Organization Background
Intrust IT, which was founded in 1992, provides information technology support for small and medium-sized businesses that can’t afford an IT department of their own. The firm boasts more than 100 customers, most of who reside in the greater Cincinnati area.
Challenge
Better educate employees about finances and making money—especially as the company has evolved into an ESOP.
Solution
Implement and embrace The Great Game of Business® (GGOB) practices like huddling, financial literacy training, and forecasting to focus the entire team on cutting costs and finding ways to increase their margins.
Results
CEO Tim Rettig credits GGOB with having a significant impact on the company’s financials—especially how it has impacted profitability. As IntrustIT has transitioned to an ESOP in recent years, GGOB has also played a key role in building a culture of ownership. Case in point: The team has been using a tool over the past five years to measure their internal engagement ratings and have seen employee happiness and internal Net Promoter Score reach record levels in recent months. “We have much less turnover and everyone in the company is very engaged with the profitability of the company because they understand what's going on with the finances, how they can make changes, and how they directly benefit when the company does well,” says Rettig.
“The Great Game of Business makes everyone feel part of something bigger and brings us together more like family. I love that people care about overall profitability and finding places to save money. For me personally it’s added many responsibilities to discover opportunities that increase margins and revenue.”
~ Billy Carter, Account Manager
Spotlight on the Pandemic
The ownership culture InTrustIT has been building with the help of GGOB played a key role in 2020 the company pushed through the pandemic. Rettig joined 50 other organizations in the Cincinnati area in signing a pledge to avoid layoffs as a result of the pandemic. When the team ran into some unexpected challenges—both the top line and profits took a hit—everyone got on board with figuring out how to save money. “I liked the fact that all the numbers were out there for everyone to understand why we weren’t going to make our bonus,” says Rettig. The team has also rallied around their Critical Number—Days Without Breach—which is a measure for how many days their clients have gone without a security breach like an email hack. “Keeping our clients safe from security breaches is a top priority for us.
MiniGame™ Spotlight
Despite the struggles in 2020, the IntrustIT team was able to launch a helpful MiniGame that focused on increasing individual training. “By tracking everyone’s training progress across the board, not just technical training, we were able to emphasize the importance of ensuring our team is continuously learning and growing,” says Rettig. “This kept the well-being of our employees in the forefront by focusing on what they need to be better and more knowledgeable, which, in turn, reflected on the company overall.”
“I'm more mindful of how I spend my time and the decisions I make. I see the direct impact of my actions and want to continue to grow this company for myself and my friends.”
~ Jason Morgan, Service Technician
What’s Next
Rettig says that the biggest struggle for the team is putting ongoing financial literacy training of new employees in place. “We have started to add more time to our Tuesday huddles when we go over the weeks numbers,” says Rettig. “With the extra time, we have the opportunity to focus in on why certain numbers are different—
higher/lower—as well as answer any general GGOB questions in real time, as education is the key to success.” A similar theme applies to educating all the employees about their role in their ESOP and what it will mean for everyone as owners in the business. Rettig has also kicked off a plan to acquire companies (outside of IntrustIT) that might be at risk of closing due to the Silver Tsunami of retiring entrepreneurs. He then plans to implement GGOB inside the business and, after they have established an ownership culture, turn it into an ESOP. “GGOB has allowed me to focus on employee ownership as a way to reduce income inequality and improve the local economy,” he says.
“The Great Game Business has increased the trust between front line staff and ownership. For me, it has made having conversations with employees about performance of the company and within individual positions easier.”
~ Chad Adams, VP Operations
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