I recommend just do it, believing it, go for it, it’s there for the taking. This is in my opinion the best time to be an entrepreneur ever. Technology is making so much more available there are billions of people on mobile, online… that you can distribute your product anywhere. If you are young and you think entrepreneurial is the answer then just go for it” …[Listen for More]
More About Brett Putter:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“The last 10% it takes to launch something takes as much energy as the first 90%.” Rob Kalin, founder of Etsy
Other Quotes From the Chat with Brett Putter:
- “culture is in my opinion the missing link in business”
- “I was very surprised to find that only one in ten of the CEOs I spoke to had done anything about their company culture”
- “He keeps asking why. Why is that the right way to do it? Why are you thinking like that? Why do they do it like that?”
- “There were certainly doubts, there were concerns. It was a big jump to cross the chasm”
- “my recommendation is to build your network”
- “had work certainly helps, thinking smart certainly helps”
- “now I have a purpose I am undoubtedly convinced that I will succeed at what I want to do”
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