Thinking Differently About Clam Chowder

By Mary Matton on June 6, 2019

It all started one night in a dark, fishy-smelling restaurant over a bowl of clam chowder. From my first meeting with my potential new boss and CEO of the company, Greg, it was clear I had found a like-minded Kimosabe. I’m someone that likes doing things differently. Whether it be the fashion trends I begin, the booze I get a crooked eye from the bartender for ordering, or my approach to coaching sales teams – I have always believed if you are doing it like everyone else you must be doing it wrong. Equally, I also pride myself on being the type of person who can actually get in the mud and move s*** forward (this obviously excludes hanging picture frames at home). What I came to find out over that delicious bowl of bivalve mollusks, was that not only had I found a like-minded compadre, but he was building a company that encompassed the mix of my core beliefs of finding creative new ways of getting s*** done while also doing good by other people. I was pumped about it. But, then I thought, how does that actually work in practice?

I was pumped about it. But, then I thought, how does that actually work in practice? 

At Alyce we often talk about our four core values of giving first and consistently, being crafty, seizing the moment, and unlocking the possibilities. What that all really boils down to is – try to find creative ways to get things done with a proclivity towards speed over perfection, but always keep the people impacted in what you are doing in mind.

It’s easy to say be crafty and resourceful, but what we are really looking for is people who innately embody our core values and figure out how to get maximum impact from everything they do. For example, I can’t give away all her secrets, but Nina Butler, our most amazing marketing director has managed to get either heavily discounted or essentially free booths at multiple conferences by making creative deals supporting the events own swag objectives. For anyone that pays for trade shows, you realize how expensive these can be otherwise. Of course, it’s immensely valuable for Alyce but is actually hugely appreciated by the show hosts as well, as their own swag is often the case of the cobbler’s shoes.

Another awesome example is when it came time to redesign one of our gift invitations. Our operations rockstar, Kelly Salmon, came up with the amazing idea to wrap the boxes in artwork from two local non-profits; ArtLifting and Artists For Humanity. If that weren’t crafty enough, she then took it to another level by adding a hook to the inside of the lid so it actually becomes a piece of artwork to hang. In this scenario, you have a box that is impacting and driving value for at least four separate parties. You have the person sending the invitation who gets a chance to connect with someone who’s time they really value; you have the person receiving the gift invitation that gets to enjoy the artwork as well as the option to select a personalized gift or donate it to a worthy cause; you have the under resources artist who is getting paid for their original piece of artwork; and finally you have the Alyce team who gets the ultimate satisfaction of connecting all the dots.

That is just a few random examples, but you get the point. At the heart of everything we do, we try to ask ourselves one question, “Is there anything new or interesting about the way we are approaching this and are we helping others by doing it?” If the answer is not really, we know we need to push harder.

At the heart of everything we do, we try to ask ourselves one question, “Is there anything new or interesting about the way we are approaching this and are we helping others by doing it?” If the answer is not really, we know we need to push harder. 

Towards the end of that first dinner I had with Greg, I said to the waiter, “This is some of the most amazing clam chowder I’ve ever had in my entire life. It’s so different. You have to tell me how you make it so good?” He looked at me with a straight face and said, “I’m so glad you liked it, but my apologies sir, I thought you said you wanted the lobster bisque.”