In 2017—three years after launching woom USA—I had a leadership wake-up call I’ll never forget.

At that point, we had grown from a scrappy startup in my garage into a fast-moving company with a warehouse, a small but mighty team, and a growing base of parents and kids who loved our bikes. Growth was exciting. But growth also meant complexity, stress, and more opportunities for cracks to show.

One afternoon, I walked through our warehouse and noticed two of our key team members—our Operations Manager and Customer Service Manager—deep in a heated discussion. Ten minutes later, they were still going at it.

When I stepped in, they explained the issue: a customer concern tied to a quality problem with one of our bikes. Each had a strong perspective on how to handle it. I listened, then gave what I thought was the obvious answer:

“Just think about our values—and you’ll know what to do.”

That’s when one of them asked the question that stopped me cold:

“What are our values?”

Silence. I froze.

I had assumed they were obvious. I thought everyone knew what mattered most. But I hadn’t actually said them, written them, or embedded them into our daily work. And in that moment, I realized something critical:

If your team doesn’t know your values, they don’t exist.

That moment changed everything about how we led at woom.

Codifying Culture: The Birth of the Keys to Success

The very next week, I gathered the team. Instead of dictating a set of values from the top down, I asked a simple question:

“When we’re at our best—what are we doing?”

What came out of that discussion became the foundation of our culture. We called them the Keys to Success—six principles that weren’t just aspirational words, but practical behaviors we could live by.

Here’s what they were, and what they really meant in practice:

1. Focus on Delivering the Best Children’s Bikes

• Product obsession was the starting point. Every decision began with: “Is this the best possible bike for a child?”
• It meant sweating details like geometry, weight, and materials.
• It meant obsessing over packaging and instructions, so families had a great first experience.
• It meant holding vendors and partners to higher standards than they were used to.

Why it mattered: The bike wasn’t just a product—it was the promise. If the bike was exceptional, parents trusted us, kids loved riding, and word-of-mouth spread faster than any ad campaign ever could.

2. Offer an Amazing Customer Experience

• Answer inquiries quickly and empathetically.
• Fix problems before they grew into complaints.
• Surprise people with generosity, like sending free replacement parts or personalized notes.

Why it mattered: Parents weren’t just buying bikes. They were buying moments—first rides, the joy of freedom, the memory of childhood adventure. A seamless, human experience built loyalty and turned customers into advocates.

3. Continuously Improve Everything We Do

• “Good enough” wasn’t good enough. Every process was temporary until we found a better way.
• Ops workflows were redesigned constantly.
• Marketing campaigns were tested, measured, and refined.
• Customer feedback was studied and quickly applied to product updates.

Why it mattered: This mindset kept us nimble as we scaled. Growth didn’t mean slowing down—it meant staying sharp, curious, and innovative.

4. Work as a Team: Make Each Other Better

• Share wins and lessons openly.
• Give and receive direct, constructive feedback.
• Step in when a teammate struggled—not to compete, but to elevate.

Why it mattered: Scaling a business is too complex to do alone. High trust made us faster, more aligned, and better able to solve problems together.

5. Take Initiative: See an Issue, Find a Better Way

• Everyone had permission to act.
• Don’t just surface problems—propose solutions.
• Experiment, test, and iterate without fear of failure.

Why it mattered: The people closest to the work often had the best ideas. A culture of ownership empowered our team to innovate on the front lines.

6. Maintain & Enhance an Active & Fun Atmosphere

• Team rides, warehouse barbecues, birthday celebrations.
• Slack channels filled with shoutouts and humor.
• Encouragement to bring your whole self to work.

Why it mattered: Building a company is intense. Fun wasn’t “extra”—it was fuel. Energy, joy, and connection reduced burnout and made woom a place people wanted to stay.

Making It Real

The Keys to Success only mattered if we lived them daily. So we built them into every corner of the business:

Mindset:

• Recognize it – Peer shoutouts, monthly awards, and customer feedback tied to values.
• Use it – Onboarding scripts, decision-making filters, team reviews.
• See it – Printed on desks, highlighted in agendas, Slack shoutouts, “woomeetings.”

Operations:

• Recruiting: filtering candidates through cultural alignment.
• Performance: tying reviews and promotions to living the Keys.
• Communication: weaving them into huddles, newsletters, and even Zoom backgrounds.

Culture wasn’t left to chance. It was codified and operationalized.

The Result

The impact was dramatic:

• Stronger team collaboration: People trusted each other and pulled in the same direction.
• Low turnover: Our team stayed engaged because they felt seen, supported, and aligned.
• Attractive culture: We were able to recruit top talent in a competitive market.
• Customer loyalty: Families didn’t just love the bikes—they loved the company behind them.
• Business growth: woom USA made the Inc. 5000 list three years in a row, with a staggering 1,666% growth rate.

We built more than a bike company. We built a culture of excellence and heart.

5 Lessons for Founders Scaling Teams

Looking back, here are the lessons I’d share with any founder or leader:

• Assume nothing. Culture isn’t real until it’s written down and reinforced.
• Make values actionable. If they don’t help people make better decisions in the moment, they’re just posters on a wall.
• Build rituals. Reinforce values daily—through shoutouts, onboarding, huddles, and stories.
• Create feedback loops. Culture should evolve as your business and team evolve.
• Tie values to performance. Recognize and promote people based on how they live the values.

Final Thought

If you’re growing a business, don’t let culture “just happen.” That’s how silos, politics, and misalignment creep in.

Define it. Activate it. Live it.

Your people—and your performance—depend on it.