he older I get.... no scratch that... The farther I get down this journey of owning a business... yes, that sounds better. Anyway, there is one thing that is becoming more crystal clear with each passing year. That one thing: The company culture you nurture is the most important aspect of leading a business. The culture that permeates your business will allow all levels of that business to have a joyful working experience. Success will come if you are good at creating value for customers, but the success carries less value if you can't enjoy the process of creating it. One aspect of creating the appropriate culture is hiring the right people. We are going through a transition where some new people will be needed soon (be on the lookout for a couple of job postings in the near future). But this is a story about one time that I got it right. (unfortunately, I've gotten it wrong a few times too, but that's a different tale.)
If you pick up at any of our pop-up's you know Josh. Josh came into our team in 2019 and pretty much fit in from the beginning. He is a hard worker with a great young family. He does the extra work when needed, and does all of his assignments with a smile. Josh is the type of employee that adds positively to the company culture, and I value that. Because I think so much of Josh is why I decided (with his permission) to share some sad news here. Late last week Josh's mother passed away very unexpectedly. No other details are relevant in this forum, other than it looks like Josh will be saddled with the responsibility of covering the funeral costs. Because this unexpected expense would be a great burden on his family, Josh has started a gofundme. A company culture that is positive and joyful creates relationships that feel like family, and that's what we have here. We were happy to support this endeavor personally, because of our family-like relationship. The customers we serve and that Josh gets to interact with on a weekly basis feel like our extended family. We can't bring Josh's mother back, but together with a small donation from each of us, we can ease this burden on a really good family. If you have the means and feel led to do so, please consider helping out one of our own.
(this giving opportunity is now closed)
