Mosquito Joe is entering its fourth year of franchising, and while much of our focus is spent on our franchisees and their success, we can’t forget about the amazing Corporate team in Virginia Beach that makes it all possible. As of this post, our team has grown to include 20 people with responsibilities ranging from franchise sales and finance to marketing and operations. Our growth is indicative of not only a successful business model where a strong level of support is a priority, but also a fulfilling work environment for team members.
Our leadership team recognizes that change and growth go hand-in-hand. As we continue to add members to our team, we’ve made efforts to improve our Corporate environment to make sure that everyone is informed and happy in their day-to-day jobs. It all stems from our CEO Kevin Wilson:
“Years ago, management pundits were discussing the importance of taking care of your customers and some went on to say that nothing is more important in business. But who are the people taking care of your customers? Obviously its your employees, team members, colleagues. So it would seem logical that if you hired the right people and treated them well so they felt highly valued, enjoyed coming to work everyday, and felt challenged and rewarded in their jobs, they would want to excel at the most important part of their role – taking care of your customers. So really the most important thing in business is taking care of your employees. That’s what we try to do everyday at Mosquito Joe – listen closely to what is important to employees and work on improving on these things.”
Here are some of the ways we’re working to ensure that Mosquito Joe remains successful as a business and one of the best franchises to work for year after year. Feel free to use these ideas to improve your own corporate setting and make 2016 the funnest year yet!
Sanity Control Committee
In late 2015, the Sanity Control Committee (SCC) was created to get the ball rolling on some great ideas that could help generate enthusiasm, fun, and productivity around the office. Comprised of three Joes from various departments and our CEO, the SCC meets about once a month to brainstorm and organize their latest plans. Anyone on the team can make suggestions of course, but the SCC is designed to keep the good times rolling even when things get extremely busy around the office.
Lunch and Learns
Lunch and Learns are a monthly event at Mosquito Joe Corporate, giving us a chance to get together for a meal and learn about something new. Sometimes the topics are related to franchising, sometimes they’re not. We bring in speakers and experts whenever possible and try to make it an interactive and fun experience for everyone! So far, we’ve had sessions on personal finance from a local financial consultant, an in-depth look at the history of the franchise industry from our very own VP of Franchise Development, and a session on health and wellness from a local personal trainer. Each session has led to great discussions, ideas, lessons and laughs, and we look forward to next month’s Lunch and Learn on public speaking!
Taking Care of Buzz-ness Meetings
As our numbers continue to climb and we bring more people on board to handle Corporate responsibilities, it’s easy for people to lose track of where things stand and what each department is working on at any point in time. The Taking Care of Buzz-ness meetings are monthly gatherings of the entire Corporate staff that last about 30 minutes and give each member of the leadership team a chance to talk about their department’s accomplishments that month and goals for the coming month. These meetings allow employees to ask questions and understand each group’s responsibilities in the larger scheme of the company. It also holds each department accountable to set, meet and exceed monthly goals.
Out-of-Office Activities
It’s not all work and no play though! Our most frequent activities include happy hours and cookouts to celebrate staff birthdays, special occasions, and company accomplishments. Our more unique excursions include local baseball games, going to the driving range, and even taking our chances at the adventure park ropes course nearby. Arguably the company favorite, the Mosquito Joe holiday party gives everyone a chance to bring family and friends together for some good food and company.
All of these meetings and activities provide the Mosquito Joe staff with a well-balanced Corporate environment that makes work fun and productive. Kevin Wilson said, “All of these things lead to happy employees, which hopefully lead to higher employee retention, and combined, leads to happy customers.”
