How a Commitment to Culture Revolutionized a Stagnant Industry, w/ TaskUs President Jaspar Weir

One of the coolest offices you'll ever see in your life... is a contact center in the Philippines.

If you're skeptical, so were we. But then we talked to today's Awesome Office guest Jaspar Weir, and it started to make sense.

Jaspar is the President and Co-Founder of TaskUs, a company that provides outsourced customer care and back office support for some of the most innovative companies in the world, including Expensify, Groupon, and Tinder.

We knew going in to the interview that TaskUs had a great culture, but we had no idea that culture is actually central to their business. In fact, Jaspar actually cites their commitment to culture as their number one competitive advantage. As such, he and the team have managed to create a Silicon Valley-style atmosphere, not just at their HQ located in the heart of LA's Silicon Beach, but also at their five facilities in the Philippines.

The results speak for themselves. What began as a 5 person outfit in a tiny office in Manila has morphed into a company with more than 5,000 employees worldwide. Even more telling, more than 70% of their new hires come from internal referrals - compared to the industry standard of 30%. Simply put, TaskUs is a company where people are proud to work, and even more are dying to work for.

And if you needed proof, here are a few photos from "Chateau Ridiculous," their jaw-dropping, steam punk-themed office in Manila:

 

As you'll learn in this interview, TaskUs' stellar culture goes so much further than whimsical office spaces. At the heart of it is a commitment to open, honest communication, personal growth, and constant learning.

Jaspar really brought the magic - so much that this episode runs a little longer than most. And if you notice a slight lilt in Sean and Jaspar's voices, it might be because this conversation took place on St. Patrick's Day, and the two celebrated the occasion with a glass (or two) of Jameson.

 

Key Takeaways

• Jaspar describes his first entrepreneurial venture with his business partner Bryce Maddock, an 18+ LA club night called "Club Access."
• Jaspar takes us through the beginnings of TaskUs, the very first iteration of which was a frozen yogurt concept in Argentina.
• Jaspar explains how his desire to create a global company, coupled with the popularity of Tim Ferriss' the 4 Hour Work Week, led to the creation of TaskUs as we know it today.
• Jaspar relays the story of the first office they opened in the Philippines, which involved wiring their entire life savings to a complete stranger.
• Jaspar explains the difficulties of scaling the 1:1 task outsourcing, and why the company eventually pivoted toward a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) model.
• Jaspar lays out why he thinks culture is TaskUs' number one competitive advantage.
• Jaspar talks about "Chateau Ridiculous," the company's amazing, steam-punk themed facility in the Philippines, and how it was designed.
• Jaspar explains why TaskUs embraces a "work hard/have fun" ethos, and how that's different than "work hard/play hard."
• Jaspar describes how to motivate employees to experience breakthroughs while still cultivating a culture of fun at the office.
• Jaspar breaks down the company's biggest challenge scaling from 5 employees to more than 5,000, as well as his strategy for overcoming it.
• Jaspar makes the case for "forced facetime facilitation."
• Jaspar spells out why potential business partners should travel together before committing to a partnership.
• Jaspar talks about the power of expectations, and why he thinks the idea that "no one will ever care about the business as much the founders" is a myth.
• Finally, Jaspar shares his number one cultural tip for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Recommended Reading

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

Links

• TaskUs
• Washio
• Jaspar on LinkedIn 
• Email Jaspar: [e-mail]
• Jameson Irish Whiskey

This is episode is brought to you by the fine folks at SnackNation.

SnackNation is a healthy office snack delivery service that makes healthy snacking fun, life more productive, and workplaces awesome.

To try a free SnackNation discovery box (featuring 15 delicious snacks your team will love), visit get.snacknation.com/ao. You'll also receive a complimentary copy of the 2016 Ultimate Guide to Creating An Awesome Office.