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Working for Fawn Weaver isn’t your typical 9 to 5. The founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey operates her business like a family. Think: not just one-on-ones or status meetings, but 24/7 support for employees. So how did she build a company like that? She sought out people who had similar values and fit with her leadership style. And she spent a lot of time on the hiring process.
On A Family vs. Team Environment
Fawn: A team environment cares about working together toward a certain goal. A family environment means we care about you even when you're not working. We care about you even when you're not going toward a particular goal. We literally just care about you because we care about you.
On Her Interview Process
Fawn: They must come in person and I must share a meal with them. And at some point in that meal, I'm going to ask them for something on their plate and go, “Can I taste that?” And if…they look shocked, I'm like, “Oh, they don't know a family like our family.” I mean, they could be the most talented person in the world, but I look for a culture fit first because I can teach the rest.
On When Someone Isn’t a Fit
Fawn: The situations where I've realized it's not a good fit, I've gone to them and said, “This isn't a good fit. This doesn't work, but this is what I believe your strengths and your gifts to be. And I will 100% support you looking for another job.” So I'll give you a good example. One of the women in our company, who I think is phenomenal…she just wasn't a good culture fit for us.
And I was really honest with her and said, “You will not grow in my company. You're not a good fit. but I think you're a good fit somewhere. And so you use me as a reference on any interview that you do that you believe will be a good fit and you are going to have a home here until you find that right fit.” She was looking for a job for a full year before she found the right fit for her and had my support every step of the way.