Why excellent company culture is essential for this award winning business owner

Staff retention and excellent company culture go hand in hand, but balancing the stress of managing a business and the needs of employees can be exceptionally difficult. Last month, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce awarded Luis Virguez, a lawyer and small business owner, the Culture Creator award at its annual Small Business Awards ceremony. Virguez is the founder and managing attorney of Virguez Law LLC, where he has cultivated an environment of passion and success. On this episode of The Small Business Show, he joins host Jim Fitzpatrick to give his insights into leadership and culture.

Virguez believes that excellent company culture is who you and your employees are as a business. It’s about “how the employees see their employment” and whether they view their work as a job, career or passion. However, it isn’t just about personal fulfillment: it’s also about success. The way in which managers and staff interact determines how well the team can meet their goals. Companies whose leaders and workers have an excellent relationship can handle adversity and challenges far better than those who don’t get along.

Excellent company culture is measured in the quality and retention of employees. However, competition for quality workers is fierce, and team members who feel their efforts aren’t appreciated can almost always find a better option. The struggle is especially difficult for Virguez Law, which predominantly serves the Hispanic community and requires bilingual attorneys who can successfully represent their non-English speaking clients in the American legal system. However, lawyers who can speak multiple languages are exceptionally difficult to find and keep, which is why Virguez has gone to great lengths to build up his team. The most important thing, he notes, is to “invest in your people.”

Virguez has cultivated his excellent company culture by doing exactly that, investing in the wellbeing of his employees with competitive salaries, quality benefits, a comforting office environment and events which build rapport and synergy. However, he notes that something as simple as taking staff members to lunch or being accessible as a manager can be all it takes to nurture success and motivation. After all, leaders are not isolated, they are also part of the team. Simply treating employees as colleagues can go a long way towards creating the atmosphere necessary for business success.

It is important to recognize successful business owners so that current and future leaders can have role models to follow. While excellent company culture can be challenging to cultivate, the ability to procure and keep strong employees more than compensates for the difficulty. Virguez’s success story should inspire managers in all industries to lead their teams with intent and empathy.

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