Why would an accounting firm spend money week after week for deliveries of fresh fruit for its employees? Explain your answer in terms ofthemotivationconcepts in this chapter.

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PuttingtheFocusonPeople attheFruit Guys

People are as important as profits to Chris Mittelstaedt, founder and CEO oftheFruit Guys (http://fruitguys.com). Rememberingthedownside of some earlieron-the-job experiences, such as not being asked to help solve problems, Mittelstaedt resolved to make employee empowerment and collaborative teamwork top priorities when he started his own business. Today, his Fruit Guys business rings up $30.5 millionin annual sales and employs dozens of people intheSan Francisco area and beyond.

Mittelstaedt's path to entrepreneurial success grew out of a need to make a change in his professional life when his wife was expectingtheir first child. He was unhappy at a temporary job and thinking about possible ideas for a new business of his own. In speaking with friends and family, Mittelstaedt realized that many office workers who snackonjunk food might prefer something healthier if it was conveniently at hand. This led totheconcept of selling weekly deliveries of fresh, ripe fruit to companies sotheir employees would have healthy snacks at work. Mittelstaedt named his new companytheFruit Guys and began makingtherounds of corporate headquarters to sign up customers. He also connected with local growers who could provide a steady supply of apples, oranges, and other fruits in season.

Asthebusiness grew, Mittelstaedt had to hire employees to sort, package, and deliver fruits to his expanding customer base, as well as hiring employees to handle billing, human resources, and other functions. This is where his background working for other firms came into play: Asthehead of a small business, he wanted to motivate his employeestheway he wished his managers had motivated him, by treatingthem fairly, showing respect fortheir capabilities as individuals and team members, and invitingtheir input as valued members oftheorganization. "People like to be part of something bigger thanthemselves," he says.Thesame is true for suppliers, which is why he pays growers fair prices and offers support to helpthem profit from whatthey produce.

Althoughthecompany has had its ups and downs overtheyears, Mittelstaedt has remained true to his principles of building positive relationships with customers, employees, and suppliers. Rather than settingone employee against each other in a race for advancement,theentrepreneur looks for win-win ways to developthetalents of everyoneontheteam. He emphasizes each employee's vital role inthecompany's overall success, expectingthem to reach out to colleagues for coordinationpurposes as well as to take responsibility for completingtheir assigned tasks. Recognizing that employees havetheir own goals and dreams, Mittelstaedt encourages everyone to makethemost of opportunities for participation, learning, communication, and expanded responsibilities attheFruit Guys.

These days, Mittelstaedt's company has a healthy roster of regular customers that includes high-tech firms, law firms, accounting firms, manufacturers, and even public schools. But no matter how bigtheFruit Guys gets,thefounder is determined to maintainthehealthy corporate culture that shows respect fortheindividual, fosters involvement, and fuels committed teamwork.