How Company Culture Helps Grow Your Business

With Kim O’Quinn, Chief Culture Officer

It’s easy to think of having a strong company culture as a fun perk rather than a fundamental part of running a successful business. But what if we told you that investing deeply in your company culture could increase the value of your business by more than 200%?

Making that investment, while it pays dividends, may be trickier than it seems. The HR management platform Dayforce found that while more than 80% of executives reported investing in company culture, less than half of workers agreed.

Here’s the thing: culture isn’t defined by a company’s leaders. It’s created by the choices employees make every day. It’s the heartbeat of your business—the way people treat one another, the way they show up for customers, and the energy that fills your workplace.

Your company culture affects your bottom line

It’s a mistake to think about company culture like a dessert after dinner. It’s not just a feel-good extra that’s only worth considering once the main course of day-to-day business is already tucked away. In fact, company culture is a direct driver of business performance. It affects your bottom line in some ways that are easy to measure—and some that aren’t.

When an employee feels valued and genuinely enjoys coming to work, they’ll bring more energy, creativity, and care to their role. That translates into delighting customers, supporting teammates, and sharing innovative ideas. Enthusiastic employees are also more likely to stick around and grow with the company.

At First Bank, we saw the difference firsthand when we rolled out our new mission statement in 2014. As a community-focused bank, we wanted to root ourselves in an authentic identity that reflected both our organizational goals and the day-to-day experience of our employees. That’s how our Promise to Service Excellence was born.

When our employees bought in, everything changed. Over the next few years, we saw higher engagement and measurable results—including more than a 200% increase in our stock price.

Building your company culture isn’t an indulgence. It’s an investment that pays off.

To make it work, you have to “walk the walk”

Writing your values down in an employee handbook or posting them in the break room won’t do much to change your company culture. You have to breathe the culture you want into life through action. That takes consistency, intentionality, and accountability—leaders have to set an example by walking the walk and talking the talk, every day.

That might mean:

• Recognizing and praising employees who model the culture you want to see.
• Reinforcing the message regularly with team check-ins, reminders, and celebrations.
• Making decisions that reflect your values, even when they’re tough.

Your leaders set the tone, but they can’t carry culture alone. That’s why it’s important to be intentional: recognize the right behaviors, reinforce them, and remember that small changes add up. Culture isn’t a one-time rollout that you can wrap up by Q4—it’s an ongoing commitment to building a better workplace.

Your employees have the final say

You can pay a consultancy or an agency to tell you who your company is, but here’s the truth: no one on the outside can tell you who you are. Your favorite brand of culture can’t be plucked off the shelf or added to your digital shopping cart. We know because we tried—and failed—to buy our company culture pre-packaged.

That’s not to say that you can’t take inspiration from other places. But your culture has to come from within, with your employees actively involved. If you give them a voice and empower them to help shape what the culture looks like, they’ll buy in. They’ll protect your culture, nurture it, and help it grow. And as your culture blooms, you’ll start to attract more right-fit applicants and employees.

Think of your company as a community. When it’s grounded in authenticity, the right people show up and want to stay.

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A successful business starts with the foundation

Company culture isn’t a side project. It’s the foundation of everything you do. Build it with care and you’ll reap the rewards. But while you’re workshopping your company’s values and mission statement, don’t forget to make sure you’re set up for success at every level.

Revisiting the essentials—like choosing the right bank account—can help you take your business to new heights by offering practical perks for employees and unlocking peak performance for your business.