Aug 26, 2022Member-onlyOne Interview Question that can be a Game ChangerAs we pull out of the “great resignation” and enter this new period of remote work, it seems that an ability to efficiently hire the best people will only grow in importance. When I interview candidates, I prefer to stay away from traditional questions. Not because they can’t be useful…Hiring4 min readHiring4 min read
Mar 18, 2022Member-onlyWhat can Ptolemy teach us about business?The geocentric model of the solar system worked pretty well for quite a long time. People believed it because it seemed to explain the observed world. Looking up at the night sky, things seem to go around us — the sun, the moon, stars, and planets. It’s easy for us…Business3 min readBusiness3 min read
May 13, 2021Member-onlyWant to lose your best employees? Make them return to the office.Since mid-March 2020, many office workers have been working from home. It was a big adjustment for everyone — figuring out logistics, IT issues, communication issues, setting up workspaces at home. In the early stages it was chaos — people working from their beds, webcams out of stock everywhere, Zoom…Remote Working3 min readRemote Working3 min read
May 7, 2021Member-onlyThe Benefits of Local-Remote WorkFor many, remote work has been a silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic cloud. It turns out with no commute it’s a lot easier to find that time to exercise, tidy up the house, or do absolutely anything else you want to do. COVID-19 may linger for a long time…Remote Working3 min readRemote Working3 min read
Published inMake It Stick·Jan 5, 2021Member-onlyEnd the Work-as-School MentalityThis is the third article in a series about the company values of MakeStickers. It describes the underpinning of our value “we succeed and fail as a team.” This isn’t high school No matter who you are, you probably remember high school — GPA, class rank, test scores, figuring out what the teacher wants…Business5 min readBusiness5 min read
Dec 3, 2020Member-onlyWorking from Home is Here to StayOn March 17, 2020 I told the employees of MakeStickers that everyone who can work from home should work from home. At the time we thought maybe it would be for weeks, possibly a few months. In the summer when we decided we’d keep requiring work from home through the…Remote Working4 min readRemote Working4 min read
Published inMake It Stick·Nov 12, 2020Member-onlyDo it Before it Needs to be DoneThis is the second installment in my series on the company values of MakeStickers. You can read the first here, and learn about the simple but radical approach we take with our policies to show empathy for our customers. Think of time as a conveyor belt, and all the things…Work3 min readWork3 min read
Oct 28, 2020Member-onlyAn Arduino-Powered Contactless Candy DispenserHalloween is right around the corner, and with COVID-19 still around, it’s important to deliver all that sugary goodness in a safe and socially distant way. Some have suggested using a long section of PVC pipe as a sort of candy slide, and that’s a great idea, but things are…Halloween3 min readHalloween3 min read
Published inMake It Stick·Oct 20, 2020Member-onlyEmpathetic Customer Service PoliciesThis is the first in a series about the MakeStickers company values. Our values live far upstream in all of our decision-making processes. They describe the kind of company we want to be — whatever it is we’re doing. …Customer Service3 min readCustomer Service3 min read
Published inMake It Stick·Sep 17, 2020Member-onlyA Rational Paid Time Off PolicyEvery company has a paid time off (PTO) policy, but how many have really thought deeply about their policies? What does your policy reveal about your company’s beliefs and attitudes towards time off? Does the policy assume trust or deceit? I took the journey into the philosophical underpinnings of my…Work5 min readWork5 min read
