-- It's hard to get shi* down if people don't have clearly defined roles --
Keeping a business' culture healthy (specially one that is as small as BlendZ.. 12 people) depends solely on the desire that each member of the cohort has, to add value to the company. Working with people that have a different vision, and ones who certainly don't believe in the business as much as other do, not only destroys the excellence of the culture, but it is morally destructive for the people that bust there a** off to make of the business a refreshing and inspiring location
However, "hating" the business from one day to the other is probably impossible -- you've gotta be nuts, especially when talking about BlendZ. Situations that decay the level of motivation at the business might arise, negatively affecting the culture, leading it to a period of frustration and inequality in terms of work load between employees.
So... just like in any other real business, at BlendZ a switch was turning off. As systems where getting established, and everything was practically done -- at least we believed so -- there where specific roles that had less work than others, creating a tension within the group where people had free time any moment we had the chance to work on BlendZ; roles where clearly not defined.
(shout out to Gisella and Andrea for working hard on the cart and over the summer, as well as Karen and Carolina F for making Habla Roosevelt possible).However, "hating" the business from one day to the other is probably impossible -- you've gotta be nuts, especially when talking about BlendZ. Situations that decay the level of motivation at the business might arise, negatively affecting the culture, leading it to a period of frustration and inequality in terms of work load between employees.
So... just like in any other real business, at BlendZ a switch was turning off. As systems where getting established, and everything was practically done -- at least we believed so -- there where specific roles that had less work than others, creating a tension within the group where people had free time any moment we had the chance to work on BlendZ; roles where clearly not defined.
With this problem in mind, INNOVATORS (us) came together to suggest possible solutions to tear down the tense barrier that was slowly killing BlendZ. Along several possibilities there was ONE that seamed extremely adequate and coherent to achieve at the moment. Just to give a quick overview, this is how it looked like:
This set-up, organized not only the section of marketing but the entire business, as everyone was involved in a specific role and time was used wisely. |
There would always be something to help on and more positive things where being done for BlendZ, either with advertisements, product innovation, and even a SOLID Social Responsibility; adding value to the business.
Yet, this solution, which seemed perfect didn't last as much as we expected: things changed up a little bit after realizing an important aspect of BlendZ. When presenting the idea to the Junior class (upcoming Seniors that will take on BlendZ) we described BlendZ as a potential business that could be run JUST by 6 people, when in reality it has always been manipulated by 12. What was the purpose of selling the idea to the Juniors with that specific point if we had never tried it before? We were risking BlendZ's stability and development BIG TIME!
Yet, this solution, which seemed perfect didn't last as much as we expected: things changed up a little bit after realizing an important aspect of BlendZ. When presenting the idea to the Junior class (upcoming Seniors that will take on BlendZ) we described BlendZ as a potential business that could be run JUST by 6 people, when in reality it has always been manipulated by 12. What was the purpose of selling the idea to the Juniors with that specific point if we had never tried it before? We were risking BlendZ's stability and development BIG TIME!
Going over the long-term vision of BlendZ as a whole, we decided that the best use of the little time we have left in school, was by taking advantage of today, and use it as a day where we could start to work on BlendZ as it will work in the future. In other words, we came to a resolution where half of the class would fully concentrate in the business, and the other half would plan out the service trip for the final thesis of the 2015 IA Class. Even though we where not content with the proposed idea at first, we came to an understanding that once we leave school the business will be directed by 6 people, not 12, and in order to verify this drastic change, it was up to us, the creators, to pivot once again and try out the new BlendZ System. It's day one, and everything has been flawless until now.
This changes at BlendZ, are a clear example of what I mentioned 2 blogs ago: IN A STARTUP BUSINESS, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO DO, YOU CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE AND ADD VALUE.
This changes at BlendZ, are a clear example of what I mentioned 2 blogs ago: IN A STARTUP BUSINESS, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO DO, YOU CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE AND ADD VALUE.
# BlendZkeepsongettingbetter