Can’t grow your business? We’ll fix that ~ Founders @lanehoffbeck @mahlahoffbeck since 2016 ~ Consulting for small businesses: strategy, finance, marketing
We aren’t your standard consulting shop.
We aren’t:
Traditional
Lifeless
Uptight
Stodgy
Boring
Judgy
We are a boutique shop that wants to help your small business win.
We believe a judgment free zone is a must and that building cool things is disruptive.
#SmallBusiness
we're making @blocks smaller today. here's my note to the company.
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today we're making one of the hardest decisions in the history of our company: we're reducing our organization by nearly half, from over 10,000 people to just under 6,000. that means over 4,000 of you are being asked to leave or entering into consultation. i'll be straight about what's happening, why, and what it means for everyone.
first off, if you're one of the people affected, you'll receive your salary for 20 weeks + 1 week per year of tenure, equity vested through the end of may, 6 months of health care, your corporate devices, and $5,000 to put toward whatever you need to help you in this transition (if you’re outside the U.S. you’ll receive similar support but exact details are going to vary based on local requirements). i want you to know that before anything else. everyone will be notified today, whether you're being asked to leave, entering consultation, or asked to stay.
we're not making this decision because we're in trouble. our business is strong. gross profit continues to grow, we continue to serve more and more customers, and profitability is improving. but something has changed. we're already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company. and that's accelerating rapidly.
i had two options: cut gradually over months or years as this shift plays out, or be honest about where we are and act on it now. i chose the latter. repeated rounds of cuts are destructive to morale, to focus, and to the trust that customers and shareholders place in our ability to lead. i'd rather take a hard, clear action now and build from a position we believe in than manage a slow reduction of people toward the same outcome. a smaller company also gives us the space to grow our business the right way, on our own terms, instead of constantly reacting to market pressures.
a decision at this scale carries risk. but so does standing still. we've done a full review to determine the roles and people we require to reliably grow the business from here, and we've pressure-tested those decisions from multiple angles. i accept that we may have gotten some of them wrong, and we've built in flexibility to account for that, and do the right thing for our customers.
we're not going to just disappear people from slack and email and pretend they were never here. communication channels will stay open through thursday evening (pacific) so everyone can say goodbye properly, and share whatever you wish. i'll also be hosting a live video session to thank everyone at 3:35pm pacific. i know doing it this way might feel awkward. i'd rather it feel awkward and human than efficient and cold.
to those of you leaving…i’m grateful for you, and i’m sorry to put you through this. you built what this company is today. that's a fact that i'll honor forever. this decision is not a reflection of what you contributed. you will be a great contributor to any organization going forward.
to those staying…i made this decision, and i'll own it. what i'm asking of you is to build with me. we're going to build this company with intelligence at the core of everything we do. how we work, how we create, how we serve our customers. our customers will feel this shift too, and we're going to help them navigate it: towards a future where they can build their own features directly, composed of our capabilities and served through our interfaces. that's what i'm focused on now. expect a note from me tomorrow.
jack
If you’re posting daily, remember:
- 70% won’t care.
- 20% will watch quietly.
- 10% will actually engage.
Keep posting anyway.
The silent 20% become your future customers.
Your taste and judgment are unique to you. Develop it. Articulate it. Refine it. Share it.
People will buy from you based on it.
AI can give the how-tos, write, code, etc.
But you can’t outsource your taste to it.
Your taste and judgment are your super power.
Most small businesses stall because the founder tries to solve bigger problems with the same DIY instincts.
At $500k-$3M, the issue isn’t effort, it’s judgment…the ability to make better decisions as complexity increases.
What worked early on eventually stops working.
I saw this old white guy giving financial advice on Tik Tok getting ROASTED in the comments. "Boomer" "Fake guru" etc.
The guy was Ray Dalio.
That's when I realized there was no amount of success that can legitimize you to the ignorant.
If you actually met "everyone", you'd realize some people aren't worth being loved by.
It's a good thing to be hated by a bad person.
Stop whining. Every position has an advantage.
Younger = cutting edge
Older = more experience
Smaller company = more personalized
Bigger company = longer track record
Rich = resources to use
Broke = nothing to lose
You arent limited by your resources, only your resourcefulness
It's pretty simple.
Wake up early. Complete the single highest priority task. Avoid the destination society set for you at birth. Make giant mistakes. Mistakes are the launchpads toward your ideal life. Always be building a project. Youth is the greatest currency, it would be wise to invest it. If you wasted your youth, crying about it isn't going to speed up the process. You're supposed to feel overwhelmed, it means you're learning. Set aside 30 minutes daily for deliberate boredom (to unfuck your dopamine sensitivity). Walk more. Read more. Write more. Writing is how you practice thinking. Thinking is how you make better decisions. The outcome of your life is determined by the sum of your decisions. Force yourself to do something you've never done before, at least once a week. Learn something new. Talk to someone new. Book a one way plane ticket. Move into that place you can't afford. Because you need pressure. Real pressure. Launch yourself into the situation of your future self and see if you have what it takes.
We’re building the most judgment-free space for small business owners.
We aren’t afraid if:
Your books are behind
You have debt
You aren’t making legit money
You don’t have a marketing plan
You should be able to ask for help and not feel judged or shame.
There's only ONE of you in the whole damn world!! Forget about trying to be something you're not. Live your true nature 💝 We need you exactly as you are.
After 5 years with a look we loved, we gave our brand a fresh new look — deeper dimension, a warmer vibe, and more flexibility for the future. Still us, just more us.
Read the blog: https://t.co/9oz5H7x9gf
#brandrefresh#rebrand#rebrandinspo
We helped a client setup a group email this week so multiple employees could respond to inquiries and have a shared inbox. @ChatGPTapp guided us step by step to make it happen with accuracy and immediate feedback. Example of when AI can be more helpful than support teams.