Create the Right Culture!

The Wrap Biz

By Matt Richart

When Dallas and I first started Digital EFX Wraps in 2004 the word culture wasn’t even on our radar. Our main focus was keeping the business afloat along with just surviving. I believe fear for me was my constant throughout the first three years of our business. I was fearful of running out of clients, work, and most importantly our cash flow. Our main focus was getting through each month so that we could afford our overhead along with our small weekly check of $375. I can remember it like yesterday. I say all that to paint a clearer picture of where my mental state was. I was not concentrating on our business growth, where we were going, not realizing our true numbers, and most importantly I was not focused on our culture at all.

As I look back to twenty years ago I believed then that culture really didn’t matter until we had a larger company of ten or more team members. I thought we were below creating a culture due to the fact that it was just Dallas and me in a small building trying to survive each month. For me culture and creating that atmosphere was not in my frame of thought. Looking back I do realize we were creating a culture without even knowing it but it was constantly changing. The main issue for our company is we didn’t know how to actually create a culture. Where do you start? What input or information do you need to compile? How do you create a culture that is Real?

Just like anything else in life or in business you just need to dive into the subject matter you are after. For us, the first main objective was creating a culture. After four years of being in business, we eventually had four team members. After year six we added two more to our team. It wasn’t until year twelve or so that we had eight team members and now after almost twenty years of business we have eleven team members. We are also continuing to grow by adding on another designer and full-time installer. Our next hire will be in sales which should put us in the fourteen range of total team members. This includes both owners, managers, and our entire staff. Our company has grown at a slower pace than anticipated but we also have been conservative with our growth/expansion. Once our company hit five employees we should have been creating the blueprint for our culture but failed to do so. As Dallas and I call it we were running the Wild Wild West of wrap shops. We were semi-organized, held occasional meetings, jobs were on paper forms with plastic sleeves, jobs were scheduled on dry-erase boards, and we attempted to be the cool owners. We allowed our team to get haircuts when they needed them. Last-minute doctor appointments were always approved. We allowed our installers to listen to whatever music they desired along with wearing their own style of clothing as long as it was Digital EFX Wraps branded. Our main focus was to allow our team to feel as if they were at home. Our company is a family mixed with different personalities who all have the same goal to be the best wrap shop around. Our main obstacle was not implementing a culture and just assuming we had one based on the reactions and demeanor of our team.

Culture is very crucial for any company to have regardless of the amount of team members they have. This is where I went wrong. If Dallas and myself created our culture from the beginning in 2004 I now believe that we would have grown more rapidly. Having a culture in place that not only your team members can believe but that your clients can feel is the most important aspect of culture. Culture as a whole can help with three basic areas that are desperately needed. Having the right culture can attract top talent that your company can utilize. When your culture is in place your team can identify with your company’s values which allows you to attract top talent that creates even more positive teamwork. The second factor is preventing team members from getting burned out. We have found that if we prioritize our team's work-life balance along with feeling like they are in a supportive work atmosphere it helps to prevent burnout. The third factor in building your culture is that it increases productivity and your success. We want our team to feel respected, and valued, and to feel as if they do have a say in our operations and how we can be even more successful. We tell our team when and why we need certain projects completed. It’s up to them to tell us How it will get done which gives them the ownership and accountability of each project. This not only builds more success but also validates our culture.

Our wonderful business coach of three years had us make three lists to start out with. The last list was the most eye-opening of them all. Use this system to start building your culture today. The first list was Dallas and I writing down keywords, thoughts, and sentences that we thought hit our culture. The second list was asking these same questions to our team to get their input and ideas. The third list was asking these identical questions to your clients. When I heard we had to ask our clients what they perceived our culture to be I was nervous along with being a little anxious. I wasn’t worried about any negativity but more just fear of the unknown. When we got back our information from some of our great customers it was one of the most rewarding parts of running our business. To see that our clients had the same feel and understanding of our culture really allowed us to validate who we are, what we are about, and what this company requires in order to be successful. Culture is not only important for your team to feel and understand but your clients need to feel it as well. When that happens your company can really take off. After we compiled our lists and thoughts we ranked them in order of importance to really hone in our true culture. We had grouped together Passion/ Creativity, Craftsmanship/Quality, Honesty/ transparency, Professional/Organized, and Communication/Teamwork. After narrowing down our main lists and what we agreed on as an organization was a company that was Passionate about our creativity, strives for craftsmanship and quality that you can see and feel. We also built into our culture how we are Professional while communicating with transparency not only with our clients but with our number one client of them all. That number one client of Digital EFX Wraps is our TEAM. If our team believes and buys into our culture our clients will see and feel it as well. This is what allows our company to stay strong, grow, attract new talent, eliminate burnout, and make this a place where everyone wants to be part of where we are going!!

Don’t be afraid after you build your culture that it could change because it can. Sometimes when you create your culture you may find that you truly aren’t living up to those characteristics that were laid out. Sometimes over time your values and culture do change based off the direction your company is going. Doing this in my opinion makes your culture REAL. I didn’t and don’t ever want our culture to be cliché or fake. We want our core values and culture to be lived up to along with believing in those values so that we all buy in. This includes Dallas and myself as owners. If we don’t live by our culture and create that environment everything that I have mentioned in this article becomes irrelevant. Dig deep into your company's values, and beliefs, and why you and your team members are there!! Creating the right culture will also make your more profitable which allows you to grow and to prepare for the future!

Matt Richart Matt@digitalefxwraps.com

Co-Owner/CFO, Digital EFX Wraps LLC.

Instructor, Inside The Wrap Shop