Lithic’s Post

In celebration of our 10th Anniversary and the truly special relationships we have built over that time, we decided to give voice to some of our dear clients as to what it means when we say: “We do things here, differently.” We'd like to introduce our Client, Randy Watts. You can listen to his compelling story on his invention, Taq-Strap, and how he obtained the patent for it below. More to be learned from the link in the comments!

Sometimes just taking a deep breath and engaging in our playful sides is exactly what we need to reset and reengage in news ways in the business. Love this reminder Hayley that laughter, creativity, teamwork, and play can have a significant impact on our connections and our joy. #wellness #joy #teamwork #impact #BusinessPerformance

Crazy to think it’s been two years already… A huge thank you to everyone who has supported Torev Motors and this crazy dream of mine! I believe it’s customary for founders to share a lesson or two on LinkedIn for milestones like this, so here are a few of mine… 1) Don’t mistake hard work with progress. Be specific with your actions, milestones speak louder than hours worked. 2) Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Resilience is a key to success and isn’t learned when everything is easy. 3) Make time for more than just work each day. Your relationships, health, and mental well-being need effort to keep healthy, too. Here’s to another big year to come!

This may be controversial…but it shouldn’t be. TechSlice, LLC had 12 holidays off, some paid community volunteer time, and a discretioanry company week shutdown to ‘reset’ on top of regular employee PTO last year. I’ve been told it’s a LOT of time for a startup. (Only in the US) Most of our work is deliverable/results based. This year, I added another week of employee PTO based off of feedback from the team. I’ve been criticized for the holidays we celebrate and have been told what I ‘should do’… I love feedback but, telling others what to do without taking the time to understand the ‘why’ behind people’s decisions comes off as patronizing. You think you’re the only one telling me how to run my company? You’re not. It’s also not your company and not my first rodeo. We’re not your average company. We never will be. We are a team of creatives and we work on crazy stuff. When were ‘on’ - we’re ‘on’. We perform. When we’re off, we’re off. That needs to be respected. There are benefits to creatives (and everyone) to have that space and time to ‘be bored’, to THINK, to create outside of ‘tasking’. Or just to be with others. Outside of that, when daycare is closed - we’re closed! When daycare and other institutions are closed, how to you expect parents and caretakers in general to be productive? Some family structures have support during those times and others don’t. That extra support isn’t guaranteed. I’m a big believer in family first. Take care of what you need to. Family time is family time and work time is work time. I’m a single mom running a company. I do my best to juggle and sometimes those worlds blend. I can’t do it all at once. Why would I expect my team to? Get real. Does that make me less effective? I’d argue it makes me hyper effective when I’m actually at work. My perspective and experience running two software agencies, a hybrid venture studio, and growing my company throughout COVID (with a young child) - has shown me the importance of a culture that respects time off and closing when childcare and various elder care institutions are closed. You may or may not get that but, you don’t have to. My team does. How we spend our time is our decision. Not yours. Period.

It's always a party at Door No. 3! Hat tip for celebrating 30 years in business. I'm grateful to be part of writing this current chapter. From a new business perspective, it's no small feat to grow an agency. For 30 years, no less. Striking the right balance of growth is a delicate dance. Providing excellent care for your existing clients while running ahead to cultivate new clients. Building a sticky culture where top talent wants to stay while creating demand to grow the bench. Marketing for others, while also marketing for yourself. Staying heads down in the work while staying up on constantly evolving trends. You get it. Holding all of these tensions is the daily work of growth. It's the daily inputs, those little disciplines that compound over time. Keep at it today!

Celebrating the 5 year anniversary of our incredible Premier Field Engineer and Brand Ambassador, Feli Michaca. Feli embodies the mission of Managed Solution by sharing his journey and love for helping people through the power of tech. Check out our recent interview with him to hear about his journey to tech and experience hear at Managed Solution: https://hubs.la/Q02z_TxD0

20 years ago this month, Andre Lavoie and I sat down in a Dunkin' Donuts in Newton Center with our attorney to sign the incorporation paperwork for what eventually became ClearCompany. For me, the company really started almost two years earlier, when Andre called me back one evening and said, "what are you doing with that idea with the resumes you told me about? I like that one." We'd kicked dozens of concepts around over the prior few years, but one of us always found a reason to bounce them--until then. But this one, the more we chewed on it, the more it felt like The One. And so in September of 2004 we made it official, and six months later launched our first product, with our first paying customer (though I never did get around to sending them a bill for their $3000 subscription). A while back a candidate I was interviewing asked me what was the biggest surprise after (almost) 20 years, and I said, "how much the essential problem hasn't changed." What was obvious to Andre and I, even as overconfident and inexperienced twentysomethings, was how poorly companies understood their people, and the processes they used to manage and (hopefully) maximize the value of that enormous investment. We believed that a single system which could accompany the employee from the moment of first contact to the end of their journey would help companies hire better, build great cultures, and develop and retain the top talent needed to hit their goals. Since then, the work of HR teams has migrated from being mostly on paper--if it was tracked at all--to a vast ecosystem of tens of thousands of HR and recruiting apps, and I'm not sure it's benefited the overworked and underappreciated HR teams as much as it's benefited the HCM industry. And that's why our vision--our North Star--remains largely the same as it was over two decades ago. It's been an incredible ride and it wouldn't have been possible without the help of hundreds of employees and thousands of customers who put their trust in us over the years. Thank you!

👋🏻 Introducing Matt Rooney, Zund's Midwest Graphics and Packaging Regional Sales Manager. Since joining us in April 2016, Matt's dedication to our products has only deepened. Not just a colleague but a mentor, Matt embodies Zund's commitment to excellence. We appreciate Matt's stellar contributions. Your efforts are truly appreciated, Matt! Explore Matt's interests beyond Zund below. Q: If you could master any musical instrument, which one would you choose and why? A: The guitar. I’ve always been fascinated with the guitar but after buying a few and doing some lessons I just can’t seem to get it. Maybe someday when there is more free time, but I applaud everyone out there that is even remotely good at playing it. Q: What's your favorite season of the year and why? A: Summer, no question. Living in the Midwest offers a nice change of seasons, but nothing is better than summer in this area (and I can attest having lived in other States along the way). Q: What's the most memorable vacation you've ever taken and what made it special? A: I’ve traveled to many countries and locations, but one of my favorite trips was when my wife and I took 10 days to drive around Germany (pre-kids of course!). We saw many beautiful and interesting sites, stayed in large cities and very small towns, and of course did two nights at Oktoberfest. I sure hope to go back to 🍻 Oktoberfest again – a pure blast! Q: What's your favorite board game or card game to play with friends and family? A: Monopoly has always been a favorite with the family. After figuring out how to play a “fast” version of the game (no more 2-3 hour events) we’ve had a lot of laughs playing this game. Q: What's your favorite outdoor activity or hobby? A: Anything to do with boats ⛵. Living in IL is probably a poor choice for someone that would rather “live on the water” but I’ve been a boater for 25+ years now and enjoyed every moment I can be out there. Retiring on a boat is a goal and I think I have my wife talked into it, for part of the year anyway! #meetzund #employeespotlight #zundcutter

It’s true that adventure might best be taken with common sense, but maybe the adventure was not the point of Huck's journey. Read the full article here: https://loom.ly/HxiPTXU -- Enjoying Intellectual Takeout? Consider supporting our mission: https://lnkd.in/gPChuR9Y

Polo is a man of strong convictions, particularly when it comes to masculinity. He’s carved from the stone of strong, unwavering, and resolute men. Suffice it to say, he is an irredeemable fanatic of the fictional men’s conference. So every 14th February, he hopes he’ll make it to the much-coveted speaker list at their get-together. Look, we have to respect the dedication of the man to the cause. I mean, the guy wouldn't be caught dead doing anything that would lower his street creds like wearing pink or, even worse, making pinky promises. But every man has a flaw, and Polo’s is that he sometimes wears t-shirts with captions like ‘I need space’. We figure a man would rather just say it, right? The dilemma is that Polo is also a digital marketing whiz, which means he’s always looking for likes, comments, engagement, and traffic (do you see where I'm getting at?). But let's hand him to the jury….Looking at Polo’s work, is it objective to say that he’s always chasing attention? #ThisIsGrowthpad #Growthpad