The Stove Shop’s Mission Since 1977:
“To help our customers stay warm & save money.”
Our core values provide clarity in our goal. They provide guidance in the cold of the winter and the heat of the summer.
1) Serve with grace, generosity, & grit.
Grace: We offer grace by giving the benefit of the doubt. Think about how you would like to be treated. Grace is not judgmental. Grace is curious.
Generosity: Generosity comes from our heritage. We are a family business with a meaningful mission, to help our customers stay warm and save money by heating where folks live. We are committed to doing this for another 50 years.
Grit: Grit is in the tenacity to overcome resistance and do things the right way without bowing to mediocrity. We love doing great work because we are installing fire in our neighbor’s homes. We care about our community and take pride in top notch training, installation and service.
2) Prioritize health & safety, even when inconvenient.
We are putting fire in homes on purpose. We take the responsibility of safety seriously.
In order to provide a circle of safety for our employees and customers, we invest in quality material, long term education and livable wages for skilled labor. It is why our prices are a little bit higher and our rules are a little bit more rigid. Even when there are extra steps or we have to turn down a big project, it is the right path because, “health and safety – even when inconvenient.”
3) Fully understand the process. Then improve it.
We work to have a stable life. We want to improve so chaos is kept to a minimum and mistakes are caught quickly because perfection is elusive. We learn the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ so we can deliver an experience that keeps our customers happy many years into the future.
4) Document it in writing, with pictures. (Or it didn’t happen.)
Anyone that has ever done anything worth remembering long into the future has first written it down (and taken a picture). We put fire in people’s homes. This is a task of great consequence. If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there to hear it, does the tree even make a sound?
5) Consider the success of the next person to touch your work.
If you make an agreement with a customer, write it down. If you make a plan and don’t tell the next person in line, you are setting them up for failure. Our job isn’t done until we’ve paved the way for others to succeed. We’re in it together, and when we pass the baton, it’s with the momentum to win.
6) Take the time to communicate with clarity.
Take a moment to fully flesh out your thoughts. We are putting fire into people’s homes. It is worth the five extra minutes to speak with clarity to your team and customers. No rushed messages or half-heard concerns. We take the time to listen, to explain, and to ensure that when we connect, we’re truly understanding each other.
7) Step in when your team needs help.
We’re a family business. This means that we don’t complain about each other because everyone has their load to bear. We do not judge each other for flaws and if we have a problem we handle it with love and understanding. That is why the first value is Grace, Generosity and Grit! Offer grace in moments of hardship to teammates, customers and the world at large. We pour our positive effort into the world because we take pride in our ability to be there for those we love because of the value we create in the world as a team.
8) Take ownership for your attitude & decisions.
Actions speak louder than words. Every choice is a statement, and we stand by ours. We own our actions, celebrate our wins, and learn from our missteps with our heads held high. Celebrate wins consistently and use losses to get 1% better every single day. Always be honing and improving yourself at work, in life and beyond. Stagnation is entropy.
We aspire to exponential improvement by recognizing that change is a constant. It is up to us as a team to push against the resistance of the universe and make a difference by poking the universe and watching it respond with the love and intention we put into our daily incremental growth.
No detail is too small when it comes to being the best hearth shop to work at in the county. It takes all of us working together to make this dream a reality. If even one person is not on board at our small business, their negative attitude can cause our team to spiral. Unchecked toxicity is one of the biggest creators of resentment, failure and loss of employment at a workplace. Our goal is to set the next person up for success by owning our attitude and decisions at The Stove Shop.
