Big Picture - March 2020 - 2

insight

Past the Perks

evin O'Leary of "Shark Tank." Steve Wozniak, inventor of the fi rst Apple computer. Ariel

Swedroe, teenage fashion designer. These are just a few of the amazing people I've had the
privilege to hear speak at industry conferences.
Last year, I attended an event outside of the industry, theSkimm Night Out, as a way to
grow my personal brand. The founders of The Skimm - a daily newsletter geared toward
millennial women - Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, shared how they built their media company from
the ground up (well, from their couch to be exact.) As they were growing their business and hiring young
people to join their team, the duo thought the foundation of culture in their workplace would depend on
the number of birthday cakes, free lunches, and happy hours provided for their employees. They soon
realized they were way off base.
At SGIA's ThreadX, a conference for apparel decorators in Scottsdale, Arizona, Pete Lovelace,
general manager, Booster Spirit Wear, explained why building culture requires more than just the
previously mentioned perks. "Culture is not bringing in a pool table. Culture is not free merch," he said, as
the memories of theSkimm Night Out ran through my head. "Culture is the action of your employees,
vendors, and customers," Lovelace continued.
I can't even begin to count the number of keynote addresses, panels, and interviews I've sat through
over the years, and the topics have fallen across the board. I've learned how to be a successful business
owner, about the importance of investing in your employees, the benefits of having a work/life balance,
and that Wozniak wears two Apple watches, one on each wrist. But the topic of creating culture is one
that really sticks with me.
While your employees are going to love Friday breakfast and a foosball table in the break room, your
work doesn't stop there. Your culture is defi ned by your company's environment, mission, values, ethics,
expectations, and goals. This will be developed by the way you implement and teach it to your staff. The
best way to do this is to keep it simple, scalable, and sustainable, says Lovelace. Make sure it's not only
shared with current staff members and potential new hires, but also tangible in your day-to-day actions.
I urge you, if you haven't already, to think past the perks and focus on who your company is and what
it stands for. And guess what? You don't have to do it on your own. Your employees (and advisors, see
page 18) are the best sounding boards. Ask what culture means to them and what's important in the
workplace today. Letting them guide the direction of your shop is the first step in creating an outstanding
workplace culture.

EDITORIAL
Adrienne Palmer
Editor-in-Chief
adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com
Alex Marcheschi
Associate Editor
alex.marcheschi@stmediagroup.com
Kathleen DeZarn
Art Director
kathy.dezarn@stmediagroup.com
Marty McGhie, Rachel Nunziata,
Matt Richart, Kathryn Sanders
Columnists
Brian Adam, Ryan Clark, Terry Corman,
Scott Crosby, Michelle Gobert,
Diana Herrera, Brian Hite,
Hayes Holzhauer, Kerry King,
Robert Kissel, Chris Laniak, Stan Lucas,
Craig Miller, Nicole Piach, Carmen Rad,
Gary Schellerer, Elaine Scrima,
Jon Sherman, Reed Silberman,
James Swanson, Mark Taylor, Luis Vivas
Editorial Advisory Board
SALES
Lou Arneberg
Senior Market Strategist
East and Midwest US, E Canada
800/654-5169
lou.arneberg@stmediagroup.com
Jim Karwowski
Senior Market Strategist
West and South US, W Canada, Europe, Asia
630/474-4038
jim.karwowski@stmediagroup.com
Vernita Johnson
Directory and Classiﬁed/Account Executive
513/263-9313
vernita.johnson@stmediagroup.com
Linda Volz
Production Manager
linda.volz@stmediagroup.com
Kelly Cotes
Marketing Manager
513/263-9313

Murray Kasmenn
President
murray.kasmenn@stmediagroup.com

March 2020
BIG PICTURE
2

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Christine Baloga
VP Marketing Operations and
Customer Acquisition

BY ADRIENNE PALMER

Michael Pence
Director of Technology

Editor-in-Chief

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Big Picture - March 2020

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