The Right Ingredients

PB+J: It Isn't Just for Lunch Anymore

You think of PB+J, and you think of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, right? Well, for us at LaBov and Beyond, PB+J stands for more than just that. It stands for a way to do business. It stands for a state of mind.

For us, PB+J in business stands for Passion, Bravery and Joy. It's a mantra, a direction, a guideline and a litmus test. And, it can work for all businesses. Try it out.

Here’s what PB+J means to us, and could mean to you: Too often in business, you can have enthusiasm and a great idea (passion) but don't have the courage (bravery) to stand up for it. In the end, you get nothing.

Other times, you can have guts (bravery) but don't have anything unique, exciting or inspiring (passion) to show to the customer. Again, you probably don't succeed.

Sometimes, you can just take orders—no passion or bravery there. And no reason for the customer to be thrilled with you, either.

But, when you have the passion—those great ideas, the infectious enthusiasm coupled with the bravery to express that passion in whatever way necessary to get it to resonate with your customer—you can achieve magic.

And it’s that magic that is the "J" in this equation. It’s the joy that you get when you help that client, when your project moves mountains, and when your customer can't dream about working with anyone but you. That's true joy. Your customer-facing people will view joy as customer retention; the designers, engineers and creative people will recognize joy as the brilliant idea that became reality; and your accountants will look at joy as profit and financial security for your company.

That’s what PB+J means to us. It may not be something you can achieve all day every day. But, the more often we strive for it, the better we perform and the more fun and results we achieve. PB+J—feel free to spread it around.

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