(Preface – the paragraph was supposed to be geared to a new team member, hence the “To The New Team Member” and “handbook” references.)

To The New Team Member:
Welcome to Brown Button! Since you’re reading this, I would like to sincerely compliment you. Clearly, you are no ordinary human being to have made it this far in the hiring process. You are here and and have been given this handbook for one (collective) reason. Namely, that we saw greatness in you.

See, here at Brown Button, we take choosing our team members very seriously. We’re a tight knit and caring little community of our own. And it’s important to us that you not only do what’s expected of you, but that you also bring your unique giftings to the table and help to make the environment a life-giving, positive, and healthy place to work.

So, what does that look like? Here’s a few practicals:

Firstly, we are an honor-based company. Culture of Honor is non-negotiable. This means that we esteem and respect the people we work with, the clients we work for, and the customers we serve. We recognize differing point of views, opinions, ways to approach a problem, processes in fixing those problems, backgrounds, beliefs, etc., etc. Basically, we admit that no one person has all the answers. And that’s good. Because that means we get to hire you.

We take honoring those around us very seriously. We don’t speak negatively about a client’s taste in dated couches and sweaters, or their (potentially lacking) organizational abilities. We don’t rant and rave about the always present worst-case annoying customers at every sale. We don’t judge. The customer isn’t always right, but we are always kind. We don’t speak sarcastically or use demeaning humor of any type. We don’t gossip. Though always honest, we extend as much kindness and politeness toward a situation as we possibly can. And we could probably stand to extend a little more.
Now, this being a high road to walk, we also hold each other accountable and call one another out at appropriate times. We continually remind ourselves of our value to uphold and live out a Culture of Honor.

Secondly, we believe in personal responsibility. Even though circumstances can be a little unpredictable in this line of business (and life), we as individuals are always responsible for our attitude and our responses to those situations. Whether our work schedule changed at the last minute, or we survived a holocaust (Viktor Frankl reference), I am responsible for me and you are responsible for you.

This empowers you to be a difference maker. When we take responsibility for our attitude, it gives us the opportunity to respond to situations rather than react to them, to happen to life rather than have life happen to us, to problem solve rather than symptom treat. Personal responsibility leads to proactivity which leads to higher efficiency which leads to a more successful company which leads to more benefits and stability for each one of us, yourself now included. We expect each individual to carry their own weight, to do what they were hired to do, but we are encouraged, yes even empowered, to go above and beyond, to get creative and even, when appropriate, to use trial and error. We each carry the vision of the company and work actively to implement that vision wherever and however possible.

That being said, we also highly value professionalism. We are on the road to change the Estate Sale Industry and one of the ways we will do that is with how professional we are as a company. We strive to stand out, to be recognized as worthy of a position in the free market, all due to our own hard work, integrity, and ingenuity. We are the Quick Trip, the Chic-Fil-A, the Peabody, and the Purple Cow of Estate Sale companies (ask a fellow team member for context to these references).
To achieve this sort of outstanding professionalism, we as a company must be effective, compassionate, respectful (as already mentioned), and we absolutely must operate with integrity. Our effectiveness allows us to actually make a profit when we host a sale. Our compassion brings more “regulars,” positive reviews and client/customer experiences, and lets us communicate how much we really do care and desire to make a difference. Our respect in turn brings us respect and our integrity builds us a reputation, not only to be respected, but also to be trusted. We want to see crazy success as a team and as individuals as a result of this company, and all of these ingredients are absolutely necessary to achieve that goal.

Sound like hard work? Well, it honestly is. But we have a work hard/play hard policy. And, yes. That means we know how to party. So, bring your A-Game to work. Show up ready to make a difference, to solve problems, to happen to life, and to encourage a work culture that’s inspiring to be a part of. But when it comes time to kick back for a Monday Tea Time, or eat your little heart out for a seasonal employee party, then by all means- have a good time! And enjoy yourself as much as possible.

Lastly, before we end this little environmental awareness packet, we just want you to know that we not only value you as a person, but we want to see you succeed in life. We like to encourage each other in our personal (often non-work related) goals and hold each other accountable to be more successful and empowered in day-to-day life. The first Monday of every month, we hold our Goals Tea Time, where we will share a specific, measurable goal that we aspire to accomplish by the end of that month. We hope that you will feel comfortable in sharing your own personal desires and steps to see success. And we genuinely hope that you will find a sort of home here as you work towards achieving those goals in your own life.

In the meantime, we look forward to working with you.
Here’s to the road ahead!

-Lydia, the First Team Member