I’m sitting in a warm home office in early summer. My topic is to tell you what it’s like to work for Nextcon. So I’m writing about what it’s like to sit in a home office? After all, these days, even sales work is largely on-line. Working from home is one part of working at Nextcon. For me, as the only non-client worker, it’s pretty much a daily routine at the moment. Most of our specialists, on the other hand, work at clients’ premises.

So what is it like to work for us when you see other employees once a month at a joint After Work? What kind of company is Nextcon? I put together three descriptive ideas.

1. We are a growth start-up

Of course, the truth about us is not that we only like to see each other once a month. The fact is that as a growing company we are still very young, so we have not yet seen any need for our own office beyond co-working spaces. However, we are actively building a story where we want to challenge our clients and ourselves to build a better, safer and more digital future.

So with us, you’ll be part of the company’s growth and you’ll certainly grow a lot yourself.

What makes a growth company so nice?

• Freedom: there is no rigid bureaucracy and as little of it as possible is built up. There is no rigidity in growth companies – or at least I haven’t come across any.
• Enthusiasm: people start growing businesses out of enthusiasm – and it shows. If you lack the enthusiasm to grow, your business won’t grow. Of course, it takes a lot more than enthusiasm to grow, but it’s one of the most powerful resources for growth. We also expect every individual to have the enthusiasm to grow, because it is the growth of individuals that enables a company to grow.
• A vision to be something different: Nextcon was born out of a desire to work in a new way. Of course, this vision has been shared by many other organisations that have achieved commendable growth, which is testament to its success. Every organisation and leader is different, and we are certainly something different from other good employers.
• The good guys: people make the organisation. Everyone naturally looks for those famous good guys, usually the first thing that comes to mind is some kind of hipster trend-setter. Even if you don’t feel you belong to that genre, you’re very likely to be a good guy. There are no superhumans here, and there never will be, so you might as well be wearing heels or sneakers. But yes, everyone who ends up here is a good guy.

So what doesn’t work in growth companies?

There is no such thing as a perfect job. There are many good things about small growth companies, but of course there are also challenges.

• We are not ready: growth companies rarely have ready-made, well-honed processes or practices. We are no exception. Things are decided as and when they need to be, and at some point it is discovered that the famous “someone” or “everyone” will get the job done. When you don’t know “who that someone is”, you have to get organised. You just have to live with this for a while.
• A lot to do with few resources: ambitions are high, enthusiasm and skills are there, but resources are limited. Not to mention the market position. We are vulnerable, in many ways. Fortunately, even with limited resources, you can achieve a lot if you do things smartly. That’s the way to go.
• What is our “thing”? Growth companies are constantly looking for direction, and so are we. Just when you’ve solemnly decided that that’s our number one customer segment or spearhead, lo and behold, a completely different kind of customer or idea appears from somewhere. And we’re back to the drawing board. That’s what it is, searching – but also focusing. We can and do things differently by constantly developing new things.

2. An organisation scattered, but no one is left alone

We are a completely fragmented organisation. Our day-to-day work currently takes place in different locations. This will certainly change in the future, but in the future a lot of the work will still be done in teams with clients. This means a very entrepreneurial approach: everyone gets and has to take responsibility for their own work, for building relationships with clients and for their own performance. As an individual, you will and must take responsibility for your own development, and no one will tell you where to go next or how to develop.

So how do we at Nextcon build community spirit? Good question. This is where electronic communication channels are an important part of our daily activities. We also meet for after-work activities, lunches and joint celebrations. When we get our offices up and running, we will very probably start to have office days as well.

The support and sparring of other experts is crucial to expert work. We do not leave the expert alone. We must also remember that an expert must always be more than the work that the client orders. Customers are facing major disruption, so our experts need to understand customer ecosystems, future and existing technologies and their impact on customers. This is the challenge we want our experts to communicate to clients.

3. Not the destination, but the journey

I do a lot of recruitment at Nextcon and one of the questions I ask is what you want and hope for the future. This question is to find out if we can provide an environment that will move you towards your goals.

Every organisation wants to be the right organisation for all its employees and customers. What’s in it for me? It’s a relevant point to think about when considering your new employer and your story. Is it right for you? We, like others, are looking for committed and enthusiastic people to join our ranks. If you think this story would fit your story, the prospects for collaboration are good.

Our mission is to constantly challenge our customers and ourselves. Challenge brings change, change brings results. In all of us.

Welcome to be part of the story!

Laura Laiho

Laura is responsible for Nextcon’s sales and marketing. Laura is a passionate business educator who is excited by new things and the fast pace.