Want To Get Better Business Results? Bring In A Mariachi Band
Summary
For most people, the phrase "IT services" conjures up images of a boring, nerdy guy droning on about stuff you dont understand, when all you want is to get your computer working again. When I spoke to him about Optimal Networks, the small IT services and consulting firm he founded in 1991, and of which he is fiercely proud, he kept returning to two themes: "serious craziness" and "giving our customers what they need.” As an example, he told me about their yearly customer open houses, one of which – with a fiesta theme – included a Mariachi band, alpacas, and llamas…in the Optimal offices. Heinan also shared with me that Optimal is expanding quickly - they grew almost 50% last year through a mix of organic sales development and acquisition - and that he recognizes it will be a challenge to keep such a unique culture intact with 2, 5 or 10 times the current number of employees. One approach theyre already taking to help ensure they continue to fan the flames of their culture as they grow: a very rigorous hiring process. Whenever theyre considering a new hire, they first conduct what they call "practical testing" to make sure the person has the needed technical chops.