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The most important component of any good business is the group of people who work at that business. They are the product. The role of managers and leaders is to cheer workers on and help them to do their best.
Anyone who takes on the role of a boss of any number of people is by default an authority figure. They have a certain amount of power. Because of that power, their behavior and their words are amplified to a much greater degree than the behavior and words of their workers.
When a boss says angry words to a worker, those words have a powerfully negative effect. And when a boss does not show gratitude, that silence becomes a wound.
"In my life I have seen some very beautiful people suffer so needlessly with stress and hurtful feelings because of the unconsciousness of other people in positions of power. And I fear that I might have been such an unconscious person at times.
Throughout my life the responsibility of being a boss to a lot of people was something that I was not prepared for or trained to handle. I wasn’t ever a bad boss. I never did despicable things. I never sexually harassed anyone and was never deliberately cruel or abusive. But I might have been dismissive and I may have driven some people too hard.
The reason I’m writing this is because I had an awakening. One day in my life I woke up to the nature of my relationship to people that worked for me. It was as if a bag of hammers fell out of the sky and hit me on the head. I experienced for the first time in my life what it felt like to have a mean, awful human being as a boss. That individual was a person who had no consideration or concern about using hurtful words. He taught me in an instant who I never want to be.
I never want to have a business that is built on greed. I want people who I employ to take pleasure in what the business goals are. And the goals can’t just be about making money.
To be honest, I was programmed by my father to think of money first. And what I realized is that if I create a great community and spirit and I have a magnificent wholesome product, then the money will come. And when the money comes I then have to resist the temptation to put more and more money before my relationships with people.
One day my life will be over. I like to think that the people at my funeral will not just be lawyers grieving because one of their clients who paid them lots of money is dead. I’d like to believe that the people who come to see me off will be people who think to themselves, “Man, that guy inspired me. That guy helped me.” If I want to hold on to that hope, I have to hold my business ethics and personal relationships to very high standards.
I have to work really hard every day to look at all the little encounters that I have with people that I work with. I need to make sure that I never put myself above them because I am in a position of power temporarily.
Just because someone builds a business or just because someone makes a few extra dollars does not mean that that person is better than any other person in any way, shape, or form. They deserve no more respect or no less dignity than another person. If they are truly a great leader, then that person will show more respect to the people that work for them than they expect in return.
When we are fortunate enough to have the capability to build a business that can bring jobs to the world, we also need to recognize that we’re putting food on the table for many families. The fathers and mothers come home with paychecks. They can sit down at the table and feed their children, hold their hands, and tell them stories that they love. The children will have toys, they will have clothing, and they will grow up with respect. If I can be a part of that, what could be better? What could be more lasting than that?" -Marcus Antebi
Above: Founder Marcus Antebi shown in yellow, orange, and lavender.
When you work for us, we do not treat you as a slave from whom we expect maximum output. We treat you to be a good manager of people. We train you to love your work and put your heart and your passion into our product.
The energy and happiness that goes into making our product will transmit into the chemistry of those who consume it. Because of that, the product will be more addictive than any cup of coffee one can drink. Our product will be so pure and produce so much happiness that it will be more addictive in a positive way than a full bottle of whiskey.
If you’re an employer, never reprimand your staff in front of other staff. Wait for the right time to issue a reprimand if one is necessary. Don’t react. Talk to your team as if you were talking to your friends. When you do that, it doesn’t mean that you’re not in the position of leadership. It just means that you care and that the person you’re working with is your friend. That should be the case because they should be your friend, not your worker. The mentality of “worker to boss” is moronic to me.
A person in leadership should not be afraid that if they build a friendship with a subordinate that it will affect their work relationship. A person who has that fear is likely not a good leader.
"I hold myself accountable to the same things that I hold my whole team accountable for. I have to be reliable. I have to be on time. I have to communicate well. I have to be willing to roll up my sleeves and do every job that I ask others to do. There’s no job in my business that’s beneath me.
Today the people that I value most are not just the customers who are paying me but the staff who bust their asses to serve our guests. They are the heroes of my business."
