9y
Thank you for your review, and I agree that one potential downside to a strong focus on culture is the risk that the organization can tend to drift towards a belief that the culture itself is the product of the company, which is of course not correct.
If we do not provide a long-term sustainable product that our customers will buy at a reasonable and fair price for them, and reasonable profit for us, then we are doomed to fail. A strong culture must ALWAYS be underpinned by a competitive, compelling value proposition, with economics that are long term fair and sustainable to both the producer and consumer. We are, after all, a business, with investors and financial goals, and a responsibility to see that our investors (both investors who have put financial capital at risk, and team member investors who have put their time and energy at risk) earn a fair return on their investment. This can be hard to recognize, and we, as a leadership team, and as a company, need to stare this issue in the face on a regular basis. I cannot tell you that we collectively do a good job of managing this at all times. I can tell you that we, as a leadership team, do recognize the above, and discuss to determine whether course corrections must be made.
I think we certainly agree that we all would want to do what is in the best interests of creating a company that is long-term sustainable. We will continue to iterate on this together, and I share your confidence that we as a group of fellow owners share the same desire on this point.
Thank you!
