How you live in scarcity is the true marker of your company culture.
Wizard Academy is a business school, but the first thing we built was a wedding chapel.
Whimsy was a big part of it, because life isn’t worth living without a golden vein of whimsy threaded through it. But it was also born from the desire to give from first fruits and provide something magical for those who couldn’t otherwise afford it. Roy and Pennie have two firm beliefs that drove the creation of the chapel. The first is the importance of commitment and all that marriage symbolizes. The second is that you shouldn’t have to be rich to have your wedding in a gorgeous location.
Never put off doing kind and generous things until there’s plenty of money. Inevitably, you’ll discover that there’s no such thing as enough. Budgets have a way of sucking up available cash flow like a teenager in a grocery store.
I’ve been thinking about this in relation to taking care of employees and staff. Recently, quite a few business owners I know have been instituting staff resources and support that should have existed long before. Almost all of them see it as vital, but are not 100% certain they can afford it.
What I keep telling them is they can’t afford not to.
In the beginning of a startup, every single dollar is spoken for three times over. You’re not worried about prioritizing people’s emotional well-being as much as you’re hoping you’ll still be able to pay them next week. But that’s a dangerous paradigm. If you put off the health and mental support of your staff, you’ll burn through people like gasoline-soaked paper and fireworks.
Name your priorities.
Establish healthy boundaries and take care of your people.
The well-being of your employees should be as inflexible as rent and utilities.
You’ll watch your people go from coworkers to teammates. An inspired and healthy team will lead you straight to the treasure troves you need to be successful without sacrificing your people.
Make the right call before the money, not after.
Daniel Whittington – Chancellor
