Thanksgiving Virtues That Start-Ups Can Relate To

Halloween has long passed. Now we're amid Thanksgiving, the rip-roaring season of the year. Americans will gather with their families to share a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, pies, and cranberries. Parades and football games will mark the start of the holiday season.

Once again, people will remember their victories and blessings. People will remember and cherish the good things in their lives. The smiles on their faces are my favorite. The gratitude people express for what they have never ceased to amaze me. Quite enriching!

Some view it as a day of emotional reconnection. Others celebrate what they are grateful for. We are, however, a data-driven startup, and gratitude is an integral part of our work. As I express my gratitude today, I am reminded of three virtues taught by Thanksgiving to promote peace: communication, focus, and tradition.

This post might seem odd compared to those that I usually share or even to those that others may write on this occasion. That's because it reflects how I feel about Thanksgiving. This piece is about connecting my startup journey with Thanksgiving virtues. Moreover, I must thank my business-savvy and nurturing mother for instilling these virtues in me. 

Thanking the QueryPie Team (Virtue: Communication)

In centuries past, Plymouth was a melting pot of people brought together by necessity. Banding together might be more important than we realize at the moment. At the time (and still today), the most important thing was to bridge the gap and share as much as possible. It is something that can only be expressed. Respect for one's own and other people's points of view or opinions is inspiring.

As entrepreneurs in a data-driven industry, we rely on people's functions for nearly 80% of our work. Isn't communication a critical component of assembling the right team and getting everyone on the same page? Every day, whether they succeed or fail, startups face challenges. Even though I knew it would not be easy, I didn't back down from the challenge of working with the best in the domain.

I am grateful to everyone on my team. Each of the members has exceptional skills. They believe in me, back me up, and understand my vision. We would not have existed if it hadn't been for my team! Every member of our team embodies our mission daily: to effect positive change. I am humbled and grateful for our associates' efforts on our customers' behalf. Their dedication is nothing short of incredible.

I am grateful for all of my team members who have trusted me to take our company into the center of the spotlight, let me handle the business side on my own, and hear my rants (only sometimes, I promise).

Thanking our customers (Virtue: Focus)

Thanksgiving is synonymous with taking in one's surroundings and focusing on one's activities. As a result, assessing the current state of all the factors affecting businesses is critical.

Our customers are among the best, and working with them is a true honor. We collaborate with some of the most prestigious cloud and IT service providers. They are among the most talented and inspiring people I have ever worked with. Working with them is a fantastic experience. Truly amazing.

We take our responsibility to our customers very seriously. Whether it's streamlining, strengthening, or securing data assets, or simplifying data workflow, I'm grateful to our customers for putting their faith in us and trusting our capabilities. I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for their advice, suggestions, and feedback. These qualities motivate us to evaluate and improve ourselves. I have seen first-hand that building up a startup and tackling things can be overwhelming. Speed is essential, but quality takes precedence. 

We took this picture a little over a month ago during our leaders' retreat. It is a snapshot following our three months of intensive meetings with our investors, for whom we are grateful. Our investors believed in us, trusted us, and assured us that we would work together toward our shared goal. Their support has helped us get closer to our goals. Suppose you're wondering who the members of our incredible cast are, from left to right, it's Brant, the youngest of the bunch but the one who leads us all as the head honcho, with our human Wikipedia trailing behind him, Woo, and in front of him, who is always happy but no one knows why, Benjamin, followed by the quietest, friendliest, and kindest person on the planet, Keis, and next to him, the oldest guy in the group with a fancy title but who acts more like an intern, Moi!, and finally our safety net who protects us all from any mess, our beloved, Paul. 

As a result, narrowing the focus to take things one at a time, gradually building up, and doing the work well increases the likelihood of success. Cliché as it may be, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Celebration (Virtue: Tradition)

Growing up in a family with a tradition can be so deeply ingrained that anything different can be upsetting. I can attest from personal experience that the consequences of things going wrong, not going as planned, or being delayed can be challenging to deal with. Everything becomes disorganized. Burnouts are the result of insanity. To gain traction, startups require grit and more.

It is more challenging to stay motivated when your victories are not recognized. We value our employees the most, and a happy workforce makes everyone happy. Isn't it critical to keep our organization's pillars motivated?

Tolerance and being nonjudgmental about others go hand in hand with learning and following tradition, in my opinion. And when I say tradition, I mean recognizing and celebrating small victories. Yes! It is necessary to be ecstatic and to rejoice in small victories. Companies that thrive and grow have employees who are engaged in their jobs.

Looking back at this picture (which is a clip from a video) taken right at the start of Covid-19, we had no idea to what extent it would last, and looking back at the things we accomplished during those difficult times makes me smile. Our joint efforts will indeed yield great results!

To finish...

There is no doubt that our work is demanding and that our lifestyle is demanding. We are sometimes separated from our families for weeks at a time. Going home around Thanksgiving is a beautiful reminder of how grateful we are for our families' support.

Gratitude and thankfulness are desperately needed in the world right now, and I am grateful that I can help spread appreciation. I value your time and interest in my writing, and I hope this piece also inspires you.

This Thanksgiving, perhaps you'll be thinking about the culinary delights. However, I will gorge myself on my Thanksgiving dinner while contemplating how organizations are changing their data management practices and how modern data governance can better manage their data assets.

I wish you and your family a joyous, safe, and Blessed Thanksgiving!