Buffer’s Operating Principles

Up: § 2023 Shareholder Letter Index

In the second half of 2023, I established Buffer’s Operating Principles. These are principles I had been reflecting on for many years, and the time felt right to introduce these principles to the team. The four operating principles are intended to give us high-level guidance and clarity on how we operate the business. Whereas our Values describe how we work individually, the Operating Principles guide how we run the company. Our operating principles are:

Long-Term: We have a goal for the company to exist and thrive for decades. We prioritize patient compounding company and personal growth over shortcuts. We think and plan ahead based on the shifts we’re seeing in the industry and the world.

Independent: The company is primarily owned and controlled by those working week in, week out on it. We go our own path with our product and culture. Owning our destiny and being founder-led enables genuine mission-driven focus.

Ambitious: We have a lofty goal and belief that more small businesses is better for the world. We must be growing in order to serve more customers and fulfill our vision.

Efficient: We’re a tight-knit, small-for-revenues team. We have a goal to run the company with a healthy profit margin. Every person on the team matters, we must be deliberate in our decisions, and everyone must be continually growing.

These operating principles felt natural to us all when I shared them in our October All Hands, and at the same time, the additional clarity has driven great proactiveness across all teams in pursuing and meeting the principles to a higher bar.