There are lots of different “secrets” for startups to be successful. There’s the lean approach, minimal viable products (MVP), bootstrapping, crowdsourcing, strategic seed capital, etc.
But in working closely with startups, here’s a key ingredient few people talk about: lunch.
Yup, lunch.
Think about it. Lunch is not just about nutritional intake, it’s about community and collegiality, and a time for a startup employees to take a break from the go-go-go nature that can be stressful and exciting.
Lunch is a time when everyone – founders, developers, marketers, salespeople and admins – can gather to talk about sports, pop culture, sports, the latest episode of “Glee” and, yes, even work.
While lunch doesn’t get much attention – there are no best-selling books about the power of lunch and startups – but lunch is one of the keys to startup success.
Lunch is important because it develops and nurtures teamwork, which can be powerful, particularly when startups operate lean and mean. Lunch brings people together so working together makes them more effective and productive.
It’s one of the reasons why I like it when a startup’s employees start bantering back and forth about where they should go for lunch. While it may sound like a discussion about food, it’s really about creating a strong startup culture.
