About a month ago, we came across this brilliant list – 8 Things every start up does and does not need, from serial entrepreneur and angel investor Chris Dixon. We were smitten – the article really fit us, and what we’re all about.
So, here’s our take on how Vittana thinks about some of these important elements the article cites.
What every start up needs:
1. Sunny office, where you can open windows. We currently reside in a former dance club and bar in downtown Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square (that photo up top is us). Lots of big windows. Unfortunately, we can’t open them. Then again, given our location, some days that’s probably a good thing…
Occidental Park is right outside!
2. Make sure the office is near a park and public transportation. Our office sits right on Occidental Park in Pioneer Square. Head out of any of our exit doors, and you’re there. There’s no grass, but sure, it’s a park, and on the first Thursday of every month there’s a free Art Walk as a bonus. And, for the public transportation-loving employees, the bus tunnel is only 2 blocks away (sweet). On any one day, you can find Vittana employees taking the bus, driving, skateboarding, biking, or running into work. We thrive on variety.
ooga
3. Lots of in-person interaction. This is definitely something we have. We work in a shared space (see that header image again), which gives us lots of opportunity for shared conversation, easy answers to questions, and the occasional funny YouTube clip.
Vittana's very high-tech wireless setup
4. You need two forms of Internet access. Well… after borrowing Internet from friends and the City of Seattle (totally legal, we promise – Seattle public wifi, we love you), we finally got our own up and running. >>>
5. Google Docs and Gmail are great cheap applications. Great, you say? And it’s cheap? We’ll take it! Done and done. We thrive off of the Google candy.
What every start up doesn’t need:
Vittana's scrappy office furniture (notice the mouse is missing a cover plate)
1. Fancy chairs are just a waste of money. Ha! We could not agree more. No fancy chairs, lights, desks for us. We are definitely consumers of Ikea thrift.
2. Don’t hire a PR firm, just be your own PR. At Vittana, we haven’t hired a PR firm, because outstanding people have helped us out by generously offering their time and support, for which we are eternally grateful. And the “awesome product” part of Vittana is our students and the lenders who support them – it’s a great cycle of paying it forward that does truly help us close the last mile of education.
3. Central air conditioning Well, actually we’ve got this one covered. Our sweet bar/nightclub has automatic A/C that comes on every night at 10 pm sharp, but no controls to speak of. It would be great if we were a dance club, but since we haven’t yet made that strategic move, sometimes we wish we could turn it off!
Nick hard at work using his cell phone instead of an expensive central phone system.
4. You don’t need to plow money into a phone system. Done. We’re cell phone users + Skypers (and yes, Nick – we agree that sustainable development is sexy).
5. A vacation policy, a set time to arrive in the morning and a dress code are a waste of time. We could not agree more! When asked about those things, Kushal…well, let’s just say it was one of those rare occasions when he was momentarily speechless. Why? We trust each other; we work hard, we play hard (and we’re really good at picking the locks for the shackles that keep us chained to our desks).
We hope you liked getting a glimpse of our office, and our approach to startup life. We feel strongly about plowing every ounce of time and effort we can squeeze into our mission. For everything else, we’re scrappy to the core!
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