Spooky Nook Sports Blog

Getting To Know The Owner: Episode 2

Written by Mackenzie Bender | Nov 20, 2017 5:20:14 PM

In October of 2017, I got the chance to sit down with Sam Beiler, Founder and Owner of Spooky Nook Sports. We talked about his life, The Nook, the community, and the Team Members that work here. Episode 2 focuses on the Team Members at the Nook and the types of people that Sam tries to hire.   

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 MB: What’s something you look for when bringing in new Team Members? What’s something you want everyone to be able to buy into?

SB: Look, I think the first and most important thing for anybody is when you walk out of the house in the morning to put on a positive spirit of sorts. And find the joy in the world. So I’ll say that, recognizing that everybody – including myself – has days that’re less than optimal. Right? So you may end up feeling grumpy, but no one wants to share that with you necessarily. They might empathize with you and be able to talk you through something, but really people are looking for positive energy and engaging personalities. So, when I look at who might be a good fit to join our team here at the Nook, or at previous jobs, it really is about how do you present yourself and how do you recognize that you have an opportunity to change someone’s day rather than looking for someone to change yours. How can your smile, your eye contact, and your spirit of joy effect other people in a positive way. Because when you start filling a building with those kinds of personalities, many fewer bad days will come your way. It really feeds one off the another. So when I think about what to look for, I want someone who is looking for people to say hello to, looking for people to be kind to, and looking to make a difference in their day.

MB: So then what makes this such a great place to work?

SB: Ultimately, a great place to work is a result of the people that’re there. So, what we continue to focus on - and what I think we’ve done a good job of building here - is bringing people into the fold who exhibit those positive characteristics of happiness, and joy, and hard work, and productivity. When you start bringing that together, that becomes the norm. So someone who doesn’t fit that winds up being kind of obvious. And so at that point, we have an opportunity to introduce them to a happier life. And if they choose not to, then maybe this isn’t the right place. But really, that is the number one pathway to a successful life – one of meaning.

MB: What do you want your Team Members to leave work every day thinking about or feeling?

SB: I realize that not everyone looks at work the way I do. I love work. I figuratively describe myself as running to work in the morning – I look forward to getting here. And I think the best opportunity we have as an organization is to where we continue to help our employees, who are helping our guests, grow and improve and we do that together. And how we interact with each other determines how someone feels when they’re leaving the building at the end of the day, or at the end of the tournament. And really my goal, especially for our team members, is to have them leave with more energy than they came in with in the morning because of their interactions and engagements with the rest of the team.

Go back and watch Episode 1 here!