The beginning of Jackrabbit Technologies is a unique one. A gymnast with a love for software (Mark Mahoney) and a developer who understood the need for the software (Mike Carper) started the program in 2004, working at night from their homes. They collaborated and built the leader of cloud-based class management software systems to date – helping business owners of youth activity centers to run their business all over the world.
As the software went live and business started to rise, the more hands-on-deck and brought on some local stay-at-home moms who were interested in part-time work. The thought of commuting was something no one was interested in – I mean, do you blame them?
Yea, me either! And how does that saying go? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
But in all seriousness, it worked out beautifully even as Jackrabbit Technologies went from 2 cofounders to 84 employees.
Why is culture so important to a virtual company?
When I tell people that I work from home, I always hear “wow…you are so lucky”. And that, I am! However, being a completely virtual company isn’t without its own challenges.
Mark and Mike as co-founders have never taken this lightly. With culture being the golden standard here at Jackrabbit, there is no surprise that working remotely has become a competitive advantage. Mark spoke to this in The Weekly Roundup podcast with Business North Carolina.
Check out the full podcast below!
Now, you might be asking yourself ‘how do they do it?’. Even from day one, Mark and Mike lived and expected core values from anyone that came onboard. They lead by example.
What are core values?
Simply put, core values are beliefs. What do you believe in as a person or an organization, company, program, etc.?
As Jackrabbit Technologies thrived, it was important to establish the core values in a more formal way and implement them as early as the hiring process. We also exemplify the core values with our clients as they are an extension of our bunny family. With something so important as your core values, you need to eat, sleep, and breathe them in all facets of life!
5 Core Values of Jackrabbit Technologies
It takes 100% participation for core values to be successful. Everyone has to be on board for them to work. And here’s what you can count on when interacting with anyone from Jackrabbit Technologies.
1. We Own It
Do we always knock it out of the park? Not every single time, honestly, but we own it. We step back, evaluate, take ownership, and make improvements. By being transparent, we are able to build trust with each other and even more so, with our client base.
2. We Connect With Others
As a virtual company, this one can be tricky. We have employees throughout 12 states and Canada so it is important to make sure we have the opportunity to connect and bond with each other. The entire company gets together to kick off each year and there are other opportunities for those close to the bunny headquarters to get additional facetime at quarterly meetings and outings.
Also as a technology company, we aren’t afraid to connect in other ways. Think: Zoom meetings with webcams, Slack for instant messaging, and all things Google.
But that doesn’t stop with just internal connections. As a company, we make a great effort to stay connected with our clients and supporting organizations and trade shows. From our very active Facebook users group to live training, we love getting to know our clients and sharing in their success and excitement!
3. We Foster a Drama-Free Environment
I think we can all agree that keeping the drama out is the best way to keep all the good feels in. The tone trickles down from the top and our fearless leaders pave the way by living through this one.
4. We Are Courageously Outspoken
Being outspoken can be a little scary at times. It really takes courage to speak out about something that might be against the majority. But oftentimes, great things come from getting out of your comfort zone. Time and place are important but the greater good is always in mind.
5. We Look For The Win-Win
While all the core values are important, this one is my personal favorite. It is what Jackrabbit is all about as a company and for our clients.
You can literally find this core value in every department.
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- Product team listens to our clients’ needs and decides which enhancement to prioritize next
- Education team decides when and where to do training to reach as many clients as they can
- Onboarding team works with new clients through their initial setup period so their uptime is quick and the process is as painless as possible
- Engineering team makes sure that our downtime is almost non-existent because we serve clients all over the world and there is no good time to be down
- Marketing team creates fun and exciting content to motivate users to maximize their use of Jackrabbit and help them efficiently run their business
- Support team is always ready to help any client with any task, no matter how big or small the ask is
- Billing team works tirelessly with clients to help them find the right pricing structure and plan for their businesses month after month
- Human Resources team vets potential applicants that meet our needs in not only skill but also character so that we can continue to provide clients with the Jackrabbit experience they’ve been promised.
Get started with your core values!
As mentioned before, core values are beliefs. What beliefs do you want to be recognized by? When you are ready to establish your core values, you can:
- Hold a brainstorming session fellow stakeholders (think managers, directors, leaders, etc.)
- Pick your top 3-5 beliefs that the group agrees on
- Communicate your core values to your entire team
- Brand them up and publish them on your website and in your facility
- Learn them, love them, live them!
The 5 core values established at Jackrabbit is what sets us apart from not only other software companies but companies in general. Tell us about your core values – formal or not – by commenting below!
