Success and growth have defined CoSchedule over the last four years as they have expanded their team to over 60 people and multiplied profits. As the fastest growing start-up in North Dakota, the secret behind the team’s success goes beyond a game-changing social media calendar. CoSchedule’s culture is the key ingredient in producing a high-quality product and ensuring growth for the future.

Photo Credit: Haley Frost Creative

More Than a Workplace

After establishing its roots in Bismarck, North Dakota, CoSchedule also opened a new, open-concept office in downtown Fargo in July 2017. While the indoor bike rack, the long dining room table, and the eye-catching artwork are worth mentioning, the CoSchedule team’s culture is built on more than brick and mortar. In fact, the two co-founders shared recently in a Fargo Inc. story about the uniqueness of a successful North Dakota-based start-up. “I think there’s just this nature to believe that the grass is always greener somewhere else, but we see being in North Dakota as one of our greatest advantages,” explained CEO and Co-Founder, Garrett Moon. “Here the people are hardworking, they’re smart, they’re loyal, and they’re looking for bigger opportunities all the time. ”

The state-of-the-art Fargo office provides instant video connection with the Bismarck office, making collaboration seamless across the state. This, along with other unique perks (like unlimited PTO, a learning allowance, and grilled brats on Wednesdays), offer current and future employees a premier destination to work and an opportunity to make a difference. Head of Brand & Buzz, Eric Piela, said, “To borrow a quote from the great Steve Jobs, ‘We look for the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the ones who see things differently. …While some may see them as crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.’” One of the culture-building essentials at CoSchedule is the requirement for every employee to do a book report on Linchpin by Seth Godin.  This book challenges all employees to ‘ship’ projects, fail fast, and embrace the ‘art’ and uniqueness they bring to the team in order for the most impact to be made together.

Passionate Teamwork

Photo Credit: Haley Frost Creative

The industry’s #1 marketing calendar couldn’t have achieved its exponential growth without maximizing the talent and resources of each team member. The CoSchedule team provides a marketing productivity platform, allowing marketing teams to collaborate and stay organized. With every project and product update, the CoSchedule team considers the multiplication of their work with the mantra ‘Is this a 10x project?’ ringing in their ears. “It’s just about a focus on priority. 10x means it’s going to grow what you’re doing by 10 times. A 10% project is something that’s only an incremental improvement,” explained Moon.

Along with the culture of teamwork, the CoSchedule team desires to make an impact on the industry by multiplying their values and work culture along with their marketing calendar. Garrett Moon is currently writing a book entitled “The 10x Marketing Formula” that provides the blueprint for creating competition-free content that stands out and garners those 10x results.  “We didn’t grow as quickly as we did by doing ‘me-too marketing’. As a scrappy startup, we were laser-focused on blowing the roof off last year’s, last month’s, and last week’s numbers by finding strategic shortcuts,” said Moon. “I’m excited to share what worked for us, but more importantly, helping other marketers find their own path for 10x growth.”

Looking Ahead

The success story of CoSchedule is bigger than the orange walls and the trendy office space in Fargo or Bismarck. The success is born from the culture that permeates the entire CoSchedule team who are passionate to dream big and take risks together. “The belief here is there’s absolutely no limit to what we can accomplish at CoSchedule. We’re thankful for the support of Emerging Prairie, the entire 1 Million Cups community, and the state of North Dakota,” said Piela.

Brent McNeal