Entrepreneur stories: How to create company culture and defend it during corona

ARYZE spoke with entrepreneur and digital specialist Nicolai Vittrup about the story behind his agency Webamp. He shared with us his approach to building company culture and how to protect team spirit during times of corona.

Founded in 2015, Webamp has grown to be a successful digital agency specialized in SEO, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and web development. Nicolai Vittrup, founder and CEO, manages his team of 12 employees and works with just over a hundred clients. From the start, Nicolai had a clear vision of how he would guide his team and maintain customer relationships, and this authentic approach has proven very successful so far.

Vittrup got the idea for Webamp after he finished his education and realized that the jobs he landed never quite matched the things he believed in. It was difficult for the born-entrepreneur to get into the rhythm of being an employee. Although he had always been in jobs and was never afraid to take on challenges, he noticed how he started to lose his drive and fire and decided to quit. This decision led him to start his entrepreneurial journey, which initially caused some hardship as Nicolai explains:

In 2015 I founded Webamp, but it was really tough. I believed in myself and my mission, but in the beginning I didn’t make enough money. So after the first nine months, I had to move home to my father’s and sleep on the couch. Shortly after, I landed the football club Brøndby IF as a customer, and since then, Webamp has only grown bigger. 

During his previous jobs, Nicolai disagreed with the way customers were treated, and how they were often promised one thing, which they bought into, yet ended up receiving something else. He witnessed firms where nobody would go the extra mile for the customer and he took it upon himself to create a company where this would be different. He shares how he took the step of launching his own company:

Webamp was founded on the 14th of July 2015, which is the French Bastille Day. It’s a bit of a funny story that I will never forget:

I knew nothing about setting up a business, so I had my friend who is an accountant help me. I called him and told him it had to be NOW. I couldn’t wait to get started. He accepted, but he had to go to the dentist that day. I went along with him, and in the waiting room, Webamp was founded as we filled out the documents together. There was a TV on in the waiting room showing Tour de France and it’s always very important for the French riders to win on Bastille Day. So because of that, I make sure to drink Champagne with the team on the 14th of July each year.

Webamp’s offices at Vesterport

Vittrup grew up always wanting to do things differently and for the greater good. Today at Webamp, he brings these values to the company, which forms a unique approach to doing business. The CEO emphasizes the strong mindset of freedom that exists within the team. Nicolai believes in trusting his employees and focusses on giving them what they need to succeed and grow. Because of this approach, he expects dedication in return.

Team spirit is key – and I do a lot to cultivate and grow an atmosphere where our team-feel is comfortable. We have table football, free snacks and drinks, pizza Fridays, Friday bar and I look at the person before the education.

A good example is one of the team members I have had for the longest time; His name is Nicolai and he used to sell clothes. He didn’t know anything about SEO and websites, but he went the extra mile regarding service. And today he is an extremely valuable asset to Webamp.

Not only does Webamp have a strong team spirit, but it also has a strong mindset of competing. The digital agency doesn’t believe they are in competition with others, but rather with themselves. This makes for a team that constantly aims to be brighter and better than yesterday, and celebrates the wins.

Nicolai Vittrup

Having this culture as the core of the company can make for a lot of success, but could prove challenging in a lockdown. Nicolai tells us how he made sure to go the extra mile and was able to keep the team spirit alive during these interesting times:

As soon as the lockdown was announced I sent everyone home. I then took the office apart and drove out to each employee to make sure they had the setup they needed to have a proper home office. We are talking screens, chairs, keyboards… even tables!

Once everyone settled in their new home offices, Nicolai didn’t hesitate to get out again and drive to each employee to bring a goodie bag containing drinks, snacks, and ‘lock-down’ necessities. The Webamp team was able to move its vibrant company culture online. They found a game that they played during lunch each day and used open slack channels where people could chat and listen to the same music. To make the experience even better, Nicolai had pizzas delivered to each team member for Pizza Friday, and they were able to digitally eat together.

In the midst of this, the company also made sure to reach out to their network and clients. Nicolai emphasizes the personal relationships Webamp has with its customers, and that this is the single most important reason for their success.

Webamp has been able to keep its team spirit alive during these challenging times. It is clear that a strong company culture together with high-quality expertise can get you far as a business, and Webamp shows just that.

Stay tuned for another upcoming article where Nicolai shares his top-5 tips for SEO, and how it could benefit your company.

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about Nicolai, find him on LinkedIn, or through his company website. To read more interviews with entrepreneurs and experts, please visit ARYZE’s blog.

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