Building Culture in the Early Stages of a SaaS Business

A new dawn

In the first two years of a SaaS business, everything moves fast. The product needs building. Sales need proving. Customers need onboarding. It’s tempting to leave culture until later.

But culture doesn’t wait.
It forms quietly in every decision, every hire, and every conversation.

Early culture isn’t about perks or posters. It’s the simple behaviours, habits, and rhythms that help your team stay aligned when the pace is chaotic.

Here’s how early SaaS founders build a culture that supports growth from day one.

1. Start With Core Behaviours, Not Buzzwords

Founders often write values that look good but don’t guide action. Early-stage SaaS companies need behaviours that people can see and copy.

Practical examples:

• “We ship small, frequent updates.”

• “We test assumptions early.”

• “We speak up when something isn’t working.”

• “We move fast but document clearly.”

• “We treat customers as long-term partners.”

Culture is how people behave when things go well — and how they behave when things go wrong.

2. Create a Simple Communication Rhythm

Fast-moving teams lose alignment if communication is ad-hoc. A light structure keeps everyone focused.

Suggested rhythm:

• Weekly Product/Engineering Sync – 30 minutes

• Weekly Sales Pipeline Review – leads, deals, next steps

• Weekly Customer Success Check-In – risks, renewals, themes

• Monthly All-Hands – progress and priorities

• Quarterly Strategy Review – alignment on the bigger picture

When you don’t set a rhythm, people fill gaps with assumptions. When you do, they fill gaps with shared understanding.

3. Make Onboarding Personal and Clear

Those first ten hires shape your future company. They need clarity from day one.

Give them:

• a simple 30–60–90 day plan

• your roadmap and customer promise

• who does what and how decisions get made

• tools, workflows, and ways of working

• the behaviours you expect

Even a small onboarding guide reduces confusion and speeds up productivity.

4. Build a Culture of Feedback Early

Companies that scale well normalise feedback from the start. It doesn’t need to be formal or heavy.

Keep it simple:

• short weekly 1:1s

• clear expectations

• early conversations about performance

• space to raise concerns or ideas

Feedback prevents small cracks from becoming future structural problems.

5. Protect the Health of Your Founders and Team

Burnout hits SaaS hard. The pace is high and pressure constant. A healthy culture protects both the team and the product.

Focus on:

• clear priorities

• boundaries on time

• realistic goals

• personal commitments being respected

• progress being recognised

A calm founder creates a calm business. Calm businesses attract grounded talent.

6. Hire for Mindset and Adaptability

Skills get people in the door. Mindset keeps them useful in a start-up.

Look for people who:

• stay curious

• communicate clearly

• handle ambiguity

• solve problems without drama

• take ownership

• learn fast

• leave their ego at home

One adaptable hire accelerates growth. One toxic hire sets it back months.

7. Let Customer Proximity Shape Your Culture

Strong early cultures are customer-centric. Not reactive, but connected customer and business success.

Encourage early hires to:

• read support tickets

• listen to sales calls

• join customer onboarding sessions

• watch real user behaviour

• join problem-solving conversations

Customer closeness builds better instincts across product, sales, and engineering.

8. Keep Culture Lightweight and Real

You don’t need a thick handbook. You need a few lived principles that people recognise.

Ask yourself:

If someone observed your team for a month, what culture would they see?

That’s the real culture you’re building.
The goal isn’t perfection — it’s intention.

Final Thought

In early-stage SaaS, culture is not a side project.
It’s the by-product of how you lead, hire, communicate, and solve problems together.

The choices you make in your first two years shape the speed and sustainability of your growth.

Build it deliberately, and you build the environment your business needs to thrive.

If you’re a SaaS founder in Year 1 or Year 2, or you know someone building their first technical team, I can help you set the right culture, structure, and people foundations.

I work particularly well with early-stage SaaS businesses in the 5–30 employee range who want clarity, alignment, and healthier ways of working.

If that’s you — or a founder you know — let’s talk.
👉 hello@concordianova.co.uk