Culture is born on the first day of the business, says VHSYS CEO in conversation with Start Growth

Maintaining organizational identity during the accelerated growth of a company is one of the biggest challenges for those who undertake, according to Reginaldo Stocco, CEO of VHSYS Start Growth Talks, Start Growth podcast, venture capital specializing in scaling technology businesses. 

During the chat, the guest shared the company's trajectory and reinforced that culture is not something that is implemented with manuals or slides, it is born with the founder and strengthens in the day to day operation. “O that moves the business is not only the product or the market, it is the people and customers. The culture is already present on the first day of the business. When the founder makes decisions, hires, fires, leads, all this already shapes the DNA of the company”, explained Stocco during the episode.

VHSYS, founded more than a decade ago, evolved from a small operation with two partners to a structure with about 190 employees and strategic participation of Stone. Reginaldo says that cultural consolidation happened with the creation of an internal committee, led by a collaborator who originally worked in the personal department. “She understood that what we already lived needed to be systematized, named. Thus our culture committee” was born, he said.

Climate is not culture

During the chat with the hosts Carlos Castilho Jr. and Marilucia Silva Pertile, da Start Growth, Stocco reinforced the difference between climate, which is what you live in day to day, feedbacks, the environment and culture, something inspirational and what sustains the business in the long run. “We are not talking about catchphrases in the corridors or benefits like ball pool and beer released. Strong culture is when everyone understands the purpose and feels part of it”, he explained.

VHSYS, which was born as an ERP and today acts as a management platform with more than 17 thousand customers, celebrates its anniversary on the day it won its first paying customer and not on the date of CNPJ. “Esse is our true Day One. Without customer, it has no business”, he added.

Investment, maturity and governance

When asked about the challenges with the entry of Stone as a partner, Reginaldo was direct.“ Strategic investment requires maturity. Does not change its essence, but charges governance and execution with a FOCUS on”. For him, the biggest mistake of entrepreneurs is to seek investment only out of financial desperation.“Money for money, the bank also has. But the right investor brings knowledge, connections and vision of the future”, he pointed out.

Reginaldo advised entrepreneurs to seek capital only when they know how to allocate it accurately. “A company that sells well has no problem. The one that does not sell, has all”, he summarized.

Among the practical examples, the CEO cited the policy of celebrating goals with barbecues and parties, the implementation of rituals such as team meetings and monthly meetings with the entire team, as well as the partnership with an educational platform that offers courses, graduation and MBA to all employees. “Today, 98% of the team uses the tool. We invest because we believe that knowledge is a legacy of life, not only of the company”, he said.

This approach has helped the company reduce turnover and increase the sense of belonging.“When you give access to education, the employee does not just think about salary.He sees that he is building something with” purpose, he said.

Advice for those who are starting out

At the end of the episode, Reginaldo left two central recommendations: focus and resilience. “Start right. Separate individual from legal entity. Study the market. Be clear about the problem you solve. And above all, seek HELP”, he said, the biggest mistake was to have started in a “brute”, without proper preparation, which could have been solved with support and more active network.

“O entrepreneur has to study every day.And remember: without the right people and without the right customer, there is no company”, he concluded.