An Owner’s Manual:
The Guide for Building a Great Company*

We're here to make you better. And you to make us better.

Our mission is quite elegantly to: Make things better.

From the little to the big stuff, make things better by making better things.

That's why measuring daily progress is more important than striving for big wins at inLink.

And the reason why constructive criticism is encouraged.

Because aren't we all searching for the truth?

By encouraging an objective review of all things, we make sure the best ideas win.

Transparency and truthful communication are essential to allow the best thinking to prevail.

It's also a fantastic tool for high-performing people who want to know where, how, and what can be improved.

Consequently, with this kind of frankness, our company culture isn't for the timid but an accelerator for those seeking honest, well-constructed feedback on their performance.

Yes, inLink is a bit different from a traditional company.

Different means we optimize for quality of life and self-improvement before profit maximization.

It also means employees come first. Because happy employees make happy customers, and passionate colleagues bring passionate customers.

After all, it's the people and their abilities that make a difference.

It's a simple concept for how to build a company that lasts.

And it helps us to:

1: Run a profitable business to fund a comfortable lifestyle.

2: Attract brilliant minds and become the workplace of choice.

3: Provide valuable benefits and create an environment where people feel safe and trust each other.

It would be best if you never compromise on honesty.

Not being honest requires you to do unnecessary future-planning or past-regretting. It's certainly not a pleasant state in which to find yourself.

No one said life was going to be easy. Sometimes the world falls apart.

C'est la vie.

But blaming someone else is not going to make it better. And it's very unproductive. And not helpful at all. Unstuck yourself and refuse to be a victim of circumstance.

The fact is that these are often opportunities where you can learn the most.

You initiate the process of learning and are in control by taking ownership.

Ain't that better than the blame game?

Our human nature is to disregard information that could cause us any cognitive dissonance.

To avoid upsetting the status quo, we try to rationalize or refute new facts.

That's resisting growth and feeling threatened by new information, which makes us intentionally or unintentionally filter out evidence that may collide with our current opinions and biases.

None of us fully understand the world we live in, and while we must have a strong belief in our convictions to take bold actions, we must also be willing to adapt and change if we want to grow.

There's a big difference between the people who have a fixed mindset and those with a growth mindset.

A growth mindset starts with the belief that anyone can be good at anything since you develop abilities with effort. You learn with a childlike curiosity and understand potential is nurtured, not predetermined.

In a fixed mindset, you believe talents are innate gifts. You either have it, or you don't. And you're afraid of receiving criticism.

But with a growth mindset, you welcome it because you always seek feedback. It's all about getting better.

With a fixed mindset, it's all about the outcome. If you fail, you think your effort was a waste.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Because failure always happens along the way to mastery.

And great work comes from expertise and experience, which you can only attain by doing the work. You gain skills with practice.

Do you see how harmful a fixed mindset is?

We're all imperfect creatures with a never-ending list of flaws.

What a wonderful thing because you look at your flaws as things to improve with a growth mindset.

The best part? I'm telling you this based on Carol Dweck's research and her book Mindset.

Your work will be a big part of your life, and the only way to enjoy it is to love what you do.

If you don't love what you do, you'll be miserable and ship sub-optimal work.

But when you love what you do…

You'll do what you believe is great work.

You'll make mama proud.

You want to improve.

Which ties back to: Make things better.

We're all glad you love this job because we all do too, but at the end of the day, it's a job.

Do your best work, collaborate with your team, learn new stuff, play with your kids, cuddle with your dog, and read that book.

Life is more than our screens.