Thank you for tuning in tonight. You can call me Chunky, and I will be your audio host for the evening. Without further ado, let's begin.
For tonight's segment, I'll be talking about our third guest in the studio, Brian Forth.
Brian Forth is the man behind SiteCrafting; a web design, development, and support solution. SiteCrafting was born our of need that arose out of the blooming growth of the internet; people needed websites, but had no idea how to get one. Enter a 5th grade teacher and his merry band of ..techsperts.. Yeah, I cringed too. Anyhow, Brian started his career as our heroic teacher, educating the younglings about the majesty of the technical side of the internet. They would go home, show their parents what they learned, and brag about their teacher being awesome (I guess). One day a parent like what he saw enough to approach Brian about building a website for him. Brian took the chance, and his newfound client loved the work. When word of Brian's work spread, more people wanted a website built. The rest is history, as they say.
So, another entrepreneur, another success story. What sets this one apart from the others? Well, the main thing that truly does distinguish SiteCrafting from the crowd is the company culture. One of the advantages of having a teacher found a company is that from the beginning, he instilled a culture of tact, respect, and professionalism. This is reflected in the way the way the company operates, advertises, and even in the way they are arranged in the office. Er, lack thereof, I suppose.
The code of conduct for the company is to always maintain the utmost respect and professionalism at all times. Obviously, the customer is always right, and SiteCrafting bends over backwards for it's clients, working as hard as they can to deliver the best product they can. But what's harder than doing what a customer wants? Not doing what they want. This is something SiteCrafting has had to experience, and they called it "firing" the client. Even when the client was totally unworkable, and flippantly disrespectful, they kept their cool and, with seamless collectedness, told them to get the hell out.
The company advertises in a very unique way, in that they don't. Rather than plaster ads everywhere and use a small army of sales people to push their services, they let the product do the talking. They rely entirely on word of mouth and their own quality to take care of the sales. And it must work, because they have entirely forgone the sales department.
Now, my favorite part I saved for last; the manifestation of this culture in the physical layout of the company. The headquarters features a totally open floorplan; no offices for anyone, including the man the myth the legend, Brian Forth himself. Even the founder and leading man of the company has a standing desk in the middle of the office space. This accomplishes a very interesting set of things. For one, it leaves everyone accessible. Their are no barriers to conversation, even with Brian. This also tempers attitudes; rather than having some big-wig corner offices with managers lording over the cube farm, everyone is put into the same room, on a level playing field.
The culture of SiteCrafting is something truly unique. I can only hope that any business, whether I build it or join it, has such a well formed core of values.
And with that, I must bring this broadcast to a close. Don't you worry though, there'll be plenty more to come, so stay tuned.
So, another entrepreneur, another success story. What sets this one apart from the others? Well, the main thing that truly does distinguish SiteCrafting from the crowd is the company culture. One of the advantages of having a teacher found a company is that from the beginning, he instilled a culture of tact, respect, and professionalism. This is reflected in the way the way the company operates, advertises, and even in the way they are arranged in the office. Er, lack thereof, I suppose.
The code of conduct for the company is to always maintain the utmost respect and professionalism at all times. Obviously, the customer is always right, and SiteCrafting bends over backwards for it's clients, working as hard as they can to deliver the best product they can. But what's harder than doing what a customer wants? Not doing what they want. This is something SiteCrafting has had to experience, and they called it "firing" the client. Even when the client was totally unworkable, and flippantly disrespectful, they kept their cool and, with seamless collectedness, told them to get the hell out.
The company advertises in a very unique way, in that they don't. Rather than plaster ads everywhere and use a small army of sales people to push their services, they let the product do the talking. They rely entirely on word of mouth and their own quality to take care of the sales. And it must work, because they have entirely forgone the sales department.
Now, my favorite part I saved for last; the manifestation of this culture in the physical layout of the company. The headquarters features a totally open floorplan; no offices for anyone, including the man the myth the legend, Brian Forth himself. Even the founder and leading man of the company has a standing desk in the middle of the office space. This accomplishes a very interesting set of things. For one, it leaves everyone accessible. Their are no barriers to conversation, even with Brian. This also tempers attitudes; rather than having some big-wig corner offices with managers lording over the cube farm, everyone is put into the same room, on a level playing field.
The culture of SiteCrafting is something truly unique. I can only hope that any business, whether I build it or join it, has such a well formed core of values.
And with that, I must bring this broadcast to a close. Don't you worry though, there'll be plenty more to come, so stay tuned.
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