Our decentralized company was founded in 2007 by a group of passionate entrepreneurs who shared a vision of revolutionizing the online world. With several innovative ideas in mind, we embarked on a journey to turn our dreams into reality.
Our founders believed in the power of decentralization and recognized that turning our ideas into reality would require a great deal of effort and dedication. We launched several projects simultaneously, each with the potential to change the way people interacted with the online world.
One of our projects aimed to create a platform for individuals to earn income through an online portal, while another involved building a trading group and business directory. Additionally, we had a vision for a web design and hosting company.
One project was set to start in Sri Lanka, where our team would work closely with local entrepreneurs to bring our vision to life. Our founders recognized the importance of building partnerships and working with local communities to create meaningful change.
Despite setbacks along the way, we remained committed to our vision and continued to search for the right team of individuals who shared their passion and dedication. We recognized that success was possible, but it required a collective effort from a team of like-minded individuals.
Today, our company continues to build on our founders’ legacy by fostering a decentralized environment where innovation, dedication, and collaboration thrive. We are proud of our origins and remain committed to changing the online world for the better.
From Conflict to Collaboration: How Our Journey Shaped Our Decentralized Company Model
- Lack of dedication and investment in self-learning by team members: During the early stages of our journey, we noticed that some team members were not as dedicated as we had hoped and were not investing enough time and energy into self-learning. This recognition helped us understand the importance of finding a team that was passionate, disciplined, and willing to learn on their own. This led us to develop a decentralized company model that fosters a culture of individual responsibility, self-learning, and collaboration.
- Conflict over ownership and vision: One of the primary issues we faced was with ownership and vision of the project. We realized that some team members were not aligned with our vision, leading to internal conflict and confrontations. However, we also recognized that this conflict helped us filter and shortlist members who aligned with our vision. This led us to adopt a decentralized model where decision-making is distributed among team members based on their areas of expertise and level of involvement.
- Failure of initial project: Our first project, Skylordz, failed within the first three months. This setback helped us recognize the importance of perseverance, commitment, and innovation. We realized that success was possible, but it required a collective effort from a team of like-minded individuals. This led us to develop a decentralized model that fosters a culture of innovation, experimentation, and risk-taking.
- Limited resources: As a startup, we faced limited resources, which made it difficult to scale our projects. This recognition helped us understand the importance of resourcefulness, creativity, and adaptability. We realized that we needed to leverage our strengths and build on our weaknesses to create innovative solutions. This led us to develop a decentralized model where resources are shared and distributed based on the needs of the project and the expertise of the team members.
- Self-sabotaging behaviors: We also noticed that some team members engaged in self-sabotaging behaviors such as procrastination, indecision, and lack of focus. This recognition helped us understand the importance of accountability, discipline, and self-awareness. We developed a decentralized model that fosters a culture of individual responsibility, self-reflection, and self-improvement.
- Gossiping: We also experienced issues with gossiping and negative talk among team members. This recognition helped us understand the importance of open communication, mutual respect, and constructive feedback. We developed a decentralized model that fosters a culture of open communication, transparency, and constructive criticism.
- Quick-rich scheme mindset: Finally, we recognized that some team members had a quick-rich scheme mindset and were not willing to put in the necessary time and effort to build a sustainable business. This recognition helped us understand the importance of patience, perseverance, and a long-term mindset. We developed a decentralized model that prioritizes sustainable growth, innovation, and long-term success over short-term gains.
- Concept stealing: We noticed that some individuals within our team were not respectful of intellectual property and would steal concepts or ideas to promote their own interests. This recognition helped us understand the importance of trust, integrity, and respect for intellectual property. We developed a decentralized model where team members are expected to uphold ethical standards and respect the contributions of others.
- Damage to company assets and reputation: We also faced challenges with protecting our company assets and reputation. This recognition helped us understand the importance of transparency, accountability, and trust. We realized that we needed a team that respected and valued the company’s assets and reputation. This led us to adopt a decentralized model where team members are evaluated each year based on their level of contribution, trustworthiness, and alignment with the company’s values.
The Strategy used for Selecting the Right Team Members
Based on the issues we identified, we developed a strategy to test potential team members’ behaviors and observe their actions before inviting them to join our core team. This strategy is designed to ensure that we select individuals who align with our values and are committed to our vision.
- First, we conduct initial interviews to learn about the individual’s background, skills, and interests. During this stage, we also discuss our company values and expectations to ensure that the potential team member is aware of what we stand for and what we require of our team members.
- Next, we observe the individual’s behavior during the assessment phase. This phase typically involves a short-term project where the individual works alongside us, allowing us to evaluate their work ethic, communication skills, ability to collaborate, and overall alignment with our vision.
- During this assessment phase, we also pay attention to any red flags that may indicate behaviors such as concept/client stealing, self-sabotaging, gossiping, company asset and reputation damages, or promoting a quick-rich scheme mindset. This observation helps us determine whether the individual aligns with our values and is committed to building a sustainable business.
- After the assessment phase, we debrief with the individual to discuss their experience and evaluate whether they are a good fit for our team. If we believe that they align with our values and are committed to our vision, we extend an invitation to join our team.
This strategy ensures that we select team members who share our values and are committed to our vision. It also helps us avoid potential issues that may arise if we were to select individuals who do not align with our values or are not committed to our vision. Overall, this approach has been successful in building a team of dedicated individuals who share our passion for innovation, collaboration, and sustainable growth.
As a result of these challenges, we chose to filter and evaluate each year’s team members based on their dedication, investment in self-learning, alignment with our vision, willingness to collaborate, level of commitment, innovation, experimentation, risk-taking, resourcefulness, creativity, adaptability, and respect for the company’s assets and reputation. By doing so, we are able to ensure that we have a team that is committed to our vision, values, and goals and that can work together to overcome any challenge that comes our way.
Fun fact: Skylordz was one of the first decentralized organizations, although back then we didn’t know how to name the niche that aligned with our vision. We recently renamed it to Mystic 7.