I recently mentioned trying to make JVM the best place possible to work. Here are a few of the things we did to improve our culture.
1. Hire really, really nice people. This is key, so everyone loves working with each other. We only hire “nice” no matter how talented someone might be (will discuss how in future blogs).
2. Give way more autonomy. If you hire and train smart and accountable people, you can give them way more autonomy than you might think. Autonomy makes jobs much more fun.
3. Profit Sharing/Volume Bonus. Let people know how much you are making and share the wealth. It is expensive at first, but boy does it pay off in the end.
4. Pebbles in shoes. Per the Braintree founder, “everyone has a pebble in his shoe, and it is a manager’s job to find out what it is.” JVM did not really take off until I started to meet with everyone weekly to find out what is bugging them and what we can do to fix it. I was foolish to wait so long.
Note: #4 works for marriages too – sorry Heejin. :) (Although, it turned out that Heejin had a few rocks in her shoes, and she likes to meet daily :)
Jay Voorhees
Founder/Broker | JVM Lending
(925) 855-4491 | DRE# 01524255, NMLS# 335646
