We talk a lot about what it takes to build a great company… which makes sense, considering that the primary goal of our flagship product, SalesScreen, is to help build great organizations all around the world by making everyday tasks fun, engaging, exciting and rewarding. But more importantly, we live what we preach. We’ve managed to build a company full of highly motivated employees who truly love what we do and are committed to the company’s mission and vision.
We believe that great culture is the key to driving great performance and that recognition and celebrations build great culture. So, what better way to celebrate a brilliant first half of the year than by bringing everyone from Dogu together for a weekend of reviews, highlights, and… fun!
Day 1 will consist of lots of workshops, year-in-review, planning, and roadmaps for moving forward. In the evening, there will be a group dinner, drinks and “know your company” quizzes at the hotel bar.
Day 2 is “Beach Olympics” consisting of:
- Team building time
- Company quizzes
- Product development
- Dodgeball/Rugby/Relays/running events
- Followed in the evening by drinks at the pool, “confessional” quiz answers and dinner at a nice restaurant.
Day 3 we’ll discuss computer networking security, 2-factor-authentification procedures, securing SalesScreen accounts and other tech details. Afterwards, we’ll sail on a catamaran from Olympic Port, followed by pool party, tapas restaurant and dancing.
Day 4 we have a “know your company” recap, final Q&A on roadmap and security, then tour the city, say goodbye, pack up and return home.
So, why would a small company, a bootstrapped company no less, decide to take on such an expedition? Well, the answer is quite easy really:
- We value our time together and want to unite everyone from our various office locations.
- We want to celebrate our successes together.
- It’s a great way for everyone to meet our newest employees: Tapi, Kathrine and Caroline
- Perhaps most importantly, it’s been a goal since the founding of the company that once we reached enough revenue, we would all take a company retreat together.
Sure, there are other things we could do with the money such as divide it and give it as a bonus or invest it in something else, but the truth is that after much careful thought and deliberation, we feel that the most important thing to invest in… is our PEOPLE!
Without getting all mushy, people are the backbone of everything that we have been able to achieve as a small company. From our brilliant developers to our incredibly talented graphic designer, and from our friendly and knowledgeable sales team all the way up to the CEO. Everyone here plays a vital role in the growth and success of this company and it’s so much more than just a 9–5 job. We are truly invested in everything we do.
So, with as much as we talk about the importance of building great company culture, setting clearly defined objectives and then celebrating when goals are reached, this trip is partial proof that we practice what we preach.
Dogu is more than a company… we’re a family. Our internal vision is Dogu shall strive to be excellent and offer the best working environment possible while creating great stories for generations to come. How many companies can say they share a similar vision?
