If you looked at us on paper, you’d probably wonder if we should be business owners. Don't get us wrong. We like what we do and we love our business, but we didn’t necessarily picture this as something we’d end up doing. On one hand, we have a lot of family members who are business owners and we’ve learned a ton from them. We grew up entrepreneurial. We grew up with responsibility and having to take responsibility for our lives.
But as business owners, we also recognize we don’t necessarily fit into a traditional mold.
We’re family.
That has its advantages, and some families can make it work really well. Like Wahlburgers. It seems like those guys work well together. And we certainly have a good thing going with how we work together, how we’ve divided responsibilities and how we manage our time. We're just not selling tater tots with our product. But working with family can also be difficult. We’re brothers. Sometimes one of us is annoying. Sometimes the other one tells us. It can lead to tension at the dinner table or at Christmas. Sometimes it’s easy to bring baggage into business, and being family certainly makes that happen. And while working with family can be a little bit dramatic some times, we also like the accountability of having to answer to each other. We have to look out for each other. If we don’t, we have to answer for it for the rest of our lives.
We’re young.
Now we know on one hand that being young doesn’t make us stupid any more than being old makes someone smart. We also know that being inexperienced isn’t a guarantee for absolute failure any more than being experienced is a guarantee for total success. Success isn’t measured by our age or our pedigree. It’s not guaranteed to any of us. Success is measured in whether we learn from our mistakes, whether we surround ourselves with wise counsel, and whether we’re willing to work really, really, really hard. If we can do those things, we have a much better chance. And being young gives us the advantage of energy.
We’re unique.
Imagine waking up tomorrow morning and saying these words to your spouse, your friends, or your boss: “I think I’m going to run a business that sells office chair mats.” You’d probably get a bit of a lackluster response. People may say, “Good for you” but internally they’d feel a bit like you were asking them to decide between beige and light tan. But our unique — and maybe even somewhat mundane from the outside — business is quite exciting. Our product is a fundamental and essential part of any office. We’re in federal buildings and start ups. We’re helping good people do good work in essential industries and unique business ventures. Our business is here to help businesses of all sizes do good work. Our mission is to help companies live by a standard of excellence that is uncompromising. Our chair mats are the best. But they are also just what makes it possible for us to partner with business owners as they build what matters to them.
In our minds, all the things that some say is going against us is exactly what we have going for us. We’re committed to helping each other succeed and helping others succeed. We’re energetic and creative, and we care about an unflinching commitment to quality and success.