Yesterday was a fun day. Too many calories. A few laughs. Random Trivia. Some neat personalized gifts and random Elves showing up. A year-end celebration.
In a recent group chat within PAVERART I threw out a fun little challenge, half-serious:
"Mike, Nick & Brian have graciously volunteered to dress up as some odd combination of Santa Clauss and his elves. If I was called out like this the first thought in my mind would be "Get lost pal!" But I persist...What I was NOT expecting is for Matthew to volunteer the Elf participation and to recruit a colleague or two. So needless to say when Jonathan, Matthew and Brian show up like this I had a hearty chuckle.
When people surprise me I usually take notice and reflect on it...
My family is going through one of those "life transition moments" where we have purchased a house (around the corner from the shop) but we have a split household with my wife, 4 dogs and daughter down in South Jersey (by PAVERART) while Dominic & I stay in North Jersey for the week while he gets through his last year of high school in June. So Kim now has the chance to be in the office more frequently. And one of her first observations?
"Matthew seems to be maturing, gaining in confidence and love how him and Jonathan tease each other."
Feedback in business is like Oxygen, no oxygen, no life.
Wen I get feedback on a team member's growth, their interaction with others, and an Elf uniform I stand up, take notice and wonder how those things can impact our future.
A simple expression in business:
Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast!
Culture is hard to define, but it is the entire shooting match. Investor-types talk about how important culture is but few really understand it. Just look at their board meetings, 98% numbers, financials, etc. Odd how something that is thought of as critical rarely sees the light of day at a board meeting, but I digress!
Being close to the shop has some real advantages:
A 1.5-hour commute turns into 20 minutes.
Being able to run over on a Saturday for a quick round of catch-up or testing.
Having the family be more present in the business, 4 for the (sometimes) price of 1.
Matthew, Hope & Jonathan At The Koi Fish Design
Dominic continues to juggle multiple things, and we both go back and forth on what should be A#1. This past weekend we ran some BeyondArt items for the celebration lunch, personalized Poker Sets. We like how they came out, and prefer the black over the brown.
Why not combine product testing with team celebrations?
I just started learning how to play poker with the arrival of these sets, and I see the allure of poker. Dom & I played multiple "practice hands" with fake money and I had to experiment with when to go "all in" with pushing the full $'s in vs folding, bluffing, etc. We both had some laughs.
I think about commitment a ton in business.
Everybody defines "commitment" differently and that's a challenge within a business. Hours worked DOES tend to be positively correlated to commitment level, but I've seen plenty of people take a half day for what COULD be done in 20 minutes. Perfection is the enemy of the good, or something like that....
Commitment in the world of business also tends to come down to financial commitment. Do you actually have "skin in the game" with real $'s at risk, or are you playing practice hands with fake poker chips? Major difference, and the poker games would have different results if those chips were paid for. But even if people do not have their personal capital invested, they still have their job and most people do value their paycheck. It's a leader's role to connect the success of the business with their personal financial picture, they are directly related.
I've always prided myself on being "All IN" on nearly every business interest I've had. Both maximum time AND personal $ risk (at least for the last 2 decades on the later). It's when I operate best, have the most fun, and least amount of stress. But I have not ALWAYS operated in this zone.
A couple of examples where I haven't been at my best:
After I sold my last food company I made a few investments I wish I could re-do. I studied the word of investing and got sucked into the lure of "passive" vs active income and how important passive is. You know, put $'s into an investment and every month show up at your mail-box and wait for the check to arrive? Enough said.
I joined the board of a small food company in an industry I know well. I had influence, but not control, and certainly not operational leadership. I was that "investor type" without doing that for a living. I learned a hard lesson: Don't join a board and be "semi-active" in a business you know better than the operators, or you don't have a deep relationship with. Expensive, frustrating write-off of hard-earned money.
I've consulted with business owners and/or senior leaders. I think I did OK with value provided but the feeling I received was like empty calories. Proud of the impact, but personally so so feelings.
Some would call the above learnings me being frustrated by not being fully in control. Fair summary. But I view it more in terms of commitment. The greater, the better, more fun, and the only one I have to blame is that man in the mirror.
Back to PAVERART...
My wife's observation, my son running test designs, the guys become elves and we find a way to get together and celebrate. That feels like progress, which is what we are after.
Businesses leaders across the USA make decisions this time of year:
Year--end compensation calls.
Priorities, goals
"Bets" (investments) that will be placed.
I often think of the Brad Pitt Line in Money Ball when they were confronted with a difficult trade, getting rid of the rookie of the year to be exact. I'll paraphrase:
I think we are asking the wrong question. The question we SHOULD be asking ourselves......is how much do we believe in this thing?"
I am proud of our growth over the past 6+ years, especially what it means for our team. There is a belief I have developed that picks up confidence as the months go by: A career with a small, growth-oriented business can be more financially rewarding than "just a job" at a major corporation. I can point to many facts, but we have work to do.
One such area?
Health care Reimbursement
Retirement/401k
We are JUST starting to roll these out. Is it because I just now started to care?
Of course not. It's because we have done an enormous amount of investment in nearly every area of the business, and progress is never as quick as I desire. But progress is starting it, and building from there.
Back to Brad Pitt and Moneyball:
For owners, "How much do I believe in this thing?" is not just a philosophical question. It can be measured. If the business has $x of annual profit, how much does that owner choose to take out for themselves, vs reinvest it back into their business? That's the true test. It's a real measure of commitment, a tangible bet on a brighter future (or not).
One thing hard lessons have taught me: You are either growing or dying. Growth is not a desire, it requires near all-in commitment.
Time
Money
Reinvestment
Commitment to Culture
Investment in Team
Even with All IN commitment to these levers growth, success is not a guarantee. The entire thing has to come together and matter for those you are trying to serve. You need to be good enough to make it all matter, or be humble enough to change.
We at PAVERART have plenty to be thankful for.
22 years in business, but I truly feel like it's day one, worthy of ALL-IN levels of commitment.
Thank you for following our journey.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025.
I wish you the excitement of finding areas of YOUR life worthy of ALL-IN commitment, both metaphorically and real.
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