Serkan Kilic’s Post

Does business really have to be as complicated as it purports to be? 😕 Over the last 10+ years, I’ve been peeling back the layers of bureaucracy with every move. Not necessarily out of clear intention, but certainly following a gravitational pull towards the core of what doing business actually means: i.e. creating value that people are willing to spend money on. Yet, there is so much complexity that gets installed as businesses scale, so much red tape, so much friction, so much faff - that it loses the very essence of why it started life as to begin with. I don’t claim to underestimate the need for structure and processes as a businesses scale and grow to mammoth size multi-million pound deal making machines. I get it. But I do want to appreciate the quality of a start-up culture and environment when business is still as close as it can get to what a ‘company’ means: i.e. a group of people who have come together to create value. Not various departments fighting each other over who slowed who down on this quarter's KPIs. So, if you are in that sweet spot where you are building and growing, where egos are set aside and where there is laser-focus on the customer and collective outcomes, then CHERISH it. It’s a special place to be and I certainly feel it at Flank. P.S: The picture below is me from many moons ago vs me now - a lot’s happened between then and now but I’m still as curious (aka still got so much to learn) as I used to be (just haven’t suited up in years) and grateful (#flankful) for every chapter of my journey so far. ♻️ Follow or share if you got some value out of this and want to see similar posts from just another human navigating life and sharing her reflections along the way. #startupculture #growth #companyculture #business

There are so many interesting discussions happening at London Tech Week. One founder, CEO, and investor discussion that has kept me thinking is "The Nuts and Bolts of Building Your Own Business" with panelists Gerard Grech, Tom Bohills, Chris Woodward-Jones and Galia Beer-Gabel. Here are some of the insights gained: 💡 The importance of engaging a coach early to help the founder “let go” of aspects of the business in preparation for scaling. 💡 The chances of success and survival are greater if you have a co-founder, and the benefits that come with having a co-pilot to digest and strategize your journey. 💡 Ensure that you are intentional and take the time to define your values as a founder. 💡 Recognise what you are and aren’t good at early on; find processes and people to fill the gaps. You can’t be everyone and everything all of the time. 💡Consider trademarking your business. 💡 It’s okay to be vulnerable - in fact, it’s really helpful, especially when leveraging the expertise of your board and advisors; it makes your product better. 💡 Recognise that you are one of many investments for your investors - use their time wisely. 💡 The growing pains of trusting the people you hire to do the building for you. 💡 Advocacy being a key marker of product-market fit. 💡 Choosing investors for your business that are compatible with you, beyond the funding that they offer. 💡 Key considerations in PMF - deciding to either swim in ‘red waters’ (i.e., bloody waters) where products are already available and your mission is to make your offering better, or go into entirely new markets. So much food for thought. Thank you, panelists. Founders and CEOs, do these points resonate with you? Any other insights to add from your experience? #people #culture #startup #scaleup #coaching #LTW2024

A fascinating conversation at the park today inspired this post - thank Manuel Levi and Teresa Tong for being part of this discussion about one of business strategy's most underutilized tools. 💭 🎯 The Most Powerful Strategy Meeting You're Not Having: The Pre-Mortem Imagine this. Your project just failed spectacularly. 💥 Yes. You read that right. But here's the twist. 🔄 it hasn't happened yet. It failed terribly in your pre-mortem analysis, and it might be your most valuable hour this week. ⏰ Stay with me. Here's a clear example. 👇 Imagine you're planning a big project. 📋 Instead of just thinking about how great it will be, gather your team and play a simple game: 🎮 "Let's pretend it's 6 months from now, and our project totally failed. What went wrong?" 🤔 That's it. That's the magic trick. It's called a pre-mortem. ✨ Why does this work so well? 🎯 🛡️ People feel safe sharing their worries. 🔍 You spot problems before they happen. 🤝 Your team builds better solutions together. 🛠️ You can fix issues while they're still small. Think of it like checking your car before a long road trip. Isn't it better to find problems in your driveway than on the highway? 🚗 I've seen, over 2 decades, this simple exercise (pre-mortem, don't forget that): 🚀 Save startups from making costly mistakes 💡 Help teams build better products ✅ Turn potential disasters into success stories It takes just one hour or two, but it could save you months of headaches. ⚡ Wanna know more? let's chat in the comments. #Leadership #StartupStrategy #Innovation #RiskManagement #BusinessGrowth

### 🚀 Entrepreneurial Spirit in Corporate: How I Foster Change and Innovation! Hello corporate warriors and change-makers! 🚀 Today, I'm sharing how I infuse entrepreneurial spirit within the corporate environment to foster change and drive innovation. It’s about bringing startup agility and creativity into the structured corporate world. 🌟 **Key Tactics:** - **Empowerment:** Give teams the freedom to experiment and take ownership of projects. - **Cross-Functional Teams:** Mix skills and perspectives to spark innovation. - **Rapid Prototyping:** Quickly test ideas to learn and iterate based on real feedback. Curious about transforming your corporate culture? Join the conversation below and let’s innovate together!

When should a company start measuring its impact?  After it's grown to a certain size?  Once it starts doing public sector bids?  When employees demand it? There was a time when companies were primarily designed with a single focus, whether it was being digital, scaling fast, or disrupting an industry. But something has shifted. Recently, I met some awesome female founders at an impact startup masterclass I delivered, and one thing stood out: these businesses have been measuring impact from day one. Whether it’s environmental, social, or community-driven, impact is no longer an afterthought. It’s at their core. At Impact Advantage, we measure real outcomes not outputs helping businesses do exactly that. This kind of mindset shows a real momentum swell, a collective effort to build businesses that benefit not just their founders but everyone around them. It’s inspiring to see this change, and I believe it’s a sign of better things to come for us all.   If you’ve ever thought of starting your own business, then I'm writing a book on how to do just that without leaving your job. Sign up here to find out more. https://lnkd.in/egU_ATgh

Struggling to set goals that are both ambitious and attainable? You're not alone. I've been there and guided others through this balancing act. Here’s a real-world example of striking that perfect balance: Picture this: A Series B startup dreaming of tripling its revenue in a year. Ambitious? Absolutely. Achievable? Let's break it down: 1.Past Performance: They doubled revenue the previous year. 📈 2. Market Dynamics: Their industry was in rapid expansion mode. 🚀 3. Team Capability: Fresh, specialized top talent on board. 💪 Our solution? A 2.5X growth goal. Still ambitious, but not Mt. Everest. The thrilling result? They hit 2.7X growth. 🎉 Key takeaways for your goal-setting playbook: ▪️Let data be your North Star ▪️Set clear milestones – your progress checkpoints ▪️Build in flexibility – because life happens ▪️Focus on growth that doesn't burn out your team Remember: The most effective goals make you think, "This will be challenging, but it's within our reach." Now it's your turn: How do you approach the art of goal-setting? Share your strategies below!👇 #StartupStrategy #GoalSetting #SustainableGrowth

Struggling to set goals that are both ambitious and attainable? You're not alone. I've been there and guided others through this balancing act. Here’s a real-world example of striking that perfect balance: Picture this: A Series B startup dreaming of tripling its revenue in a year. Ambitious? Absolutely. Achievable? Let's break it down: 1.Past Performance: They doubled revenue the previous year. 📈 2. Market Dynamics: Their industry was in rapid expansion mode. 🚀 3. Team Capability: Fresh, specialized top talent on board. 💪 Our solution? A 2.5X growth goal. Still ambitious, but not Mt. Everest. The thrilling result? They hit 2.7X growth. 🎉 Key takeaways for your goal-setting playbook: ▪️Let data be your North Star ▪️Set clear milestones – your progress checkpoints ▪️Build in flexibility – because life happens ▪️Focus on growth that doesn't burn out your team Remember: The most effective goals make you think, "This will be challenging, but it's within our reach." Now it's your turn: How do you approach the art of goal-setting? Share your strategies below!👇 #StartupStrategy #GoalSetting #SustainableGrowth

📚 Exciting challenge! 🚀 4 days ago, I challenged myself to write a short article every day about a new business concept for the next 30 days.✨ On day 4 of my 30-day challenge, I've delved into another fascinating business concept! From startup strategies to innovation insights, I'm committed to sharing daily gems. But I need YOUR support to make this journey a success! 🌟💡 Dive into today's article and share your thoughts—your feedback fuels the fire of improvement. Let's learn and grow together! 📖💼 Below, you'll find a collection of all the articles I've penned so far; 🚀 Day 1 of Business Insight Series: Embracing the Lean Startup Methodology 🚀; https://lnkd.in/d6erhQvH 🚀Day 2; Unlocking New Markets: Blue Ocean Strategy 🌊🚀; https://lnkd.in/dudhUxcg 🌟 Day 3: Exploring the Triple Bottom Line 🌟; https://lnkd.in/dPnPtnue 🌟 Day 4: Unleashing the Potential of Platform Business Model🌟; https://lnkd.in/dBDeXwAt Got questions? Drop me a message! Your opinions matter—whether shared directly or in the comments, they enrich our collective learning experience. 🤔💬 Let's embrace the power of sharing knowledge and elevate our community together! Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you can receive the Articles daily. #BusinessInsights #DailyChallenge #JoinTheJourney 🌟📝

Do you mess up pivots in your strategic initiatives? ↪️😑 It’s shockingly tempting. 🧑🎓 Common wisdom is that startups and ventures “pivot,” meaning, they don’t know the “right way,” build a minimum viable product to learn in a lean way, and then, if they are wrong, they “pivot” to a better way. 😵 Except that’s bunk, or at least just a symptom, not what’s really going on. 💡 You don’t really pivot your action (e.g., user target). You pivot your understanding of the work. You pivot your assumptions. Actions just follow. ⚠️ And it matters! 😑 Seeing pivots as “actions” means you: • miss other actions that should also change • learn nothing about why you assumed wrong to start • create a feeling of not being in charge of your own fate. 🕳️ These problems won’t doom you venture in the short run. But they mean you’ll run into the same issue over and over again because you left a blindspot in place. 😃 Instead, ask: • What assumption led to having to pivot? • Why did we get this wrong? • What else must change based on what we learned? • Does it teach us anything about how we make assumptions? • Did we know we might be wrong, or was it a surprise and blindspot? ✍️ More in my blog! Link above ☝️ next to my picture. 🙋 Want to de-risk your business more thoughtfully? Let’s talk! === I post Tue, Fri (and as cool topics pop up) about #credible #innovation and business building

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗭𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝟯𝗥𝗧 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀 As the co-founders of 3RT Labs, we've had plenty of startup experience - but never in the lead role. Taking that leap to launch our own company has been exciting and uncomfortable. It's pushed us to constantly step out of our comfort zones, from building a network of advisors and mentors to juggling multiple projects and responsibilities. There have been plenty of moments that triggered that familiar feeling of being in uncharted territory. But you know what? We've embraced it. As Michael Easter eloquently puts it in "The Comfort Crisis," avoiding discomfort is detrimental to growth. This book has become a source of inspiration as we navigate the thrills and challenges of our startup journey. Here are a few key lessons that have resonated: 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3RT Labs meant leaving cushy corporate roles. But we knew that playing it safe wouldn't facilitate the growth, innovation, and impact we craved. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: With so many pivots and fires to put out in our everyday lives, it's easy to lose sight of your "why." The book pushed me to revisit our core values as a driving force. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁: Launching a business can make you feel constantly "on." Easter's insights have reminded us to schedule regular digital detoxes to clear our minds (Okay, 2 out of 3 isn't bad -- I'll get this one.). As first-time founders, we've had to master pushing through the discomfort. From delivering tough feedback, making hard decisions with limited data, and constantly putting ourselves out there - it's been an endless cycle of nudging our boundaries. But we wouldn't have it any other way. Because it's only when you embrace that discomfort that real growth happens. What invaluable lessons have your most uncomfortable experiences taught you?