UnLeadership

22Unorthodox Leadership

Back in 2014, when we wrote UnSelling, valuing people was at the heart of our message. Treating employees, vendors, and customers well is the start of creating amazing experiences and standing out in today's busy world of information and reviews. We spoke about hiring for passion, creating quality products first, and then service and content worth sharing. We wanted companies to make it easy for fans to tell your brand story for you and facilitate community around your product and/or service. That is the way to create an ecstatic customer base; that's UnSelling. One of our favorite case studies was Big Ass Fans, an American company that manufactures fans, evaporative coolers, and controls for industrial, agricultural, commercial, and residential use. What first caught our attention was an article about how the company paid their employees 30% above the national median and 50% above Kentucky's median, where they were located. We reached out to their CEO, Carey Smith, who shared how their no layoffs policy had saved thousands in recruiting costs and training new employees and that Big Ass Fans also offered education scholarships and valued employee satisfaction and well-being.¹

Speaking with Carey almost 10 years later for UnLeadership, we found him in a new role as CEO of investment firm Unorthodox Ventures. Here are some of the highlights of our interview.

(Highlights from our interview, recorded July 19, 2023.)

I'M CAREY SMITH, CEO (OR founding contrarian, ...