The 2 shockingly simple keys to business success
Keep It Simple, Stupid
My interest in business began in high school while working with my father during the summers. He had a vending business and I tagged along during the summers (and I’m still not certain I’ve ever worked harder).
Most of the time we would go from stop to stop filling up snack and Coke machines*, and sometimes we’d go to a new location where I’d watch him pitch his vending services.
I remember asking him all sorts of questions about his business on the drives between stops. “How do you make a profit?” “What happens to the inventory we don’t sell?” “How do you convince someone to choose your company?” “When are we stopping for lunch?”
Then, during college, I would spend the summer giving private and group lessons at a country club in Atlanta and stringing tennis rackets for Play It Again Sports. I also coached a tremendous amount of summer camps for little kids, starting as young as 4-years old (this is a photo of one of my students… for realzies).
I remember working the numbers, trying to figure out how much money I was really making from each lesson given and each racket strung. No surprise, the individual private lessons were the most profitable 🎾
And then in my final year of college, I started my first company, Spunlogic. After graduating, my partners and I started to build our business, and ever since that point, I’ve been obsessed with understanding what sets successful businesses apart from the pack.
The 2 keys to ensure you’re at, or building, the right company
“I can’t believe all these people work at a company we started?!”
I remember saying that to Raj and Danny, my partners at Spunlogic. We were a few years into our business and had a handful of people on the team.
We talked about what a bummer it would be if our team members hated their job. Even at that young age — we were 24-years old at the time — we realized we were responsible, to a certain extent, for the happiness of our team members. We had a responsibility to make sure that they loved coming to work every day.
That, beyond anything else we did, was our North Star. We worked hard to ensure we created an environment where people had a great time. I’m not even sure we used the word ‘culture’. (Remember, we were crazy young and had never had ‘real jobs’ before, so that fancy speak wasn’t yet in our vocabulary.) But clearly, we were focused on the culture of our company above all else.
It wasn’t until I started Dragon Army, and then a few years later started 48in48, that I started to realize the missing ingredient. People want to love their job, yes, but they also want to believe in their work.
Key #1: People want to love their job
It’s amazing to me how many leaders have this very low on their list of priorities (if they have it on their list at all). If people love their job - if they feel respected, trusted, appreciated, recognized, cared for - then they will do their very best work.
To create an environment that people love, you have to start with defining — and bringing to life on a daily basis — your company’s Values. If you’re confused as to how to do this, you can try both my first book, The 5-Day Turnaround, as well as Danny Meyer’s book, Setting the Table.
Key #2: People want to believe in their work
Assuming you got that first bit right, the second thing that people want desperately is to believe their work is meaningful. To know that the work they are doing is making an impact. That their company stands for something beyond generating profits for shareholders.
Every company should have an authentic Purpose. (I tend to always capitalize ‘Purpose’ and ‘Values’ as I hold them in the highest regard.) This goes way beyond a well-written statement that lives only on a poster in the hallway and the About Us page on your website.
Look to companies like Ben & Jerry’s, or Patagonia, or, yes, Dragon Army, to see how they are bringing their Purpose to life. It’s a difficult thing to do - and it should be - but when you find your company’s Purpose, and you work to ensure it’s the center of everything you do as a business, you’ll see your team light up in ways you never imagined.
And this goes for the place YOU work as well…
The same keys I listed above apply to anyone that isn’t leading a company! You should make sure the place you work is providing a culture that you’re pumped to be a part of. You should love the people you work with and know that you work in a safe, trusting, and equitable environment.
And you deserve to believe that the work you’re doing is making a difference in the world. You are too talented and passionate to waste your talent doing work that you don’t believe in. Let me know if I can help.
I hope you’re happy,
Jeff
* I’m a southern boy, so they’re all “Coke machines”.
Recent podcasts
I produce a weekly podcast called, Begin the Begin. I hope you'll consider subscribing.
Does your life needs a "hard reset"? (a conversation with Bobby Norwood): Spotify + Apple + Other
48in48: An entrepreneurial journey to change the world (Alex Gonzalez interviews Jeff Hilimire): Spotify + Apple + Other
"What's your Gusto?" with founder and CEO of Gusto!, Nate Hybl: Spotify + Apple + Other
Whitney Clapper on Patagonia's "business as a force for good" strategy: Spotify+ Apple + Other
Jay Bailey on his journey to do good and his search for significance: Podcast + YouTube
I'd love for you to check out either of my books: The 5-Day Turnaround + The Crisis Turnaround. They're a heck of a deal on Amazon right now ;)
And if you’re interested, here are the businesses that I’m a part of:
Dragon Army: a purpose-driven digital engagement company
48in48: building 48 nonprofit websites in 48 hours
Ripples of Hope: empowering nonprofit leaders to grow their business and do more good
The A Pledge: a racial equity nonprofit focused on the advertising and marketing industry
Thanks for reading, and please let me know if there are particular topics you'd like me to write about. Of course, if there is someone you think might enjoy this email newsletter, feel free to forward it over to them ;)
And remember, always lead with purpose!