MAJOR LIFE UPDATE OVER HERE:

I just became a grandma! Well, officially a “Mimi”. The good news is that my daughter and grandson are doing great. 

But Good LORD, this last week has been a test of the core value: “Everything is figureoutable.” We held onto that for dear life. Between power outages and Covid scares, I must have calmly said it 50 times. (Though inside I was FREAKING OUT.)

Through it all, my team at Here Comes The Guide was incredibly supportive. We talk all the time about the Sisterhood of our company, but it’s in situations like these that I really felt how REAL it is.

It’s also a testament to fostering a culture of true work / life balance.

I wanted to share a bit about our company culture with you today, as well as the story of how we’ve built a company that supports its all-women workforce.

You can read our full brand story here: How We Built Our Dream Company

But the TL;DR version?
We’re a fully-remote, self-funded, women-owned and operated small business dedicated to true work / life balance.

HOW DO WE DO IT:

• It starts with a 4-day workweek.

The majority of our staff are working mothers, and we feel it’s important to support their need for more time. We pay full salary for the 4-day (32-hour) workweek, and are making more money now than we ever did before.

• It includes understanding and support from management when life happens.

Every woman on staff understands that life happens. So when an employee needs to take time off for personal reasons, she’s not going to get attitude from her manager. She’s going to get understanding and support.

• It means providing tools for mobility, flexibility, and productivity.

We provide our staff with the tools to work remotely, but also cover costs  (and help prepare) when there’s a new addition to the family. We provide a ton of support and 6 weeks of paid maternity leave.

• It means encouraging relationship building over sales.

We have a no-commission structure for this reason. Our employees don’t have to worry about their paychecks. They can instead focus on what is truly good for their clients.

• It means offering advice (and a cheering squad) for a side hustle.

I believe that side hustles, whether for fun or for cash (or both!) sharpen our saws, bring us new skills, help us gain confidence, and make us better at our job at Here Comes The Guide.

We take our company culture and core values very seriously, and believe that you can do meaningful work whilst also having true work / life balance.

And when life happens?

We’re given the grace to deal with it. 

TO DO FOR YOU:

When the going gets tough, we rely on our core values.

What are the top 1–3 Core Values of your wedding business? 

If you can reel them off with ease, congrats. You are way ahead of the game.

If not, take a few minutes and do a brainstorm session and book some time with your team to figure this out. If you know what they are, you can amplify them. And THAT helps draw the right couples to your venue.