I was intrigued by the Inc Magazine article about how Jim Thornton decided to make an offer to Mike Wigton. Jim used an unconventional approach to gauge the new hire’s fit to ProvoCraft. Beyond interviewing Mike, he interview Mike’s wife and even met their parents. How is that for hiring stars? I think thats a great approach. I am true believer in emotional appeal. And Jim sold himself and ProvoCraft to Mike and his family, not at a material or financial level but at an emotional level. The opposite is true too. Mike wouldn’t have decided to accept the offer if the entire hiring experience was conventional, which in today’s world would be very stale. The unorthodox, personal approach was dynamic enough to create an emotional experience that influenced Mike’s decision to accept the offer. Looks like both of them are still happy campers staying put in Utah, growing ProvoCraft.
Provocraft is now owned by Sorenson Capital, private equity, which puts a great new spin to running private companies. The objectives, accountability and drive to change & grow faster is extraordinary in private equity-run companies. It is potentially best place in between a startup and a large public company. I have an eye on the private equity space and small-mid size firms owned by private equity firms (which is another reason the Inc article caught my attention) as I explore my near future options and Jim and Mike have reinforced my beliefs.
