How Do You Define Success?
Success can be a tricky word to define in a business sense. Many would consider financial security, increased income, or steady revenue to be markers for success, and they would be right. However, something key that may be missing is the human aspect—the cultural aspect.
As believers and practitioners of the Value Acceleration Methodology™, Exit Planning Institute® (EPI) recognizes the importance of the “4Cs” or the Four Intangible Capitals. The Four Intangible Capitals tell us that a business becomes not just successful but significant when it excels in having strong Human, Structural, Customer, and Social capital. Social Capital tells us that a strong business culture blends the strengths of the Human, Structural, and Customer Capital for a best-in-class company. A significant Social Capital cannot exist without the other Intangible Capitals and is vitally important, according to EPI CEO Christopher Snider in his book, Walking to Destiny: 11 Actions an Owner Must Take to Rapidly Grow Value & Unlock Wealth.
“Success requires social intelligence, not just cognitive abilities,” Chris writes. “It is primarily driven by proven leadership from the top, from the owner, and requires inspirational purpose, alignment, accountability, and high social EQ [emotional intelligence].”
EPI recognizes its winning culture each year by recognizing both an employee of the year and a rookie of the year—two individuals who embody not only the best-in-class nature of EPI but also champion its core values. In 2024, EPI’s Employee of the Year was Fulfillment Manager Drew English, and its Rookie of the Year was Graphic Design Lead Alex Lucas. These two go the extra mile to position EPI for success and significance.
A Winning Culture
A winning culture is driven by purposeful growth—coincidentally, a core value at EPI. According to 2024 EPI Employee of the Year Drew English, to align on this growth, a group needs a sense of openness and honesty.
“For me, a winning culture is defined as a mindset and having a consistent purpose that everyone is aware of through transparent communication and setting clear expectations,” Drew says. “For a winning culture to be defined, everyone must relentlessly improve and build trust with each other. It creates an environment where people are motivated and aligned to succeed together. Here at EPI, we follow those beliefs, and everyone is aligned with the goals and values of the company. We have strong leadership in every department, and we strive to improve every single day. Being willing to hold people accountable with high standards, to being able to celebrate the big wins and small victories to continue to build momentum, this is how winning is done.”
EPI 2024 Rookie of the Year Alex Lucas agreed, emphasizing the importance of communication and collaboration.
“I think a winning culture starts with open and transparent communication, and EPI demonstrates that every day. I’ve worked at a handful of other places, but nothing compares to EPI. Everyone, from leadership to new employees, is aligned in wanting the best for each other and the company,” Alex said. “I believe that comes down to open communication from everyone. It creates a workplace where collaboration is encouraged, ideas are valued, and growth is both necessary and wanted. It’s a place where people truly support one another, and that makes all the difference. Communication plays a huge role in that; it makes having the difficult discussions easier and everyday conversations more enjoyable. You actually want to chat, share ideas, and evolve them.”
Purpose and Deliberate Execution
Maintaining those best-in-class 4Cs is key to creating a winning culture, and that begins at the practice’s core values. Whether you are a five-person company or a 500-person company, knowing your core values is essential to creating strong capitals. These core values can be five or six elements that are important not just to you but also to your partners and the people you work with.
This means not just deciding on things that are important to you but also collaborating with employees and partners to pin down what matters to everyone. These core values inform how the company operates, how people communicate, and what everyone believes in. You may have a different approach in thought, but the common belief in the company’s core values ensures alignment and respect. According to EPI President Scott Snider in the “Five Things Every Business Owner Must Know About Exit Planning” whitepaper:
“Culture is the heartbeat of the organization,” Scott emphasized. “Culture is what pulls people together and draws them to the organization as an employee or a customer.”
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