One of the lessons I've learned in business is that clarity is a gift.

Not everybody sees it that way.

Many companies spend enormous amounts of energy trying to appeal to everyone.

Everyone.

Every client.

Every employee.

Every applicant.

Every personality.

Every opinion.

Every preference.

The problem is that eventually you discover something important:

You can't be everything to everybody.

Trying to do so is often an exercise in frustration.

It may even be delusional.

The Last Few Days

Over the last few days, I've published several faith-related articles on the Two Marines Moving website.

For some people, that might seem unusual.

I've actually been relatively quiet about my faith for much of my adult life.

Perhaps even too quiet.

As I shared in a recent article, faith has been part of my life for a long time.

I grew up in church.

I spent summers at Mid-South Youth Camp.

I tried to follow my faith through childhood, the Marine Corps, Iraq, college, entrepreneurship, and adulthood.

Sometimes I did that better than others.

The faith isn't new.

What's new is being a little more open about it.

The Hobby Lobby Moment

Recently, I learned that many people associate Hobby Lobby with instrumental Christian music playing quietly in the background of their stores.

I thought that was interesting.

Not because they're trying to turn a craft store into a church service.

Not because they're trying to force anything on anyone.

But because the environment reflects something about the people who built the company.

That resonated with me.

A Marine From Memphis

To be clear, I'm not trying to become Ned Flanders.

Good for Ned.

That's just not my personality.

I'm a Marine infantry veteran.

I grew up in Memphis.

I have a wide range of interests and an equally wide range of music tastes.

On any given day, you might find me listening to leadership content, country music, classic rock, patriotic music, instrumental worship music, or something completely different.

Instrumental Christian music isn't the only music that may be played in our office.

It's simply one of the genres that has earned a seat at the table.

Just like it has a seat in my life.

What Culture Really Means

Culture isn't a mission statement on a wall.

Culture is what people experience.

Culture is what gets discussed.

Culture is what gets rewarded.

Culture is what people hear, see, and feel.

Over time, every founder faces a choice.

You can hide who you are.

Or you can allow your organization to honestly reflect your values.

I increasingly prefer the second approach.

Screening In and Screening Out

One of the mistakes many organizations make is believing that they should appeal to everyone.

I don't think that's realistic.

The right people are attracted to clarity.

The wrong people are usually repelled by clarity.

And that's okay.

If someone appreciates a culture built around accountability, responsibility, professionalism, service, leadership, faith, and opportunity, they may feel right at home at Two Marines Moving.

Someone looking for a completely different environment may not.

Neither person is necessarily wrong.

They're simply looking for different things.

The purpose of culture isn't to attract everybody.

The purpose of culture is to attract the right people.

The Real Goal

The goal is not exclusion.

The goal is honesty.

For years, parts of my story were less visible than they are today.

The Marine Corps was visible.

The business was visible.

The entrepreneurship was visible.

The faith was often less visible.

That is changing.

Not because I became someone different.

Because I'm becoming more comfortable being open about who I've been all along.

Final Thoughts

Every company reflects its leadership.

Whether the leaders realize it or not.

The question isn't whether values influence the culture.

The question is whether those values are visible.

At Two Marines Moving, we're becoming more comfortable being clear about ours.

Not because we're trying to be everything to everybody.

Because we're not.

Nobody is.

The goal is something much simpler:

To build a company that knows who it is.

And to be honest about it.

Semper Fidelis,
Nicholas Edmond Baucom
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Two Marines Moving

Marine Combat Veteran Founded & Owned Since 2008. Faith-Based. Veteran-Led. Industry Leading Pay. Moving Done Right. Join the Mission.