There’s something in the air: how a little common scents improves business and inspires employees

At 787 Networks we understand that atmosphere is everything and that our employees can only be as innovative and inspired as our environment allows. After all, we’re in the business of creating the perfect ambiance for other companies, so it only makes sense to start in our own back yard.

Every day we strive to eliminate the creativity crushing staleness of a traditional office-setting, and establish our headquarters as a place that ignites the imagination, encourages inventive thinking and stimulates our employees. After all, happy people are the most productive people.

I’ve been thinking about our next investment into enhancing our workplace environment, and I’m intrigued by aromatherapy for business; often known as ambient scenting or scentscaping. I’ve always admired how Westin Hotels has successfully used this technique to create a significant brand emotion; their proprietary White Tea scent was specifically developed as part of their Welcome program to create a relaxing and inviting atmosphere for their guests. Scent is proven to evoke certain emotions and memories—this is reconfirmed whenever I set foot in a Westin property, their signature scent instantly feels familiar.

I started wondering if aromatherapy could benefit our employees and productivity. So I started to do a little research, and—as I anticipated— there’s definitely a benefit to scent-scaping:

1. Smell is the strongest of the senses and is best able to influence brain activity.
2. Essential oils help improve job performance as well as health. Employees are less likely to take sick time.

But not just any scent will do. There’s a science to it, and specific aromas are more effective at producing different outcomes. For example:

Lemon promotes concentration and has a calming and clarifying effect. Lemon can be used to help relieve cold and coughs and to support the immune system.

Lavender has calming properties that help control emotional stress. Lavender has a soothing effect on nerves and can help reduce feeling of stress. 

Jasmine is used to calm nerves and is most commonly used as an anti-depressant because it promotes a feeling of confidence, optimism and revitalized energy.

Rosemary improves memory retention and stimulating properties that fight physical exhaustion, headaches and mental fatigue.

Cinnamon can help fight mental fatigue and improve concentration and focus.
Peppermint is an energy booster; it invigorates the mind, promotes concentration and stimulates clear thinking.  

We met with Essential Oil Consultant & doTERRA Wellness Advocate Mindy Menard to determine how to incorporate aromatherapy into our office environment. Mindy commented, “Getting started with Essential Oils is one of the easiest ways to significantly shift the energy, boost employee morale and productivity in every area of your company.”

She has created the following plan for our sales and development work spaces

Start the day with the uplifting and awaking aroma of Peppermint and Wild-Orange.  Peppermint is a great oil to wake up the senses to and put a little “pep” in your step while Wild Orange provides a purifying & a comforting effect.

After lunch, a blend of coriander, basil, melissa, and peppermint in the diffuser to help improve concentration and stay on task.

I’m excited about this next step to enhancing our creative culture at 787 Networks. We’ll let you know the results!

---

Jim Juniper

787 Networks
President/Co-Founder

Questions or comments? I’d love to hear from you.

Contact me at jim.juniper@787networks.com or check out our careers page for more info about working at 787 Networks.

Lunch is Ready

I think we can all agree that the whole eating lunch issue can be a pain when you’re at work. You can save money and bring something from home, but then it has to stay fresh or re-heat well. Or you can leave the office for takeout or a sit-down meal at a restaurant, but the cost can add up quickly. And none of this includes the lost productivity from having to figure out what you’re going to do each day when lunchtime rolls around.

Let’s not forget the energy factor, either. Years ago, I heard Denis Waitley, the renowned motivational speaker and author of The Psychology of Winning, ask a group, “Are you fuelling or feeding your body?”

That always stuck with me. I believe that if you want to get the most out of your time in your work environment, you need to fuel your body—not just feed it. Think of it this way: you’re going to be at work for eight hours a day. Why not make those hours as effective as possible, both for yourself and for your career?

At 787 Networks, one of our core values is promoting a positive work/life balance, and we’re committed to making that an important part of our culture. As part of this commitment, each day we offer all team members an assortment of healthy snack and beverage options (such as smoothies, granola and energy bars, fruit, yogurt, nuts, and oatmeal.)

And that’s not all—remember, we want to fuel our team and make sure their working hours are effective. That’s why we also offer a catered lunch program, each and every day, which includes our world-famous 787 salad bar, a soup of the day, and a hot entrée. We also enjoy mixing it up every so often—for example, how can you say no to lunch straight from a food truck on site? And we look forward to special occasions (for St. Patrick’s Day, shepherd’s pie and Irish biscuits are on the menu!)

When I tell people that 787 Networks offers these nutritional perks to all of our team members, many can’t believe that it’s part of what we do. Frankly, I can’t believe that everyone doesn’t do this. An in-house lunch program helps keep our team happy, healthy, and focused on their work, and ultimately, we believe that offering a means for people to come together, even if it’s “off the clock,” is key to developing a collaborative company culture.

Contact me at jim.juniper@787networks.com if you’d like more information on our lunch program, or check out our Careers page at www.787networks.com/careers if you’d like to read more about our culture or current opportunities. (Better yet—come by and visit us on Tuesday! The curried chicken with rice rocks.)

Lunch is ready!

787 Networks is an entertainment company that delivers music, music video, and digital signage to restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and bowling and family entertainment venues all over North 

We’re All Talking About Our Sales Technology Stack!

The wrong technology, no matter how well implemented, has the potential to “accelerate suck.”— Trish Bertuzzi

This is a quote from Trish Bertuzzi’s recently released book THE SALES DEVELOPMENT PLAYBOOK.  It caused me to reflect on our Sales Development journey over the past few years.  

We took the approach that a collection of technology was the secret to increasing our market share. We certainly did not “accelerate suck”; however, the introduction of new technologies into the sales process did not drive the accelerated results we expected. 

We are a technology company—we embrace the efficiencies and effectiveness that technology can deliver. However, creating a successful organization requires a lot more work than merely making investments in technology.  

We re-focused on refining our messaging, training, coaching and—most importantly—properly hiring for the roles. 

Since then, we have stayed committed to constant improvement in all of these areas.  Interestingly, constant improvement is one of our core values; it’s probably not a coincidence that this steered us in our desired direction.

This mindset has consequently put us in a position to accurately invest in tools to assist our team and actually drive results.  

We are constantly evaluating “tools,” not “toys,” to accelerate our sales team’s personal development and success.

Our sales technology stack is just part of our commitment to empowering our sales team to grow into leaders in their chosen field.

Check out our Sales Career page to see how we are building a world-class Sales Development organization in London, Ontario!

www.787networks.com/CareersForSales

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss opportunities on our sales team and how we could be part of your success story. 

jim.juniper@787networks.com

Sit, Stand or Lounge? The Standing Desk at 787 Networks.

Here at 787 Networks, our sales professionals like to say, “Motion creates emotion.” And as you watch them while they’re in the middle of a phone conversation, talking passionately about how music has the power to transform the mood in our customers’ venues, it’s easy to see that it’s true. Their arms are spread, their hands are waving, and they’re walking back and forth. You can absolutely feel the positive energy in the room!

It was my own tendency to stand while speaking on the phone—especially when I was very engaged and about to close a deal—that got me thinking about the setup of my desk and how it might affect the way I work. At the time, we didn’t know standing desks existed, but after doing our research, we realized they made sense. Now, we’re big fans.

Our desk of choice for our Sales and Marketing teams is the RISE Electric from ISE. We like it because it has an electrically adjustable height range from 22” to 48”, with many options for the desktop configuration. Although 22” might seem like a pretty low setting, it’s actually the perfect height for working while sitting in a beanbag chair, and allowing adjustment up to 48” lets anyone find that perfect working height for his or her current activity. Raise the desk up when you want to stand; lower it when you need to sit—all with the touch of a button.

On top of the comfort and convenience benefits, these adjustable desks come with some other positives as well. The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Texas A&M University recently published a study that concluded, “Continued utilization of stand-biased desks was associated with significant improvements in executive function and working memory capabilities.” The study went on to note that the cognitive improvements were consistent with those that have been reported after an exercise program, suggesting that the physical benefits of standing desks lead directly to benefits for the brain as well. And speaking of those physical benefits, the web site of our desk’s manufacturer, ISE, says that, “Simply standing burns 60 more calories per hour than sitting,” and points out that height-adjustable workstations can reduce the risk of injuries caused by repetitive strain.

Providing these standing desks has been a significant and positive change for our team, and to accommodate stand-up meetings we’ve made two of our collaborative workspaces height-adjustable as well. This has proven very effective, with our people enjoying the flexibility along with the fact that we’re keeping their health and comfort in mind. Besides, I like that I can now look around the office and see other people standing at their desks too—it’s not just me anymore!

At 787 Networks, you can sit, stand, or lounge. You decide—it’s your choice! If you’d like to find out more about our culture, our team, and how we’re growing, stop by our Careers page: 787networks.com/careers

787 Networks is the hospitality industry’s leading provider of custom music, music video, and digital signage services and systems, serving venues all over North America through the controlPLAY, Bowling Music Network and Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) brands. We believe in the “Power of the Playlist” to inspire emotion and customer loyalty, and creating smiles, high-fives and good times is our specialty.

It's March!!!

If you are in the bar business, March means two things: college basketball and Guinness!

Are you ready to promote College Hoops and St. Patrick’s day in your bar? You can with controlPLAY, the digital signage system for bars and restaurants. Our stock library of turnkey content is ready to go to work for you immediately.

We are dedicated to providing you with engaging and entertaining digital signage content that delivers consistent sales results to your business. We make it easy to make your location the go-to spot for college basketball and St. Patrick’s Day.

Our in-house digital production team can also create your custom digital signage to really accelerate your sales results. 

The significant advantage to the controlPLAY digital signage system is that it works with an entertainment playlist to maximize your exposure. Interested in promoting your company’s specials and events? Want to give your in-house promotions a more professional look? Want to create your own branded entertainment channel?

Download our guide Utilizing Your TV’s for Infotainment to see if it’s time for you to make the move.

Click here to download the Guide!

Successfully Growing Your Team

We have been experiencing terrific growth in all of the departments of our organization, and we’re growing every day.  I constantly feel like a parent at their child’s high school commencement; I reflect on how much it feels like yesterday was just their first day of kindergarten.

We have transitioned from boot-strapping entrepreneurs to team-building leaders.  It’s very rewarding to have an organization that attracts so many motivated, serious professionals.

I believe the key to growing a successful, cohesive organization is in the intimate understanding of the core values that motivate people.  That is essential prior to inviting them to join your team.

The simple fact of the matter is that we all want to succeed.  The primary challenge is continuing to build our team with people that are aligned with the fundamental values of our organization.

My belief is that there are times that leading a growing organization is like navigating a small commercial freighter in the middle of the ocean. In today’s fast paced business environment, markets can be as volatile and changing as the ocean—like a sheet of glass for a time, and a major storm just an hour later.  We need to only bring people on-board that can adapt and thrive when conditions change.

When assembling our crew, we are careful who we invite on-board. Whoever we invite on-board will dramatically affect whether we achieve our goals.

Without the right crew—you're sunk!  That's why we’re always so proud of the success of our “crew”, and every single person on it.  They honor our tenets of service, value, competition, constant improvement, communication and the power of the playlist!

We would love to hear from you. 

Feel free to call us at 866-684-8324 or drop by for a visit.

www.787networks.com/Careers

Ahoy!