Good Work

Tell us about the team at Good Work. How big is it? What’s it like? Who does what?

Garrett Winder: We’ll be nine people in November. We have seven full-time developers plus me and our Project Manager, Ariel. I handle operations and sales, and Ariel is one hundred percent project management and client communications. Our team is mostly remote, but we have an office in Dallas that three of us work out of fairly regularly. We have people in DC, North Carolina, England, France—all over the place.

How did you hear about the Louder Than Ten Apprenticeship? What drew you to it and what convinced you to sign up?

GW: I met Rachel and Travis at conferences and knew they were doing this apprenticeship. Right after Ariel started working with us, I saw something pop up on Twitter that reminded me about the program. So I dug into it, learned more about the curriculum, and got on a call with Rachel. We worked it out pretty quickly.

Ariel Kidwell: When I was hired, I had about a year of project management experience, but it had been about four years since I held that role in an agency. This apprenticeship was enticing because I felt like I could take this foundation I already had and grow it exponentially. It was such a lovely and unique opportunity to start a new job and this class at the same time. The timing was perfect. I was new, the position was new, and this program allowed us to create and inform my position so it would be exactly what our team needed.

You both completed the apprenticeship. What was behind the decision to go through the program together?

GW: We’re a very small team and work together closely. Ariel owns project management and client communication but we still work through things as a team. Doing this together enabled us to make sure we’re always on the same page when approaching projects and clients. Operations, sales, project management and client communication shouldn’t be siloed from one another. Going through the program together gave us a shared foundation for all of the work we do. It was definitely a smart decision—we’re now incorporating ongoing education and learning into everything we do.

How would you describe the Good Work team and the way you work together? How has that changed since taking the apprenticeship?

AK: Our team has a really unique bond—especially considering how remote we are. On a personal level, we get along and communicate well, and on a professional level, we all have the same drive and value work-life balance. There’s an incredible level of trust and loyalty to each other. When it comes to the important stuff, we’re just all on the same page. The strength of our relationships also shows up in our process and, since taking the program, our team has only gotten better. I now have the confidence to navigate client relationships on my own which allows me to set fair boundaries and manage expectations in ways that work for both our team and our clients. Our whole team is better for it.

GW: We are oddly on the exact same page for pretty much every piece of the business. People understand my motives when it comes to sales and operations, and people understand Ariel’s approach to client relationships. We all understand and appreciate each others’ roles and approaches, and that enables us to work together really well. Since taking the apprenticeship, the way we actually work with clients and manage a project from start to finish has become even tighter, smarter and more productive. The entire team is now clear on exactly why we need to do things in a certain way and what our shared goals are. The benefits weren’t limited to myself and Ariel. They spread through the entire team.

What else has changed about the way you do business? Have you seen any impact elsewhere—in terms of operations or sales?

GW: Taking the program has definitely made our clients happier. I don’t have a really good explanation other than the fact that we ship things on time, fewer things go over budget, and our Google reviews are all five stars. We don’t have any mad clients anymore. People are generally much happier with us and referrals are way up because of that. The bottom line is profitability and the apprenticeship was a big part of improving our numbers. We’re just five years old and still growing, but I think this program came at exactly the right time. We have always had trouble doing any better than a few pennies on the dollar. But this year our numbers are way up. We’re hitting a minimum of 23% profit on our projects after taking the Apprenticeship and that number’s going up. We’ve seen revenue and work completion become strong and consistent on a month-to-month basis. Everything has smoothed out and improved. Not just our projects.