Hi Gang.
in 2007, we were good at communicating with each other. We emailed a lot, and we met every month. But we can always be better.
In 2008, we're going to finalize the first CoWorkers Handbook, and we're going to try to use this new Blog for coworker communication.
Anyone can comment on a blog, and that way, you can see what people are saying. It's a conversation. If you'd like to be invited to be able to post here, just sign into blogger, and send me your log in name, I can then "invite" you to become a poster here.
Best,
Sander
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7 comments:
This is going to be great!
I believe that money is energy. It is just green energy. The only value it has is the value we give it, it is not inherently good or bad or annoying or useful. I think that paying employees on time is absolutely necessary in order to keep good employees around (also it's illegal not to). I think that paying down debt is necessary in order to really show what Vox Pop can do (how can we really start making the dough when we aren't actually paying our bills on time?). I think that staying real and staying in the present is the best way to live and run a business (aka.. if we don't have the money, don't spend it.. raise it or make it or do what you need to do.. but get it in your hand first). Once Vox Pop has really shown that it can be profitable (not dependent on investors) there will be people lining up to franchise. I love Vox Pop and I believe that once it has really proven what it can do financially (I think it has already proven what it can do in terms of creating community, a brand, a loyal following, a consistent product, etc.) then no one will need to convince anyone to invest or open more Vox Pops. Everyone will want to be part of such an abundant enterprise. In my opinion the thing to do this year is focus in, cut all extraneous costs (this is going to require some introspection on the part of those making financial decisions), pay off debt, roll up our sleeves and work really hard. The numbers will work their magic. I am giving my two cents in a very honest way because I believe I deserve to. I only own 20 shares of the company, but I loaned the company upwards of $70,000 that I forgave because I love the place. I used to own a lot more shares but I gave them to you, Sander. I enjoy working for you, Sander, because I know you love the company and you have vision and hutzpa. I believe that you have the absolute ability to turn this place into a money making machine this year.. but you need to look IN first. This company is a mirror of you.. everything that isn't working now is something you can fix by fixing it inside you first (I am glad you seem to be working on that with the millionaire mind, etc.. one thing you will find as you go deeper into the millionaire mind philosophy is that credit is not such a good thing). This is my opinion. You created a public forum for honesty.. so there you go. You asked us for our opinions and I think the more honest we are, the better off the company will be. I love Vox Pop, I love my co-workers and the community and the product and the vision. I am honored to be a part of such an amazing group of people and I look forward to us all growing individually and as a team this year. -Holley
Sander and Holley both are on-target. Vox Pop will become what the people of Vox Pop believe it can become. So let us build prosperity consciousness – knowing that money is neutral, a tool to be used for good or ill, and in the Vox Pop universe it is and will be used for good.
I feel privileged to advise Sander and others growing Vox Pop. Right now, it’s one politically-savvy-coffee-house-restaurant-bookstore-performance-center-neighborhood-hang-out-meeting-place. I imagine, in the near future, many Vox Pops and Vox Pop-sourced businesses positively impacting society and making real differences in people’s lives, while serving up great coffee and other fare.
Not to be too serious -- working with Sander is a trip! He’s unique among the hundreds of business owners I’ve known -- a politically radical activist-entrepreneur, creating something of value from nothing, giving others opportunities to serve and prosper –- and he leads a kick-ass sing-a-long of a personal favorite, Unchained Melody!
So to Sander and all the rest of you at Vox Pop – Here’s to a great 2008!
Ken Stark
Vox Pop will definitely work best when we have multiple locations, since our reputation and image are quite strong at the moment but we only have one physical place to go and have the Vox Pop experience and lots of people who would like to visit that location would have to travel unacceptably out of their way to get to us. We are a lot better than lots of local coffeeshops or performance venues around New York -- but people go there because our location is kind of off the beaten track. For this reason we will be more successful as a company once we develop some storefronts in higher-traffic locations. Unfortunately we're in an industry that isn't popular among venture capitalists right now: the restaurant business, essentially. This is the best reason to be more of a "media" company, but the current customer base is practically screaming at us to be a restaurant and so we have this paradox we're living out in terms of business development. We MUST be a terrific restaurant because that's how we live right now, but we MUST become a media company because that's where our potential investors are hovering, waiting to see if we suddenly have a killer media concept.
The debt problem unquestionably comes from trying to nurture the media part of the business over the past several years, and yet this is the long-term part of our bet. It's the part of the company that might bring in the money to open other locations.
Vox Pop is schizophrenic that way, and trying to be whole. There seems to be something that is missing from Vox Pop and I think that it can actually be summed up in a single word: Bestseller. We need to publish a bestselling book, or create a bestselling media application. Unfortunately it's a sort of rule of the publishing business. You have to have a star performer product or service and we haven't yet gotten one. If we could land a bestselling book, or create a bestselling media product of some sort -- well -- this would transform the financial landscape for us....
Andy Laties
RE: We MUST be a terrific restaurant because that's how we live right now, but we MUST become a media company because that's where our potential investors are hovering, waiting to see if we suddenly have a killer media concept.
Andy, when I think about our hyper growth this past year, I think what effect has the Megaphone had on that? I wonder if THAT is a way to pitch the company, as a media company, masquerading as a coffeehouse/restaurant. Or is fair trade coffeehouse economics and fair trade itself a kind of statement, a form of media? To scale this up, what if we tried 5 more vox pops, and five more community newspapers, publishing around THAT community, as part of that coffeehouse?
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