Values.
What we believe in.
We waffled back and forth on whether or not to make this page public, but we wanted to be held accountable to our values by our employees, peers, and partners. What better way to do that than in the light of day.
So, here it goes.
Be intellectually honest
Whether answering our own questions or the questions of others, working through problems or weighing ideas, we seek the truth no matter where or who it comes from, and we seek to follow it wherever it leads. We expect intellectual honesty from each other no matter the consequences.
Be transparent and kind
Transparency gets us between point A and point B faster than anything else. We value transparency in our communication and feedback with each other and give each other the elbow room to be transparent. Transparency is paired with kindness because, well, they go together. Being transparent and unkind is hurtful. Being kind yet opaque is misleading. We strive to be both transparent and kind.
Win together
Winning alone is shortsighted and unfun. From our employees first and foremost, to our industry partners, university partnerships, and students, we find ways to win together or not at all.
Make progress
Our measure of health is progress. Have our revenues grown? Has our client base grown? Are we serving more students this quarter than last? Progress forces us to think, stretch, and get uncomfortable. And it thwarts organizational laziness and atrophy.
Have fun
Our work is often tough, often monotonous, often taxing, but we choose to have fun and look to surround ourselves with teammates who enjoy the ride, even if (and even especially when) it’s bumpy. Seven simple words from Walt Whitman perhaps say it best: “Do anything, but let it produce joy.”
Have courage
At the end of the day, we are entrepreneurs. We didn’t inherit this business from our gramps. We’re not a hundred years old. This all started with one store 25 years ago, and just enough young idiocy to not look back. The course materials landscape changes often and our understanding of student behavior deepens. We see more that can be done. We’re not foolishly courageous. But we make choices that take courage, knowing that without it, there would be no progress and all would be lost.
