The Power of Clear Company Values

Written By: A.J. Rounds

Grit. Growth. Gratitude.

These words make up the simple values at RevRoad’s core

In 2020 we modified our values to replace the third value, previously known as +1 (going above and beyond what is expected for our portfolio companies), with Gratitude.

Does that mean that + 1s have disappeared? No—quite the contrary. The +1 mentality will still be a part of RevRoad’s culture. We will always go above and beyond for the success of our portfolio companies, but we feel it is important to publicly acknowledge, by way of gratitude, the opportunity we have to work with passionate entrepreneurs striving to scale their businesses. 

Every day we are grateful for the insights and energy our portfolio companies bring to RevRoad. Since the switch in our values, not only does our team vocalize and demonstrate more gratitude, but our portfolio company founders have responded similarly. 

What we’ve found is that implementing gratitude into everyday company values and practices has improved the team synergy, overall productivity, and appreciation for all the incredible people that make up the RevRoad family. 

Share this with someone below who you think exemplifies one of RevRoad’s core values: Grit, Growth, and Gratitude!

Learn more about RevRoad here

5 Steps To Planning A Successful Event

Written By: Paighton Moffitt

Product launch parties, conferences, lunch & learns, employee celebrations, company retreats, networking events…SLOW DOWN.

People don’t often talk about how many events come with running a business, and it can be overwhelming. Hosting an event takes a lot of time, planning, organization, and hard work.

At this point, you might be thinking, “Where do I even begin?” 

Well, you can start right here—with the 5 steps you need to plan your next successful event. 

1. Ask Questions & Establish Goals 

First things first, there are many questions you need to address before moving forward with your planning. Sit down with the person/people helping you host the event and address a couple questions listed below. 

  • What is the purpose of this event? 
  • Who will be attending? 
  • What kind of speakers or entertainment is needed? 
  • What’s the budget
  • What’s the overall goal for this event? 

Oh, and if you’re an event planning team of one, that’s okay too! Walk yourself through those same questions.

 Asking these questions will help you set expectations from the beginning.

2. Create A Timeline Plan 

Now that you have expectations and goals in place, you can move forward with planning.  Create a timeline with everything that needs to be done up until the event. 

This may include:

  •  Choosing the venue
  • Creating menus
  •  Booking catering
  •  Scheduling speakers/entertainment
  • Getting day-of volunteers
  • Organizing the agenda
  • Buying decor
  • Sending out invitations
  • Getting sponsors
  • Developing a landing page 
  • Marketing your event 
  • And so much more! 

Any task that needs to be done before the event should be included in this timeline plan. I suggest creating your timeline plan in a google spreadsheet so everything can all be in one place and can easily be shared with other team members. 

3. Establish A Team & Assign Roles 

Congratulations, your plan is in place! Now it’s time to recruit a team to help you execute the plan. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and assign responsibilities to your team members.

For example, any marketing tasks should be given to the marketing team, any development tasks should be given to the development team, and so forth . 

We’ve all heard the saying, “Many hands make light work.” This couldn’t be more true when it comes to planning an event. Don’t try to do everything yourself.

Assign it out, create a checklist or spreadsheet, and begin executing.

4. Follow-Up Until The Event

Your timeline & execution plan are now in place. *Hallelujah* now you’ve arrived at the easy part.

FOLLOW UP!

Your follow up efforts from now until the event are key! Make sure you follow up with every task that has not yet been completed on the timeline plan/execution checklist. 

For example, if “Alex” is  supposed to send out the 1st email campaign on Tuesday, you will want to follow up with “Alex” to make sure everything is ready to go on Monday. Ask “Alex” if it will be ready to be sent out tomorrow and if there is anything you can do to help him. 

Following up is crucial to ensure that every task will be completed on time and everything will go smoothly the day of your event. 

You should also follow up with caterers, your venue, any rentals, speakers, audio/visual equipment operators, and entertainment a week before the event to make sure all details are clear and finalized, and arrival time/location is confirmed.

5. Execute, Enjoy, & Review 

The event is here! All that hard work has finally paid off. The most important thing is to make sure you make yourself available to answer guest questions and take the time to enjoy the event you’ve successfully executed.. 

Some things might not go as planned and that is OKAY! You did everything right to prepare for the event and now you need to relax and let your hard work show. 

After the event is over, I highly recommend doing an AAR (After Action Review) with the team involved. This review is a process for analyzing what happened, why it happened, and how it can be done better next time. 

As you can see, throwing an event takes a lot of time, planning, organization, & hard work. Hopefully these 5 steps will help as you plan and execute your next successful event!

Learn more about our Events here
Watch this highlight video of one of our company product launch events here
Learn more about RevRoad here

It’s Time to Champion Underrepresented Talent

Diversity, or the lack thereof, has been the topic of conversation as the highly anticipated Silicon Slopes Tech Summit came to a close. Though tech companies in the Silicon Slopes area have provided an influx of new jobs in Utah, the amount of underrepresented talent employed by these companies is low. We could blame it on Utah’s general “lack of diverse population”, on the homogenous religious communities, or on the difficulty of finding qualified underrepresented talent. We could  blame it on numerous factors, but it doesn’t change the fact that underrepresented talent in Utah is just that—underrepresented.

While Utah’s startup community is on the road to becoming the next Silicon Valley, companies face significant recruiting challenges in the most competitive talent market since 1969. “Leaders can no longer afford to ignore any opportunity that could present qualified candidates. This includes creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels like they have a place”(Mentorli, 2020). The truth is, Utah is 78% white and predominantly Mormon. While many of the cultural responsibilities that come with Utah’s dominant religion prove beneficial for entrepreneurs, “the very thing that is transforming Utah into the next tech mecca could be the very thing that ends up holding it back” (Bluestein, 2020). 

It’s no question that the companies on the Slopes are in need of cultural pivots to better recruit, hire, and retain more underrepresented talent. The call for diversity has been issued, and a new company, called Mentorli, appears to have the solution. Through their mentorship platform, Mentorli increases a candidate’s chances of landing a job by 15x. “We’re leaning into that power to close the opportunity gap underrepresented candidates face,” says CEO Luke Mocke.

Creating equal opportunity for job seekers is simply the right thing to do, but it turns out there’s a significant business case too. For one, there’s a linear relationship between earnings and racial diversity on the senior leadership team—to the tune of .8% in earnings for every 10% lift. However, the most compelling reason for fast growing companies in the US, and Utah specifically, to hire diverse talent is to open their talent pool for future hires. Homogenous organizations unknowingly marginalize talent that looks different to them. To ensure they’re creating an inclusive environment for all qualified talent, they need to create a representative workforce. Failing to do so is already creating monumental challenges as minorities in the US become the majority. 

Mentorli supports this philosophy by empowering underrepresented employees to recruit candidates from similar backgrounds—showing candidates how to set themselves up for success in the interview process and thrive in a new environment—building diverse networks from the grassroots level. Read Mentorli’s full press release here. As a participant in the recent Silicon Slopes Tech Summit, Mentorli is offering a FREE first hire to companies that schedule a demo before February 7, 2020. Check it out today!