The Finishing Touch

Blinds for Clunkers, Everyone’s Doing It

Last year, in an effort to encourage people to donate blinds or recycle their old blinds, we started Blinds for Clunkers. Blinds for Clunkers was a simple idea borne from a similar, government-approved program you might remember called Cash for Clunkers. How successful Cash for Clunkers was is up for debate, but I can tell you that Blinds for Clunkers has been incredible thus far.

Anyone in the market for new blinds is a candidate; all they have to do is donate or recycle their old blinds to receive 10% off their next order. But there’s a catch: they have to prove they did it by submitting a photo or a receipt of donation. I thought I’d share with you some of the awesome photos we’ve received from customers.

Whether or not you need new blinds, donating them to an organization like Habitat for Humanity, or recycling them (here’s an entire post on how to recycle blinds) is the right thing to do. And as always, if you have questions, send them my way.

 

 

 

 

Blinds.com Corporate Culture and Why This is a Weird, Wonderful Place to Work

Are you forced to wear pieces of flair at work? Do people make you talk about it? This is not the way to create corporate culture.

Corporate culture is certainly getting a lot of buzz these days, and it's critical to your organization’s success. Sure, it’s nice to be talked about, and having a unique work environment makes for great word-of-mouth (eg, Zappos, Facebook). But that’s not really what makes cool office spaces so instrumental in creating culture. A workplace that reflects the attitudes and ideas of the company collectively makes for happy, energetic, proactive employees.

Many months ago, we decided to start looking for new office space. For several years, we were operating out of two different offices, which made it very difficult for us to get to know each other. Some team members had spoken on the phone over several years, and had never met in person. Each office had its own culture. When we came together for company events, there was a noticeable divide between who worked at which office. It was frustrating at times.

Cut to now. We’re finally under one roof, working together, collaborating and sharing ideas in what we’ve dubbed The Blinds.Complex. Several things have happened to increase people’s outlook and productivity:

1. Everyone had a hand in decorating the space. First, we brought in well-known space planner Scott Strasser, who helped us lay out the area, choose color and give the space personality. Then, every department was allowed to decorate as they saw fit. Customer service chose a superhero theme because they are always coming to customers’ rescues. Sales chose music, because customers’ voices are “music to their ears.” 
   
2. There is a general lift in mood due to everyone’s communal efforts. We are a small business, of about 75 employees, and rely on each other for small things from keeping the kitchen clean, to helping out with an order someone else doesn’t have time for. The entire team has really come together in this new office.
3. CEO Jay promotes a culture of transparency. Now that everyone is together and he has the ability to speak to every employee on a daily basis, that need for transparency has virally spread. It is contagious; it starts from the top.
4. We are a dotcom company. Our new office reflects that. Though there are few of us in Houston, TX, we take pride in being the largest dotcom in the city. One of our conference rooms, nicknamed “The Alley,” is filled with beanbags instead of chairs, and our IT department has a Flux Capacitor of Back to the Future fame hanging on the wall. These are just two of the many small touches that make our office distinctive.

Let’s be clear. Culture does not come from Flux Capacitors and bean bags. Culture is derived from a community that values transparency and the opinions of the entire team. If you work in a law firm, maybe some of these eccentric touches aren’t for you. It’s time to find out what IS you, and implement those things. They might seem like no big deal, but they’re the things that foster imagination and curiosity. And no matter what your profession, imagination and curiosity should be valued at the highest level.

Customer Service Representative Sarah Batalla had this to say about The Blinds.Complex:

“The new office is amazing it is so much more than I expected!  There is a sense of pride that is now present in everyone.  It’s as though the entire company has been reanimated.”

When establishing and building your own culture, remember to focus on what works for you and helps your employees be their most productive. You’ll have a better, stronger team.

 

What's unique about YOUR corporate culture that makes employees excited to come into the office every day? Share them with us!