wasp/web/blog/2022-08-15-how-to-communicate-why-your-startup-is-worth-joining.md

---
title: How to communicate why your startup is worth joining
authors: [flreln]
image: /img/worth-joining/illustration-1-min-min.png
tags: [startups, hiring, wasp]
---

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import InBlogCta from './components/InBlogCta';
import WaspIntro from './_wasp-intro.md';
import ImgWithCaption from './components/ImgWithCaption'


Except for a handful of companies who send people to Mars or develop AGI, most startups don’t seem to offer a good reason to join them. You go to their websites and all you see is vague, baseless, overly generic mission-schmission/values-schvalues HR nonsense that supposedly should turn you into a raving fan of whatever they’re doing and make you hit that “Join” button until their servers crash. Well…

Some people think that’s because most startups aren’t worth joining. I disagree. This argument generalizes one’s own reasons for joining a startup onto every other human being out there, which is unlikely to be true. I think most startups, no matter how ordinary, *do* have a reason to join them; *a good reason*; even *many good reasons* — they just fail to communicate them well. They’re like a shy nerd on Tinder with an empty bio and no profile pic: a kind, intelligent, and thoughtful human being who, unfortunately, will be ruthlessly swiped left — not because he’s a bad match but because his profile doesn’t show why he’s a good one.

Visually, this “Tinder profile problem” looks like this:

<!--truncate-->

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="Illustration of candidates not seeing why to join a startup"
    source="img/worth-joining/illustration-1-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

Now, look what would happen if a startup communicated a bit better. Suddenly, our candidates could see a reason to join. If the reason is good, they might even swipe right.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="Illustration of candidates seeing one reason to join a startup"
    source="img/worth-joining/illustration-2-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

But most startups have *many* good reasons to join them. If only they communicated well, the outcome would be something like this:

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="Illustration of candidates seeing many reasons to join; one candidate already running for it"
    source="img/worth-joining/illustration-3-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

Now, you’re probably wondering just what exactly those reasons are.

Here’s a rough list:

1. The founders are interesting / fun / smart / human / you name it
2. The team is great
3. The culture is amazing
4. The business is doing well

However, if you just copy this list and paste it on your jobs page, you will accomplish nothing. The candidates will never believe you. What you need to do instead is to *supply them with a system of concretes (facts) from which their minds will form these abstract conclusions.*

For example:

- Instead of declaring that “the founders are reflective, thoughtful, and persistent,” show them how so, like Sarah from Canny does by writing comprehensive year-in-review blog posts for [four years in a row](https://canny.io/blog/year-four-in-review/).
- Instead of proclaiming that “the founders are humble and can have fun,” show them how so, like Michael from Fibery did by becoming a hero of [this hilarious page](https://fibery.io/remote). (No businessy founder would ever agree to make this public. Michael did.)
- Instead of purporting that “the team is great” or “you’ll work alongside very smart people” (God, I hate that one!), show them who exactly those people are, as PostHog does [here](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/team) and Wasp does [here](https://wasp-lang.dev/blog/2021/12/21/shayne-intro) and [here](https://wasp-lang.dev/blog/2022/05/31/filip-intro).

In the rest of the post, I’ll go through the four broad reasons to join a startup one by one and show real-life examples of communicating them well. In the end, I will explain how these four reasons, communicated well, fuse into two compelling messages that will interest any candidate.

One last thing. For the sake of clarity and comprehension, I will write in the second person. Instead of saying “candidates would never believe them,” I will say “you would never believe them.” It’s much easier to read and understand.

## **Possible reasons why your startup is worth joining, and how to communicate them well**

### **1. FOUNDERS — or, the founders are interesting / fun / smart / human / you name it**

Most startups have curious, interesting, ambitious, terribly smart founders; the kind most of us would love to work for if we had a chance. Sadly, only a few leverage this asset. In most cases, all you get is a small round pic with a fancy title and a few abstract, high-level sentences that cause no excitement whatsoever. What a shame!

#### **How Canny commmunicates who their founders are**

##### **Founder Stories blog category**

The first notable thing Canny does is the [Founder Stories category](https://canny.io/blog/founder-stories/) in their blog. By quickly skimming the posts, you can understand that Sarah and Andrew (the founders):

- Accept their mistakes, talk about them, and learn from them. Even if the issue is sensitive, like firing people. ([Reflections from the last 2 years as a founder](https://canny.io/blog/reflections-two-year-founder/), [First hire to first fire](https://canny.io/blog/hire-fire/).)
- Are reflective, thoughtful, and persistent people. ([How we built a $1m ARR SaaS startup](https://canny.io/blog/how-we-built-a-1m-arr-saas-startup/), [Year four in review: Overcoming the unexpected](https://canny.io/blog/year-four-in-review/).)
- Have very definite, clear values. But, more importantly, stand up to them, even if that means losing revenue. ([Saying no to big customers](https://canny.io/blog/saying-no-big-customers/).)

If they just pinned this list of virtues to their Jobs page, you would never believe them. Instead, Sarah and Andrew show what actions they take, how they work, how they think, *how they live* — and you make up their own mind about what kind of people Sarah and Andrew are from seeing all that. The difference is enormous.

Note their writing style. They don’t claim to be know-it-alls with titles like “How *to* bootstrap your startup.” Instead, they write “How *we* Bootstrapped *our* SaaS Startup to Ramen Profitability.” They cover only what they know instead of overgeneralizing. This shows both expertise and humility.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Canny's Founder Stories blog category"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-founder-stories-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Personal Instagram**

The second thing Sarah and Andrew do well to communicate who they are is their [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/carryoncode/). They don’t post glamorous keynote appearances, as many entrepreneurs do. They share the actual day-to-day working life — both the fun and the struggle. It gives you a good idea of what they’re after in life. (Not keynotes.) That’s why it works, and that’s why people love it.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A photo from Sarah and Andrew's personal Instagram"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-instagram-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

*Side note: Sarah explains how she develops the Canny brand in [this post](https://canny.io/blog/building-your-brand-with-storytelling/). If you want to build a good one, give it a read. She also wrote about how they attract top talent. You can read it [here](https://canny.io/blog/startup-attract-top-talent/).*

#### **How Fibery communicates who their founder is**

##### **Startup Diary blog post series**

While you can get a pretty good idea of Michael (the founder) from the hilarious “[Remote](https://fibery.io/remote)” page Fibery shipped last year, his [Startup Diary post series](https://fibery.io/blog/startup-diary) offers an even better insight into his soul. In these monthly posts, Michael honestly shares everything that’s going on with Fibery, including the good, the bad, and the ugly: firing people for poor performance, losing important customers, and failing to reach product-market fit. The fact that he’s already written 45 of those (as of Aug 2022) is also telling. And he’s not a native English speaker. If he can do that, why can’t you?

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Fibery's Startup Diary blog category"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-startup-diary-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Crazy challenges**

Besides writing the Startup Diary, Michael also embarks on crazy challenges like [writing 100 posts about products](https://fibery.io/blog/100-posts-about-products). Only a passionate, driven person would commit to such a thing. You cannot help but respect him for it. (Before this challenge, he wrote 100 Medium posts in 100 days in 2018. You can read them [here](https://mdubakov.medium.com/). Just scroll a few screens to reach the old stuff.)

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Fibery's 100 posts about products blog category"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-challenges-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

If you look carefully, you’ll notice that Michael’s thinking about building a company is different from Sarah’s. For example, he despises the gentle, soothing “Oh don’t worry that it didn’t work out; you did such a good work!” approach, which is ubiquitous in the modern startup world. Instead, he states that [dissatisfaction leads to progress](https://fibery.io/blog/dissatisfaction-leads-to-progress/), referring to the famous [“Not quite my tempo”](https://youtu.be/xDAsABdkWSc) scene from Whiplash. Does that make you like him more than Sarah?

It depends. If you believe that being soft and balanced is better, you’ll go with Sarah; if you believe that real progress comes only from working yourself to the bone, you’ll go with Michael (or Elon). The important thing is that both founders have their own, unique viewpoints of how things should be done, and that they communicate these viewpoints as-is instead of chopping their legs off to fit the latest Procrustean fad.

##### **In-depth, original blog posts about the industry**

Some entrepreneurs say that doing a startup is like “jumping off a cliff and building your wings on the way down.” Some of it might be true. But if you want *reasonable* people to jump with you, you better tell them that you have a degree in engineering and know how to assemble wings in a free fall. Otherwise, the only team you’ll recruit is a suicide squad looking for a splashy hit.

To communicate his expertise, Michael writes in-depth, original, theoretical posts about the nature of knowledge management and organizational productivity. These posts are gems, both literally and metaphorically. (They’re filed under the [Gems category](https://fibery.io/blog/gems) in the [Fibery blog](https://fibery.io/blog/).)

For example:

- [Fibery.io Vision v.1: Getting Started](https://fibery.io/blog/fibery-vision-v1/)
- [The Next Wave of Work Management Software](https://fibery.io/blog/the-next-wave-of-work-management-software/)
- [Augmenting Organizational Intelligence](https://fibery.io/blog/augmenting-organizational-intelligence/)
- [Use Networks to Prioritize Product Features](https://fibery.io/blog/use-networks-to-prioritize-product-features/)

After reading these articles, you understand not only that Michael really knows how to build wings while falling off the cliff, but that he has already jumped a few times. (Prior to Fibery, Michael had worked on knowledge management for more than a decade. He also had built a successful project management software, [Targetprocess](https://www.apptio.com/products/targetprocess/).) You know that he’s an expert who can be trusted.

Interestingly, even though Michael writes differently from Sarah, they both leverage what they’re good at. Sarah does not try to produce treatises on software development philosophy, and Michael doesn’t gush out with his personal learnings from building a startup. That, I think, is the right way to do it.

#### **How PostHog communicates who their founders are**

PostHog’s founders James and Tim don’t write 100 posts in 100 days or run a personal Instagram. But they’ve come up with something else to communicate what kind of people they are. And it’s something unique.

##### **Well-written, concise bio**

First, both founders have decent [profiles](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/team) in the company handbook. These bios are short, clear, and humane. They’re also very specific. Where else have you seen the name of the CEO’s cat?

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of James Hawkins' bio in the PostHog Handbook"
    source="img/worth-joining/posthog-james-bio-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Personal README files**

Second, both James and Tim have an extensive README file ([one](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/team/james-hawkins), [two](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/team/tim-glaser)) on how to work with them. These files give you an insight into their productivity habits, interests, and quirks. In fact, after reading them, you will likely have a better idea of the founders than you’d usually get from working at a company for a month!

For instance, James’s file has sections like:

- **Short bio.** Includes very specific details like: “I tend to work 9am to 5pm with an hour for lunch, then I have a gap to have dinner with my family, then 9pm to around 11pm ish.”
- ***Very clear* areas of responsibility.** No need to wonder what the hell the CEO is doing anymore!
- **Quirks.** These are remarkably humble and open-minded, like:
    - “If I haven’t responded to something that you’ve sent me, that’s probably because I’ve read it and don’t feel particularly strongly - so just make a call on what to do if you don’t hear back in a reasonable time frame.”
    - “I’m a little disorganized. I compensate for this by making sure the teams I work on have this skill. Often I think this actually helps me prioritize the things that really matter.”
    - Explaining these quirks is an ingenious move. Besides explaining how to work with James, this section communicates that he’s profoundly self-aware and willing to accept and leverage his weaknesses. These qualities are very rare and incredibly valuable.
- **What I value.** In stark contrast to most HR nonsense, these values are very clear, very specific, and written in English rather than HRese. (I just came up with this term: it means “legalese but for HR.”) Here are two examples:
    - “Proactivity. Do not ask me for permission to do things - I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t trust you. I’d rather 9 things get done well and 1 thing I disagree with than we don’t get anything done at all.”
    - “Directness impresses me. If you don’t like something please just say so. It makes for much healthier relationships.”

In addition to that, there’s also: How I can help you, How you can help me, My goals until end December 2022 (very specific!), Personal strategy, Execution todo (including “1 bike ride a week”!) and Archived todo.

In summary, this README page is a gem. I wish more founders had them.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of James Hawkins' README in the PostHog Handbook"
    source="img/worth-joining/posthog-james-readme-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

#### **How we at Wasp communicate who our founders are**

##### **“Who we are” section of every job description page**

Matija and Martin (the founders of Wasp) embedded a concise description of who they are right into each [job description page](https://www.notion.so/402274568afa4d7eb7f428f8fa2c0816) in Notion. They knew that this is the first company artifact many candidates will see. So they saved candidates time and effort on digging up who the hell started Wasp.

Note the language and substance of this list. When you read it, you immediately get a sense of who Matija and Martin are as people — fun, easygoing, no-corporate-bullshit kinda guys. Now imagine it said something “more normal,” like: “The company was founded by seasoned entrepreneurs…” What impression would that make?

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Wasp's job description page"
    source="img/worth-joining/wasp-who-we-are-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

### **2. TEAM — or, the team is great**

It is startling how little most startups tell you about their teams. Often all you get is a chessboard of faces and titles, which gives you no idea who these people are *as people* or how working with them will feel like*.* Given how crucial a reason “great team” is for most candidates, improving how you communicate it seems like a low-hanging fruit.

#### **How Canny communicates who is on their team**

##### **Decent team page**

The Canny’s difference starts with a team page. It has a dense summary of who each team member is as a person and includes high-quality, lively photos of everybody.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Canny's Team page"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-team-bios-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

Look how specific those bios are. In most cases, all you get here is a generic “developer” or “marketer” without any personal details. Bios of robots, not people. No wonder nothing comes to mind, except perhaps for Agent Smith. But Canny’s bios are different. When you read them, you can actually imagine the person! They’re Neos in the world of Smiths.

##### **Remarkable “Why work at Canny” blog post**

From there, it gets only better. Canny’s chief weapon for explaining their team is a blog post, the “[Why work at Canny](https://canny.io/blog/work-at-canny/)” blog post. Sarah wrote it back in the summer of 2021. It is full of quotes from team members and photos of their workdays and vacations. *Real photos of real people*. No wonder the comments section under the post abounds with raving fans willing to join the team straight away!

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of comments under the Canny's Why work at Canny blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-why-work-post-comments-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

Perhaps the best thing about this post is how little work it takes to create one. I imagine that collecting the data took some time, but the actual writing (it’s an 11-min read) took no more than a week. A week of work for a candidate magnet of such tremendous power? Sounds like a deal.

*P.s. Sarah writes a lot more about their team in her yearly review posts, but I decided not to elaborate on those for the sake of clarity. You can check them out here: [year 1](https://canny.io/blog/lessons-learned-bootstrapping-saas/), [year 2](https://canny.io/blog/year-two-lessons-bootstrapping/), [year 3](https://canny.io/blog/year-three-lessons-bootstrapped-startup/), and [year 4](https://canny.io/blog/year-four-in-review/).*

#### **How Fibery communicates who is on their team**

##### **Weird About Us page**

Unlike Canny and PostHog’s, Fibery’s [About Us](https://fibery.io/about-us) page doesn’t reveal much info about each team member. You will find no bios or README files there. But it clearly tells you one thing: the team is a bunch of weirdos. So, if weird is your thing, you’ll be attracted to Fibery like a moth to a flame. (Side note: Fibery managed to clearly explain their vision in one paragraph. This is rare.)

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Fibery's About Us page"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-about-us-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Team-related parts of Startup Diary**

I’ve already mentioned Michael’s [Startup Diary](https://fibery.io/blog/startup-diary) monthly blog series. What I didn’t say is that each post communicates something about the team: who did what that month, random Slack posts (links, quotes, tweets, and images), etc. If someone new joined that month, Michael writes a few paragraphs explaining who that person is, where they come from, what they’re going to do at Fibery, and even attaches a photo. Like [Chris](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-36/).

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Fibery's Startup Diary blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-chris-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

#### **How PostHog communicates who is on their team**

##### **Team section in the company handbook**

At PostHog, every team member has a well-written, few-paragraphs-long bio and a stylish illustration on the [Team section](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/team) of the [PostHog’s Handbook](https://posthog.com/handbook/). (Which is a work of art worthy of its own blog post, by the way.) Many team members have their own README files, like the founders do. Check out Lottie Coxon’s, PostHog’s Graphic Designer’s README [here](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/team/lottie-coxon), and some others [here](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/team/yakko-majuri) and [here](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/team/karl-aksel-puulmann). Even a quick read through these bios and READMEs gives you a good idea of who PostHog has on board.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of PostHog's team section in the handbook"
    source="img/worth-joining/posthog-team-1-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="Another screenshot of PostHog's team section in the handbook"
    source="img/worth-joining/posthog-team-2-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Day-in-life videos from employees**

In addition to bios and READMEs, PostHog has [a day-in-life video](https://youtu.be/xlODCLrZyvM) of Lottie, their graphic designer. It communicates a lot more information about what kind of person she is and how working at PostHog feels like than her bio. I wish they had more of those.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot from PostHog's graphic designer day-in-life video"
    source="img/worth-joining/posthog-lottie-video-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

Finally, PostHog’s handbook offers two more sections where candidates can learn even more about the team: [Culture](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/culture) and [Team structure](https://posthog.com/handbook/people/team-structure/team-structure#reporting-structure). All are worth a read, and each tells you something new about the company and the team, nurturing your liking and respect for these people. Definitely worth stealing.

#### **How we at Wasp communicate who is on our team**

##### **“Meet the team” blog posts**

To help candidates understand who they will be working with, we at Wasp write a blog post about each new hire:

- [Meet the team - Filip Sodić, Founding Engineer](https://wasp-lang.dev/blog/2022/05/31/filip-intro)
- [Meet the team - Shayne Czyzewski, Founding Engineer](https://wasp-lang.dev/blog/2021/12/21/shayne-intro)

The posts are brief enough to be read in one sitting. Yet, they are very informative. Basically, each post is an interview, presented as an article. We hope they give candidates a good idea of who they'll be spending half of their waking time with.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Wasp's Meet the team blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/wasp-meet-the-team-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

### **3. CULTURE — or, the culture is amazing**

While researchers still argue about the ultimate definition, most of us understand culture as “what working here feels like” and/or “how we do things here.” We also understand how crucial it is for those looking for work. It seems glaringly obvious that startups should work hard on communicating their culture. Yet, most companies don’t. Or, even worse, they flood their websites with meaningless HR fluff, which only scares interesting people away. In short, communicating culture well is another low-hanging fruit waiting to be picked.

#### **How Canny communicates their culture**

Canny does an outstanding job at communicating their culture. The primary tool they employ is, once again, their [blog](https://canny.io/blog/founder-stories/). (Note how multifunctional it is: founders, expertise, team, and now culture.) The posts in the Founder Stories category convey very well what working at Canny feels like. Here are a few examples.

##### **“Why work at Canny” blog post**

I’ll risk repeating myself, but [this post](https://canny.io/blog/work-at-canny/) so beautifully explains Canny’s culture that I couldn’t resist. It mentions why and how they work remotely, how they do team retreats (with photos and a [video](https://youtu.be/u4yOS1cuMSQ) from Lisbon!), and how they had fun together playing weird Zoom games when travel was not an option due to Covid.

Pay attention to the imagery. It communicates a lot more information than any lengthy, elaborate description would. Indeed, a picture is often worth a thousand words.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A photo of Canny's two team members hacking in Denver"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-hacking-in-denver-min.jpeg"
    caption=""
/>

##### **“Lessons from a year of team retreats” blog post**

Instead of saying that “team is our priority” or “we invest in our people,” Sarah [shows](https://canny.io/blog/lessons-from-team-retreats/) what they’ve done to support their team. 

Again, note how specific the imagery is.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A photo from Canny's Lessons from a year of team retreats blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-year-of-retreats-min.jpeg"
    caption=""
/>

Interestingly, Sarah’s post isn’t framed as “hey we do many team retreats, we’re awesome, come work for us.” If they wrote that, the reader would feel uneasy. They would sense bragging. That’s why the explicit message in the post is what Canny learned doing team retreats, not that they’ve done many. This explicit message, however, *implies* that they indeed have done many retreats! It sends a message that Canny cares for their employees without explicitly saying so. This is what true mastery looks like.

##### **“The end of our digital nomad journey” blog post**

Although [this post](https://canny.io/blog/end-digital-nomad-journey/) describes Sarah and Andrew’s personal nomad experience, Sarah managed to reveal Canny’s culture through it. To do that, she described how the team worked on Canny during those nomad years. She also wrote about their communication struggles, routines, and a lot more. And, again, look at how effectively her seemingly imperfect screenshots and photos transmit the vibe!

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A photo from Canny's The end of our digital nomad journey blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-end-of-nomad-min.jpeg"
    caption=""
/>

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="Another photo from Canny's The end of our digital nomad journey blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-end-of-nomad-2-min.jpeg"
    caption=""
/>

#### **How Fibery communicates their culture**

While Fibery’s culture is different from Canny’s, they also communicate it well. Their primary tool is a weird, quirky [website](https://fibery.io/) full of special projects that give you a sense of how they do things at Fibery and what working there feels like.

##### **Anxiety page**

The first project is Fibery’s [/anxiety page](https://fibery.io/anxiety). Launched in 2019, it mocks every serious enterprise software out there with puns like “Yet another collaboration tool” as the page title, “Mistake” as a sign-up button text, and, my favorite, “Try—Suffer—Quit” page structure.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Fibery's /anxiety page"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-anxiety-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

One day three years ago, someone [submitted](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21643683) this page to Hacker News. The post surged to the top of the frontpage, stayed there for many hours, and got 705 upvotes and 145 comments from people all over the world relating to Fibery’s culture. Why? Because it felt real.

Here’s a glimpse of what people wrote in the comments:

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Hacker News comments on Fibery's /anxiety page"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-hn-1-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="Another screenshot of Hacker News comments on Fibery's /anxiety page"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-hn-2-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Remote page**

The second special project Fibery did to communicate their culture is the [/remote page](https://fibery.io/remote). It shows what working from home is *really* like. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen done by a software startup. (Have you ever seen a CEO being licked by a dog?) It also shows how the Fibery team works and even how they use Fibery to build Fibery. Like Canny’s “Lessons from a year of team retreats” blog post, it does so implicitly. A true masterpiece.

##### **Weird, humorous site**

Broadly, the whole [site](https://fibery.io/) screams that Fibery is a place for misfits, rebels, and trouble makers; the place where such people will be valued and will feel like home; the place built around brutal honesty and spicy humor.

The “What (non-)customers say” section is worth a mention. Over my nine years in startups, I haven’t seen a site that a) lists *bad* customer reviews; and b) uses 💩 emoji as a filter. Again, this is telling. It says a lot about who they are as people: humble, real, and fond of humor.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Fibery's About Us page, What non-customers say section"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-what-customers-say-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

#### **How PostHog communicates their culture**

##### **Comprehensive company handbook covering all-things culture**

PostHog’s way of communicating their culture is the most explicit of all four examples, yet very effective. Their primary tool is the [PostHog Handbook](https://posthog.com/handbook), which covers virtually *every* aspect of what working at PostHog feels like: interviews, onboarding, training, management, communication, and even firing. (They call it [offboarding](https://posthog.com/handbook/people/offboarding).)

The handbook goes all the way up to the [high-level strategy](https://posthog.com/handbook/strategy/strategy), which is very clear. Notably, PostHog’s strategy section not only puts forth ambitious goals but actually explains how exactly the company will get there.

[The values section](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/values) is *very* specific; perhaps the most specific I’ve ever seen. PostHog does not merely list their values as meaningless abstractions but supports them with evidence. Some values have many paragraphs of examples demonstrating how the team follows them.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of the Values section in the PostHog's handbook"
    source="img/worth-joining/posthog-values-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

They also have a specific [Culture page](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/culture) with [a 5-minute video from the CEO](https://youtu.be/rRwzJiljpSA) explaining how they designed PostHog for remote work from day one, which nicely complements the text.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot from James Hawkins's video"
    source="img/worth-joining/posthog-james-video-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

In summary, if Canny’s weapon of choice is the blog and Fibery’s is the website, then PostHog’s is definitely the handbook. It’s a work of art.

#### **How we at Wasp communicate our culture**

##### **Easygoing vibe from memes, copy, and imagery**

Unlike Posthog, we at Wasp don’t (yet) have a dedicated Culture page. We are too small for that. But that doesn’t stop us from showing what working at Wasp feels like. We just use different tools.

Our [Twitter](https://twitter.com/WaspLang), [blog](https://wasp-lang.dev/blog), and [monthly updates](https://us4.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=8139c7de74df98aa17054b235&id=f0c6ba5f1d) abound with memes, GIFs, and hilarious imagery. Plus, we write them in a humorous, lighthearted, easygoing style. By just scrolling through these things for a few minutes, candidates can understand that we aren’t some corporate bros. And if they like working on interesting things *while having fun*, they won’t help but feel an inkling to reach out.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A funny image from Wasp's blog post about GitHub Copilot"
    source="img/worth-joining/wasp-vibe-blog-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A photo of Wasp's team packing t-shirts for users"
    source="img/worth-joining/wasp-vibe-tshirts-min.jpeg"
    caption=""
/>

### **4. PROGRESS — or, the business is doing well**

When you just closed an $80 million Series B or signed Facebook as a customer, communicating progress is easy. You just state these facts. However, most companies need to attract great people way before Series B. In fact, it is these very people who’re going to get you there. As most startups are secretive about how things are going, communicating that things are going *somehow* — no matter how negligible your progress in contrast to the big guys — becomes quite an advantage. It immediately de-risks the opportunity in the candidate’s eyes. So, if EXPERTISE is about convincing candidates that you know how to build the wings, PROGRESS is about showing them the half-built carcass on your way down. Both are important if you want great people to jump off the cliff with you.

#### **How Canny communicates their progress**

To give candidates a sense that things are moving, that this company is not some long slog but a place where progress is made every day, that they can become a part of something that’s growing and, therefore, can grow themselves, to do all that, Canny does two things.

##### **“Year in review” blog posts**

The first one is their “Year in review” blog post series. Such comprehensive, thoughtful reviews are rare in the startup world. What is even rarer is when these posts span over four consecutive years. It sends a message that the founders are persistent and devoted to making this company successful.

Below are all Canny’s year-in-review posts in a sequential order:

- [Year in review: Lessons learned from bootstrapping our SaaS startup](https://canny.io/blog/lessons-learned-bootstrapping-saas/)
- [Year in review: Lessons from our second year of bootstrapping Canny](https://canny.io/blog/year-two-lessons-bootstrapping/)
- [Year three in review: Lessons from growing our bootstrapped startup](https://canny.io/blog/year-three-lessons-bootstrapped-startup/)
- [Year four in review: Overcoming the unexpected](https://canny.io/blog/year-four-in-review/)

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Canny's Year in review blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-year-in-review-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Important revenue milestones blog posts**

In addition to year-in-review posts, Sarah writes about hitting notable revenue milestones. Like with yearly reviews, such transparency is rare. It attracts attention, causes liking, and builds trust.

For example:

- [$0 to $3,500: How we Bootstrapped our SaaS Startup to Ramen Profitability](https://canny.io/blog/saas-startup-ramen-profitability/)
- [$3,5k to $1m: How we built a $1m ARR SaaS startup](https://canny.io/blog/how-we-built-a-1m-arr-saas-startup/)
- [$1m to $2m: How we’re moving our SaaS upmarket to enterprise sales](https://canny.io/blog/moving-upmarket/)

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Canny's How we built a $1m ARR SaaS startup blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-million-arr-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Short tweets with progress summary**

Finally, Sarah occasionally tweets short summaries of their progress, like [this one](https://twitter.com/sarahhum/status/1461378442256072712). These tweets work like ads. Over time, a candidate’s brain fuses them into a broader idea like “Canny is growing” or “Canny is doing well.” Then, once a candidate decides to change jobs, it nudges the candidate to consider Canny.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Sarah’s tweet with progress update"
    source="img/worth-joining/canny-sarah-tweet-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

#### **How Fibery communicates their progress**

##### **Startup Diary blog posts**

The most notable thing Fibery does to communicate their progress is the [Startup Diary](https://fibery.io/blog/startup-diary) blog posts series written by the founder, Michael, every month, *for the past 45 months.* It’s the longest series of monthly updates I know. In these posts, Michael honestly shares everything that’s going on with the company: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Below are just a few examples, selected by me. You can study all Fibery’s monthly updates here.

- [#2 Slow September 2018](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-2/) — Fibery startup progress in September 2018. Slow month with not so many news. First positive feedback. Company name selection.
- [#6 Planning Private Beta in January 2019](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-6/) — Fibery startup progress in January 2019: Private beta goals, selecting a market positioning (hard), apps re-design.
- [#10 Burn in May 2019](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-10/) — Several people burned out, new features are delivered, public release will be sooner (we hope) (despite ill fortune).
- [#16 Crazy November 2019](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-16/) — Fibery 1.0 is silently launched. Silence is hard to keep. HackerNews front page. Twitter madness. 3000 registered accounts.
- [#17 Fragmented December 2019](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-17/) — Public announcements moved to January. +Lena. Tons of feedback. First money! Hype is over. We consider rising a ~$4M round.
- [#35 Raised $3.1M in July 2021](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-35/) — TLDR: We closed $3.1M seed round. Building a second brain for teams. Fibery mission. Building in Public. Automation rules. Documents and Rich Text history.
- [#36 20k MRR in August 2021](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-36/) — Special Startup Diary edition. 20k MRR & 15 new customers! +Chris. +Sales agency. 4 case studies. Airtable integration & notify people action.
- [($30K MRR) #42 Connecting the dots in April 2022](https://fibery.io/blog/chronicles-42/) — TLDR: 🇺🇦 Ukrainian war affected our performance. $30K MRR 🐌. 69 reviews in G2 ❤️. Marketing for customer-built products is hard 🥉. 12 customer stories 👻. 2 hours downtime 🥲. New navigation ⛵️. My Space 🔒.

Imagine a candidate who is considering two or more similar startups. Guess what might convince them to go with Fibery? Progress. Or, more exactly, an understanding that Fibery is *persistently* making progress and, therefore, has a decent chance to become successful. Delivered through these very updates.

*Last year, Michael (Fibery’s CEO) started writing year-in-review posts too. I didn’t mention them because there’s just one post for now. You can read his 2021 review [here](https://fibery.io/blog/fibery-2021/).*

##### **Open Startup page with metrics**

The second tool that Fibery employs to share their progress is the [/open-startup page](https://fibery.io/open-startup). Like monthly updates, it gives candidates a good idea of how the business is doing. This understanding, however, comes from a different source: pure numbers. And numbers often speak louder than words.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Fibery's Open startup page"
    source="img/worth-joining/fibery-open-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

#### **How PostHog communicates their progress**

##### **Story page in the handbook**

In the PostHog’s handbook, they have a page called [Story](https://posthog.com/handbook/company/story). It succinctly shows the milestones the company has hit so far. For each milestone, they offer a clear and concise explanation of what happened, sometimes no longer than a sentence. As a result, candidates can get a good idea of how things are going *in less than a minute.* That’s something to aspire to.

Here’s the section titles:

- Jan 2020: The start
- Feb 2020: Launch
- Apr 2020: $3M Seed round
- May 2020: First 1,000 users
- Oct 2020: Billions of events supported
- Nov 2020: Building a platform
- Dec 2020: $9M Series A
- Jun 2021: $15M Series B
- Sep 2021: Product Market fit achieved for PostHog Scale

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of PostHog's Story page"
    source="img/worth-joining/posthog-story-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

#### **How we at Wasp communicate our progress**

##### **Blog posts covering big milestones (YC, $1.5m seed)**

For each milestone, Matija and Martin (Wasp founders) write a blog post describing not only what they accomplished but also *how* they did it.

For example, when Wasp got into YC, they didn’t just post the news on Twitter. They wrote a blog about [their journey to Y Combinator](https://wasp-lang.dev/blog/2021/02/23/journey-to-ycombinator). It got thousands of views.

Same with fundraising. When Wasp closed a $1.5m seed, Matija documented and shared their fundraising learnings in [a blog post](https://wasp-lang.dev/blog/2021/11/22/fundraising-learnings). It ended up on the HN frontpage. (Incidentally, this post communicates something important about the founders. It takes persistence to run 250+ meetings in 98 days.)

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Wasp's fundraising learnings blog post"
    source="img/worth-joining/wasp-fundraising-learnings-post-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

##### **Monthly newsletter with updates**

To keep the momentum, Matija also writes [a monthly newsletter](https://us4.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=8139c7de74df98aa17054b235&id=f0c6ba5f1d). It’s similar to Michael’s Startup Diary in substance, but has a different style. Wasp style. (Which, again, communicates our culture.)

Like PostHog’s Story page, Wasp’s monthly updates give candidates a bird’s eye view over everything that’s happened in the past two years. To anyone interested in connecting the dots, this page is a gem.

<ImgWithCaption
    alt="A screenshot of Wasp's monthly newsletter archives"
    source="img/worth-joining/wasp-monthly-newsletter-min.png"
    caption=""
/>

## **So, why should people join your startup?**

*The founders are interesting / fun / smart / human / you name it*

*The team is great*

*The culture is amazing*

*The business is doing well*

By communicating all these reasons well, what Canny, Fibery, PostHog, and (we hope!) Wasp really end up transmitting is two powerful messages:

- The company is likely to succeed
- Working there will be awesome

These two messages are the real answer to “why people should join your company.” The trick, however, and the reason why I wrote this post, is that you can only transmit them indirectly. You can’t say “our founders are great.” You need to provide candidates with many-many facts about the founders, which their minds will then fuse into this abstract conclusion. Ditto for expertise, team, culture, and progress. Eventually, these first-level abstractions will blend into still broader ones: “the company is likely to succeed” and “working there will be awesome.”

Thus, there’s no single, ultimate answer to “why people should join your company.” There’s only a complex system of concrete, specific units of information from which candidates make the answer themselves. In other words, you can’t teach them why your company is likely to succeed and why working here will be awesome. But you can outline the facts and let them learn for themselves. I hope this post shows how to do that outlining well, and I hope you will apply this knowledge to bring talented people onboard and build great things.