The 2019 Culture Olympics

 

Last Thursday the 2019 Annual Holmes Custom Olympics took place at company headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida.

Following a festive barbecue lunch, members of the executive team stepped up to the microphone to share big news with the room full of ‘holmies’ (the affectionate nickname for all company employees). Alice Viego, Head of People Operations, opened with a warm welcoming statement.

Bryan Croft, CEO and President, gave a state of the company address.  He shared some of the obstacles and achievements of the last year. He spoke about where the company has been been and where we are going. He shared his excitement to make it to 65 years in business with a forecast of many more to come.

SEO Assistant Katie Viego and CFO Steve Fernandez

Steve Fernandez, CFO and Vice President, provided insight on how the company plans to pursue the next goals. He introduced holmies to the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and why the company chose this strategy. He then passed the torch to Jim Gruhn, Chief Technology Officer, who went on to explain how the EOS business model will help the propel the company’s productivity, accountability and growth. He described how the EOS will be the pulse of Holmes Custom’s next evolution.

Holmies ready to hear the new core values.

Bryan returned to the stage  for the big moment everyone was anticipating. Bryan announced the new core values. The Holmie Nation will strive to embody these core values: Grit, Accountability, Passion, Curiosity, Collaboration, and Winning!

After the announcement about new values, Sarah De Nicolais, People Operations Coordinator, shared the rules to the next challenge, and the company broke off into teams to take on this year’s Olympics.

The first challenge was a scavenger hunt. Each team was to search for clues that led to a token representing one of the core values. The teams scrambled around the premises to find the hidden treasure and attempt to finish first. Once everyone conquered the scavenger quest, it was time to huddle up again.

One of the winning teams.

The final competition centered on the question “What do our Core Values mean to YOU?” This challenge turned out to be a great platform for holmies to give shout outs to individuals they have seen demonstrate core values in everyday work. In true Ninja spirit, people shared praise and thanks for employees that have seen model values in tangible ways. The teams brought humor, creativity, and passion into their presentations.

The games ended with scavenger hunt and presentation awards, as well as handing out a specially designed 65th anniversary company t-shirt and water bottle featuring the new core values.

 

Our 2018 Mission Trip to Haiti

When a friend invited Bryan on a mission trip to Haiti a few years back, he didn’t realize just how much it would change his perspective on life. The same can be said about every other missionary that traveled to the third world country in early November. For a few, it was their first trip there, and for the others, they return year after year to help the beautiful people of Haiti.

Haiti180 is the incredible organization that makes these mission trips possible. Founded in 2002, it’s mission is to “turn it around”. Since its inception, Haiti180 has established an orphanage with a church, a school, an elderly home, and a medical clinic, all near the village of Miragoane . While there is still a long way for Haiti180 to go, the impact this organization has had is tremendous.  

Katie, a 31-year-old missionary, is the orphanage director. She is also a cancer survivor and a modern day Mother Theresa. She left Ohio to live in Haiti and run the Catholic orphanage more than 7 years ago. During our week-long stay, she led us to individual huts to spend time with families in need.  Katie showed us how to serve the Haitian people through relationship. She does this by learning about the lives of the people in the village around her, identifying specific needs, and personally bringing goods and spending time together. We brought medicine, toothbrushes, diapers, clothing, food, vitamins and even candy right into each hut. We learned about every person we brought supplies to and Deacon, one member of our group, prayed for each.

Most of the stories we heard about their lives were heartbreaking and unimaginable. We heard about a family of nine living in a tiny hut who struggled to have enough to eat and slept on straw mats on the ground. We stepped into their lives for a moment to treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve. We visited an elderly woman, named Vanaella, who spent the last 3 years in her hut, unable to move herself or even turn over. There were 4 generations all sharing a tiny space and an outdoor kitchen area. We brought them food and Vanaella had a message for us. She said, “Every morning, if you wake up, thank God that you are alive. And then at night thank Him again for all the things that happened throughout the day.”

Every time we went on a hike to the huts, our group filled our backpacks and bags to the brim with candy, Cliff bars, dolls and the essentials Katie knew the village’s families were in need of. The moment we walked out of the orphanage gate, flocks of kids would gather around us. They would grab our hands and walk with us for miles, smiling from ear to ear. I don’t know whose smiles were bigger, the children or the missionaries.

The Texas, Massachusetts, and Florida Trio of 14 Missionaries trekked all around rural parts of Haiti. Joe drove us over mountains, into rivers and through the mud to bring us to the orphanage. During our time there, we also worked to complete various manual labor tasks. We shoveled dirt and rocks which will be used to make cement for two projects. These projects are adding a separate boys house to the orphanage and building onto the senior living home. We painted parts of the orphanage to help prevent rust. It took high ladders, reaching long arms and balancing to get the edges of the second floor and roof. We painted the Cantor (missionary bus) which involved hovering around the roof to paint the top and climbing ladders to touch up the window grids.

We toured all the facilities Haiti180 built from the ground up, including the school where we taught the kids how to play basketball. Katie translated the rules from English to Creole and we played a 5-on-5 game with the students in some serious morning heat. We also passed out school supplies that had been donated, and the way the students’ faces lit up over something as simple as a notebook, pens and pencils was heartwarming. During our trip, we were able to spend time with the kids at the orphanage, from playing soccer, dancing on the kitchen steps and getting braids, to attending mass and being a part of their service through Bible readings.

There were many moments during this trip to Haiti that will stay with us all for years to come, but one stands out in particularly – our visit with John Simon, a man paralyzed from the neck down. Because he spends every day lying in bed and how long he had been neglected when Katie first met him, he’s now in need of daily treatment. So on day two we all went to visit and care for him.

Aimee, Sarah, Jesse, Karen, and Anna worked with Katie to address some of John Simon’s immediate medical needs by treating bedsores, cleaning excrement, and redressing wounds. They bent over his bed to complete this slow process and offer this man what help they could. When Katie first met John Simon, he was depressed and living a very lonely life, and while he’s still confined to his small hut in the middle of the village, he’s in much better physical and mental shape then he was a few years ago. He now has daily visitors to care for him and brighten his day.

It’s often hard to put into words an experience like the one we all shared in Haiti, but each and every missionary would agree it’s life changing. When you have the opportunity to witness such a beautiful country, filled with such loving and welcoming people, but who are struggling so deeply, you can’t help but to want to return each year to make whatever impact you’re able to.  

#Holmies Go to Haiti! 2017

Many things have changed for our small business over the past year, like our continuous growth and the evolution from Holmes Stamp & Sign to Holmes Custom, but one thing that will never change is the #Holmies’ annual mission trip to Haiti. This year, a group of ten men, including CEO Bryan Croft, Production Supervisor Jesse DeVaughn, and IT Manager Daniel Kellogg, raised $26,000 and collected other nonmonetary donations to bring to the people of Haiti. Their yearly adventure is supported by a nonprofit organization named Haiti180 that organizes mission trips, just like theirs, throughout the year every year. Learn more about Haiti180 and last year’s trip here.

Day 1:

Croft said this year’s trip started similarly to his previous five, with a full day of travel, beginning in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. and ending at Kay Mari, the orphanage the mission trips support. Here they were welcomed by the children’s caretakers and what seemed like millions of stars. After 17 hours of travel, the group headed to bed to rest up for the next day.

Day 2:

In the morning, bananas and coffee prepared them for a full day of work. Each year there is a main task the group focuses on, and this year they worked on the construction of the teacher’s housing. Roughly two miles from Kay Mari is a school. This school’s educators are responsible for teaching the 35 children of Kay Mari and the children of the surrounding village. Haiti180 believes that by educating these children, they are investing in Haiti’s future leaders. So when the team returned this year, it was their mission to construct a place these educators could call home.

Day two was spent moving truck loads of river stones to the location of the teachers’ housing and collecting roughly 700 gallons of water for cement mixing. The rocks and cement combined would later create the foundation of the housing, making them a huge step closer to the finished project. After swimming and bathing in a nearby river, they enjoyed chicken, rice, green beans, and french fries for dinner – a meal prepared by the grateful caretakers of Kay Mari.

Day 3:

On day three, half of the team stayed back to continue construction on the teachers’ house. They collected various elements of the house, like cactus to create a fence, and wood for the cement forms. They also worked to fix one of the roads that was severely damaged in Hurricane Irma. The village’s main road was washed out, causing anyone traveling along the road to get stuck in the mud. So next, they gathered broken boulders and used them to fill in the holes on the road.

The other half of the team went into Port au Prince with two primary missions. Their first goal was to work with a provider in Haiti to get a consistent internet connection to the village.  This is a challenge, as you can imagine, and will take some hard work and time.  But the internet was a game changer for our small business because for 40 years we serviced only select areas of Florida. When our small business dove into the e-commerce side of things, it expanded our opportunities for servicing customers on a national and even international level. Once we were able to service more customers, we were able to create more jobs for our community.

“Bringing internet connection to our village could be a game changer,” said Croft. “We could connect the medical clinic to help provide medical services, connect the school to provide better education for the kids, and finally connect to the village to improve the economy.”

They also worked with a logistics provider to get containers of supplies shipped from the east coast of the United States to Pour au Prince. From Port au Prince, the supplies would be delivered to the orphanage, creating a supply chain for the needs of the village.

After each group completed what they wanted to get done for the day, the team headed back to Kay Mari to relax for the evening and spend time with the children.

Day 4:

After two days of labor-intensive work, the team planned for a day of light work around the orphanage and visiting the homes of the surrounding villagers. Their first stop was to visit John Simone, a man who was left paralyzed from the neck down after a motorcycle accident a few years ago. When they first met John last year, he was in very bad shape and had a very low chance of survival. While his injuries remain very serious, he is now cared for daily by the caretakers of Kay Mari and the people of the village, and his survival rate has increased dramatically.

They continued their home visits, bringing them food, clothing, and other essentials. Along the way they met a family with a rare disease that makes it impossible to walk. There are a few cases of this disease in Haiti, but because of the limited resources they have available, no one has found a cure. The team hoped that by gathering information from the family, they could return later to the United States to consult a doctor to see what could be done for this family and others like them.

After delivering 28 bags of cement to the teacher housing, they made their way back to Kay Mari and were welcomed with BBQ chicken, rice, peas, corn, beans and other vegetables. They all agreed it was the best meal they had while in Haiti. The children gathered for chapel, and the team enjoyed listening to them sing familiar yet foreign songs.

Day 5:

Day five was spent transporting more broken boulders and continuing to repair the washed out road. After two more truckloads, the road began to look significantly better and could now be driven on.

Near Kay Mari is what they call the Elderly Home. Originally, this housing was developed as a hospice center for the elders of the village that could no longer be cared for. Often times in Haiti, families must choose to care for either their children or the elders of the family because they cannot afford to care for both. But the health of many of the members of the Elderly Home has improved since they’ve moved there, partially because they are visited frequently by the children of Kay Mari. They’ve said the children look to them as their grandparents, and this has increased morale for both the children and the elders.

Day 6:

The final day of the team’s trip was spent traveling back to their various parts of the country. For our #Holmies, they left the orphanage around 5:15 a.m., and finally landed back in Jacksonville, FL. at 11:15 p.m.

For many of the group, it was not their first trip to Haiti and certainly won’t be their last. Each trip helps the children of Kay Mari, their caretakers, their educators as well as the surrounding village to be a step closer to self-sustaining. Haiti180’s largest project over the past few years has been building a medical facility for the people, and the team was thrilled to report it’s nearly complete. Medical equipment is officially on its way to the facility. From the orphanage, to the Elderly’s Home, teacher housing to the medical facility – none of this would be possible without Haiti180 and its team of support. To learn more about Haiti180, the children of Kay Mari, becoming a missionary or donating to the cause, you can visit Haiti180.com.

 

The Business of Branding: Establishing Company Goals

Most small businesses are born from a dream. Business owners, especially of start-ups, are bursting with ideas and dreams, but without goals, these ideas often fail to materialize. When establishing company goals, it is vital to turn lofty ideas into actionable goals. This week, our the Business of Branding series will focus on how you can set company goals. These steps can help you feel less overwhelmed and more prepared to turn your great idea into a thriving business.

Who Are You?

Before you delve into writing actionable goals, you must first define who you are, what your company offers and how you’re different from your competition. Every successful company has a unique identity in the marketplace. (Businesses that don’t often don’t last.) Before you can start reaching out to customers, you must first know who you are and what you are going to offer your target audience. Think about what made you want to start your own business to begin with. Did a bad experience with a competitor make you want to do the job yourself? Do you have a unique spin on a product or service you frequently use? Do you possess a unique skill? Recalling what made you want to start your business can help you define who you are and what you want your company to prove to its customers.

What is your Product?

What do you want to offer your customer? Are you selling handmade bracelets, bacon flavored cupcakes or throwback style clothing? Are you offering landscaping services or painting shutters? You most likely already know what you want to offer, but you must also know what makes your product or service one-of-a-kind. Perhaps you have a passion for bold prints and patterns. You have everything you need to make retro cherry print skirts, tops and scarves. You also, for example, have a knack for paring patterns. You, and only you, know how to make houndstooth and cherry prints live harmoniously. Once you have defined what is unique about your skill set, your product and how you’ll create it, it’s time to define who your customer is.

Who is your Ideal Customer?

Do you dream of traveling and setting up pop-up shops, or do you want an established location where customers know they can find you? Knowing how you want to present your products will help you determine who your target customer is. If you are selling retro print clothing, for instance, your customer could be a rockabilly, an artist, a performer or all of the above. If you want to travel and set up pop-up shops to sell your patterned skirts and tops, you would need to stay up-to-date on concerts, trade shows, burlesque shows and other happenings that would attract your ideal customer. If you want to sell your wares from a brick and mortar store, imagine where it should be located. For vintage patterns and rockabilly clothing, for example, you would most likely want your shop next to antique stores, coffee and book stores and other small boutiques. Think about who you want to market to, and then decide how you will reach them.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Once you have defined who you are, what your product is and who you want to market to, you can begin to determine your goals. It is important to make your goals actionable. Use S.M.A.R.T goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused and time-bound. For example, how much revenue do you plan to earn in your first 6 months? How many events do you plan to attend in order to sell your wares? When and where are these events? How many contacts did you make at each event? Every company will have very different goals, but these goals should always be measurable and attainable. When you reach a milestone or goal, remember to celebrate your success! Record when and how you reached this goal, and be prepared to repeat these successful steps. Also, don’t be afraid to fail. Failure will only help you learn what doesn’t work, and what to avoid in order to keep moving forward.

Once you know what you want to offer your target audience and what your actionable goals are, you can begin planning what your company brand will look and feel like. Our next post will focus on establishing your brand’s style, including choosing your color palette, selecting design elements and selecting other imagery that will attract your ideal customer.
Meanwhile, find out about the different types of small businesses and what the 15 most profitable small businesses are.

Our Most Popular Products for Both your Business Needs & Wants

At Holmes Custom, we pride ourselves on being a great place to work. We love having a company full of people who enjoy coming to work each day and believe it’s key to our success. But one of our other major goals is giving our customers the tools they need to do just the same. Whether we’re helping you increase work efficiency, or motivate your employees on a daily basis, we strive to be the place you can turn to when you need anything office-related. From rubber stamps to identification tools, motivational signs to employee gifts, here at Holmes Custom, we have just the personalized product you’re looking for. So today we’re bringing you a few of our top-selling products alongside some of our newest additions to show you we’re your one-stop-shop for all of your business needs and wants.

  • Full-Color Name Tags

In any workplace, effective communication is highly important. Name tags are a valuable tool for any business no matter what your environment is. If your employees are often communicating with customers, name tags will eliminate barriers and make them more approachable. In the same way, name tags in an office setting allow your employees to know one another’s name and job title before a formal introduction takes place. Our custom, full-color name tags are a customer favorite because you can design them to perfectly match your business’ brand.

  • Engraved Desk Plates

Whether your employees are engaging with customers or employees, a desk plate also makes communication easier. A desk plate recognizes your employees and shows them they’re a valuable, permanent member of your team. Our engraved desk plates are offered in a variety of different colors and textures so you’re sure to get exactly what you had in mind every time. You can also go the informal route by ordering a funny desk plate to brighten and liven up your employees’ desks.

  • Custom Signage

Custom signs are essential to any business because they keep customers and employees informed. Whether you own a retail store and need to direct your customers to the fitting rooms, or you’re the manager of a busy restaurant and want to inform your guests there is a step down into your dining room, there’s a sign for it all. The best part about our engraved, full-color signs is you personalize them with your brand’s logo or colors to reflect your business in a professional way.

  • Logo, Office & Address Stamps

Stamps will always hold a special place in our hearts because they brought our small business to life. These days, there are a wide variety of stamp styles to choose from. There’s the old-fashioned wooden hand stamp, the self-inking stamp and the pre-inked stamp, each of which has its own perks and purposes. There are also an endless number of uses for your rubber stamps, from branding your small, local coffee shop with a logo stamp, or increasing your office’s efficiency with stock office stamps.

  • Custom Embossers

The art of embossing is something that has been appreciated for centuries. Embossers are widely used in the offices of notaries, architects, engineers, etc. but there are many other ways to use your custom embosser. A logo embosser is a great way to elegantly brand your business, either on envelopes or with an embossed seal.

  • Motivational Signs

One of our more recent additions to Holmes Custom is our collection of motivational signs. Whether you’re ordering one for your own desk to get you through those long Mondays, or want to increase company culture within your business, these colorful, inspirational signs are sure to increase morale. Make your company a great place to work by giving your employees a sense of encouragement every day.

  • Employee Awards & Gifts

Another great way to improve your company’s culture is with employee awards and gifts. A small token of gratitude goes a long way, so remind your team how appreciated they are with rewards. For example, celebrate an employee’s work anniversary with a personalized gift, or give out funny awards at the company’s holiday party.

Whether you need a stock office stamps for your team of receptionists, name tags for your retail professionals, or motivational signs to hang in your business’ break room, Holmes Custom is your one-stop-shop for all of your business needs and wants! We’ve evolved in many ways over the years, as both a company and in the products we produce, and we’re not stopping any time soon. We’re so excited to see how popular some of our newest products become. Stay tuned to see what we’ll have to offer you next!