When we think of a high-growth firm, relevant names in the market immediately come to mind, such as Facebook and Google, which are consolidated not only by a vigorous economic environment, but also by a strong culture and employer brand. And what exactly are these high-growth firms?
The concept of a high growth firm (HGF) goes beyond its ability to generate jobs and a prosperous economic scenario. We can understand them from two conceptions. The first one refers to a range of companies that show the highest growth during a given period of time, for example, the 100 companies that experienced the greatest evolution in the year 2021. Another possible way to define HGFs is to consider their accelerated development during a specific and visible period of time, as those who grew at least 20% per year for 3 years in a row.
Availability, market context and innovation of the HGFs are favored by the availability of two factors: market demand and innovation. That is, when this company is able to offer its customers a product that meets their needs and with quality and innovation.
Our high growth context and the challenges of this journey
At netLex we have a mission and commitment to “make agreements simple and secure” and this has fueled the scenario of great expansion that we have experienced in recent years. In 2020 alone we were able to triple our revenue with a registered growth rate of 260%. In 2021, revenue almost doubled compared to the previous period. Our staff, also in this last year, had a significant increase, taking us from 42 to almost 100 netlecos at the end of the year. And, for 2022, we expect to make these numbers grow even more!
But with all this expansion came inevitable challenges. In this scenario, we are faced with the quest to keep the values that guide the organization solid in the midst of the continuous and accelerated changes that permeate our reality. Furthermore, the pandemic has brought us a new and unexpected test: that of maintaining our unity and culture in a 100% remote context.
It is natural that, as the company grows, it changes its processes and scenario, but its values must always remain the same. If you have read our article on “The four pillars of netLex’s organizational culture” you must have already seen that our mission and values are the principles that strengthen and govern our organizational context and that, when we look inside them, we are able to maintain the “organized house” in the face of the challenges that may arise.
From this perspective, the preservation of our values is already outlined even before the arrival of our netlecos. In this way, we use our selection process as a tool to analyze the candidates' alignment with our cultural deck. This practice allows us to ensure team cohesion and the maintenance of our organizational culture even in the face of such rapid growth.
The rites of culture also support us in this mission, mediating relationships, decision-making and favoring the sharing of knowledge, the exchange of learning, the alignment of information and assertive communication.
The pandemic came to change the way we work and opened up a new range of possibilities with regard to work-related processes. During this period, we established the purpose of promoting, above all, the inclusion of all employees through the consolidation of our rites, which allowed us to continue to be close even from afar.
In this way, in addition to promoting weekly meetings, such as our All Hands, which stimulates communication and ensures alignment between everyone in the company, we also include fortnightly moments of relaxation through the chat itself with our “Joys of the Home Office” group, whose aim to promote exchanges that go beyond the work environment.
Currently, with the gradual end of social isolation, we follow the hybrid model of work. This allows employees residing in Belo Horizonte to return to the office, if they wish, in addition to maintaining the flexibility of the 100% remote regime for those who reside in other locations, or for those who have adapted to this format and wish to remain so.
Our mindset is guided by the Remote First philosophy, which guarantees an equal experience both for those who choose the face-to-face work regime and for those who continue to work from home. Therefore, we always emphasize that even though the majority of our employees can be at the office, our way of working will remain primarily remote.
Our commitment, therefore, is to face together these and the next challenges that will always!
