In Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0, which the Bridge team is currently reading, the author Jim Collins confesses that he missed a key ingredient 25 years ago when he wrote the first edition. He states that he now realizes the most important part of achieving a great company is: getting the right people 'on the bus.’ I agree. Fourteen and a half years ago (long before I opened this book), I was lucky enough to pick up the right ‘passenger:' Moshe replied to my job posting (maybe via Craigslist?), joined what became Bridge, and continues to ride with us today. If he didn’t get on the bus, none of us would likely be here. Moshe has been crucial to our growth. Thank you, Moshe.
After Moshe, we picked up another great passenger, Josh. Josh joined us seven and a half years ago and has been a key driver of innovation, growth, and change. He helped us launch Bridge 2.0, adopt Github, launch a new production deployment solution, and helps makes our product look beautiful. We got lucky again with Mark (aka Marco, aka “Crankin’ "). Mark does the work of two people and brings the happiness of four. He’s a six-pack in a 20 oz. A 'programming Four Loko.’ Thank you, Marco!
Then, we got lucky again with Jordyn, the leader of our coaching team. Three years ago, I asked a theater manager that works at an adjoining property if he knew anyone looking for a job, and he suggested Jordyn. She quickly became integral to our operations. I will miss her when she departs in three weeks. In Jordyn’s time, she has wowed us with her sparkling personality, Shakespearean proofing skills, and keen wit. Jordyn, by the numbers:
3,750+ client inquiries handled.
400+ client GoToMeeting sessions led.
300+ articles proofed.
190+ "Huzzahs!” via Hangouts.
45+ credit card applications submitted for clients.
10+ trips to the post office to mail Bridge materials.
150+ lunches at Planet Taco in the East Village.
4+ virtual Bridge Happy Hours attended.
3+ early morning or late night international calls with the Philippines for the brand Calaisio.
1,000,000+ assists in helping the tech team get stuff done.
Endless client herding and handling.
Endless times with which she has been pleasant to chat.
Endless compliments from clients!
Thank you, Jordyn!
We’ve recently brought on more talented folks. (Welcome!) My goal is to bring on talented people that our team is proud to work with and helps them learn and be challenged. (We also read books and set goals with this in mind.) If a team member chooses, Bridge can be a springboard to what’s next in their life: they make some money at Bridge, gain new skills, and then move on to the next gig—and we’re happy to help them travel there. A bus inherently has a door to let people on—and off. If they want to ride with us while we create never-before-seen software products and double our company every 36 months, we’d love to have them stay on the bus. We have to get the right people on and off as needed. Since we want to grow Bridge to a company with 10k retailers and $10m in revenue (spoiler alert: we’ve not arrived there yet!), we’ll have to get more of the right people on the bus. I promise we’ll keep driving and picking up the right people.
What a trip it's been thus far. In 2015, we had 100 stores. Now we have 1,000. This hockey stick growth shows us accelerating. If we keep up at this rate, we’ll reach our $10m and 10k. Yet, we’re not sitting back. This is not an overnight Greyhound sleeper. This is one of those party buses you see downtown on Friday night! (On our bus, we could have a little bumper sticker displaying some Bridge-green, Grateful Dead psychedelic bears dancing around.) Let’s do this! Marko, grab the Four Loko! (But please no Four Loko-ing and coding.) Let’s stand up, raise a glass, and help indie stores!