Back in April, I sent out a post called Exit Plan about the importance of thoughtful touches at the end of a purchase or experience.
Just as important is what Amazon calls Day One: the idea that every day, even at a massive global company, should carry the entrepreneurial fire of the very first. It’s a mindset we share at SMZ: stay hungry, stay scrappy, stay inventive.
But what does Day One look like on a personal level?
Do you remember your first day at your current job? Were you greeted warmly? Given any swag? Did someone send you something ahead of time to smooth the onboarding, what we (and the airlines) call “the process”?
I ask because it took SMZ too many years to get this right.
Today, we have a repeatable, thoughtful onboarding process. It’s extensive (some might say exhaustive) with tasks assigned across departments in our project management system. From tech setup to team intros, welcome lunch to first-week check-ins… now it’s all mapped out.
How do we know it works?
Our people stay. Longer than industry averages. They rate us highly in internal surveys. We’ve earned Cool Place to Work and Best Place to Work honors multiple times. And while there’s no secret sauce, there is a secret ingredient: iteration.
We’ve refined the process over time, learning from each new hire, each Day One.
Because Day One isn’t just about logistics—it’s about belonging. It’s about setting the tone for everything that follows.
If you’re curious how we do it, I’m happy to share. Because whether you’re onboarding a new team member or launching a new client relationship, Day One matters.