From Corporate Life to a Team Culture That Feels Like Home

Before I joined Atolye15, I spent years navigating the tall, echoing halls of large corporations. Hierarchies, titles, and approval chains shaped the rhythm of my days. Then came this autumn, and with it, a new chapter. The doors of Atolye15 opened to me, and suddenly, I was breathing in a different kind of air.

On my very first days, even though we work remotely at Atolye15, my team made a huge effort to connect face-to-face with me. Some even flew in from other cities just so we could sit down, talk, and get to know each other beyond the screen. What struck me most was how quickly I was invited into real conversations; not just about onboarding processes or tasks, but about ideas. They asked what I thought, listened with genuine curiosity, and treated my perspective as something that could actually shape the work ahead.

The shift from a vertical hierarchy to a horizontal structure began that very first week. I quickly realized that titles matter less here; ideas matter more. The “C” in C-level doesn’t stand for closed doors at Atolye15. Everyone takes part in decisions, projects, and creative discussions.

An example of this came sooner than I expected. Just a week later, the entire team, from those who’ve been here for over a decade to newcomers like me, was invited to İzmir to refine an idea together. Not just the leadership team or a handful of managers, like most corporate teams would usually do, but everyone.

So why İzmir? And what was this idea that brought everyone together?

Even though Atolye15 is now remote with teammates spread across different cities and even countries, İzmir has always been its home base. It’s where the company’s story began, where its culture was shaped, and where its heart still beats. So every now and then, the team returns here to reconnect in person, keep the bonds strong, and bring ideas to life face to face.

This time, the idea that brought everyone together was Booster Sprints, a short, focused 2-4 week engagement designed to help teams overcome product bottlenecks and regain momentum fast. It’s a quick way for other teams to bring in an experienced team like Atolye15 without committing to a long-term partnership to tackle one pressing problem, remove what’s standing in the way, and get things moving again.

And so, we all landed in İzmir, our home ground. Honestly, I was surprised by how quickly everything came together. From posters and event decorations to the program, gift boxes, flight tickets, and accommodation, every single detail was planned and handled in no time. Coming from the corporate world, that level of agility was a very pleasant surprise.

We kept working side by side throughout those few days, and in between our usual tasks, we managed to squeeze in the workshop. Actually, the team had already been running Booster Sprints with some clients, but this time we wanted to take it further. We wanted to refine what already existed, add new perspectives, and shape fresh packages. 

Everyone anonymously wrote down their ideas, and soon those ideas started to grow, collide, and transform. We drew names at random, read them aloud, and watched as their creators stepped forward to share their thoughts. It turned into one of those days where work didn’t feel like work, just conversations, laughter, and a lot of ideas flying around.

And of course, as I quickly learned, it’s not an Atolye15 gathering without plenty of good food. Being in İzmir, we embraced every bit of it: from gevrek breakfasts to “bomba” breaks, from toasting our rakı glasses at dinner to visiting the city’s landmarks. It felt like a mix of a city tour, a workshop, and a short getaway with new friends. The whole atmosphere was refreshingly real, no filters, no formalities, just people enjoying being together.

At the end of our gathering, all of our raw ideas had turned into something tangible. We could now see Booster Sprints not as a concept but as a living, breathing model, one that reflected every team member’s fingerprint. The business development team has already started working on them, and I love how fast things move in this new world I’ve stepped into.

In just a month at Atolye15, I’ve learned that decisions here don’t fall from the top, they rise from within the team. The “we” mindset isn’t a slogan on a wall; it’s how we operate daily. And Atolye15 doesn’t just teach you how to build better products, it teaches you how to build together.