Values matter

Take a stroll around the NatureWise headquarters in Ashland, Oregon, and it’s easy to understand that “values” aren’t just a statement on the company’s website. With an overarching focus on “health and well-being: getting more by giving more,” the company’s value structure forms the roots from which this company has grown to be a multi-million dollar entity since its inception in 2012.

“Company values we believe pertain to us as people as well as our company. These are values that have been with us from the beginning but we as a company strive to refine and to really embody,” says DavidPaul Doyle, founder and CEO of NatureWise. “We spend a lot of time as a company focusing on this and we have a full-time culture manager working with each employee to deepen our experience of these values and build them into the way we work.”

As a former self-help author and teacher for more than a decade, Doyle says, “Personal growth has been big for me in my life. Everything we do in life is to deepen our connection with ourselves and others. Work and career and NatureWise are just an avenue for all of us to go deeper and to have an avenue to personally and professionally grow.”

It should be no surprise then that value No. 1 is growth. Passion is next, and he emphasizes that employees create something they’re proud of, is beautiful and can make a difference in the world. “Beauty is about giving all of ourselves, whether it’s a widget, a product or a process. Everything can be beautiful,” explains Doyle.

Everything we do in life is to deepen our connection with ourselves and others.

Accompanying passion is honesty. “We practice radical candor, being authentic, fighting for what we believe in, being vulnerable, giving feedback and everyone having an equal voice.” Noting that this doesn’t mean everyone’s wants and wishes can be met, Doyle says constructive feedback is welcome and everyone should be able to express their goals, dreams and preferences.

With these values comes the idea of ownership, which encourages employees to take responsibility for their work and actions. Doyle says “ownership” is about how far you are willing to go to bring about an action. “It’s hard to think outside of the box, but deep down nothing is really outside of our control, but how far are we willing to go to have an influence or make that difference.”

Rounding out the values list is service. “I come from a long history of being in customer service, a teacher, author, coach and counselor—servicing people. I do feel like NatureWise is more than a health supplements company, we are a well-being company. We try to impact our customers, touch their hearts, inspire them and move them in certain ways,” explains Doyle.

In being so honest, it’s not surprising that transparency is also at the root of everything the company does. In trying to find a way to communicate the quality of product ingredients and third-party testing results, Doyle says they were lucky to partner with Amazon to implement Mobile Transparency, which allows customers to access more information about the product by scanning a unique data matrix code. “We wanted to communicate more about our product on the packaging and couldn’t figure out how to do that. We wanted to give more data and transparency as to what was in our product,” he explains.

Independent third-party testing has been a big part of the company’s framework and practices. Although third-party testing is not currently required by the FDA, Doyle says they believe it’s the right thing to do. NatureWise supplements are verified for purity and potency by specialized ISO 17025 third-party laboratories. Likewise, manufacturing facilities are certified and comply to strict cGMP standards and the company maintains rigid safety and quality assurance programs. Doyle considered putting certificates of analysis on the company website, so when the opportunity arose to communicate to customers through the transparency app, they welcomed it.

“We want our customers to understand and feel the trust we have in our own products.” Doyle adds, “We are a young dietary supplement and beverage company that is trying to make a difference in the world. We are really proud of what we provide and we will continue to grow and push the industry and bring more value and functionality to the marketplace.”

Source: NatureWise