How We Operate

Our company is small. We only have 3 full timers as of 2025 even after raising our seed round from investors in late 2024.

Because of the small size of the company, every single member of the company has a vital role in ensuring that we achieve the goals that we have set. As there are quite a number of things we want to achieve at a given point in time, we have no choice but to increase the level of productivity of each individual:

• We don't do much meetings.
• Our schedule is empty for deep work.
• We communicate async via loom, notion or WhatsApp.

Also we are financially prudent (a.k.a nigh stingy) by nature. So we are naturally afraid in spending big money, especially when our startup is small with quite a bit of clients. Therefore:

We make small bets. If any team member wants to try something new, we make a small bet first. We figure out what's the cost and what we expect to learn from it.

As per written by resident guest poster Shania Mustika,

What struck me the most was that Recompound was made up of 2 full-timer and ≤10 total employees (full-time + part-time) even after 2 years. This stands in great contrast of other start-ups that usually go on a crazy hiring spree after receiving investments from VCs. Probably it is precisely because of this budget constraint (lack of VC money) that causes them to stay a 2-men team.

It seems that the decision-making practise uses the following process. Note the critical questions in red box arise because of their budget constraint. Due to limited financial resources, the question of need, affordability and returns (whether that is the best use of their money) becomes critical. As a result, they have to rely on 3 solutions: (i) forget about it (ii) solve the problem themselves (with creativity) (iii) solve the problem with money.

Size of a start-up, mindset of a lifeline business

We optimise for long term survivability. In the short run, there might be some need for external capital to ensure that our company resumes operations.

But generally we operate on "never running out of money" mentality. If we have to fund raise, we abide by the following fund-raising principles:

• No need to raise money if there is no need to raise money
• Only raise money if all of the below is true:
  • Growth > dilution with the extra capital
  • Investors are good and long term oriented
  • Reduces our stress