While I Was Writing Today’s Signal // Noise:

Felt like a great tune following Labor Day — a lil’ reminder about dignity & work.

From sound to signal—let’s get this baby rolling with what’s on my mind this week…

One big idea, insight, or take - grounded in the real work, not theory.

Labor Day just passed, which felt like the right time to ask:

Contractors instead of employees, 1099s instead of W-2s, AI prompts instead of humans. Even the workforce mindset has changed dramatically — with Gen Z peeps feeling lonelier than ever and thus job hopping every 18 months, churn and burn is the only real and present career strategy.

Meanwhile, I’ve been swimming the other way.

I typically like to pay people slightly above market; I dive into incentive programs, giving employees ownership in projects and trying to think of ways to share in the spoils. I’ve always asked my people about their hopes, dreams, the sh*t that really gets them out of bed.

And in some cases, helping them get there even when it doesn’t directly benefit me or the company I’m building. 🤯

Is that simply out of trend, or just dumb? Maybe — I honestly don’t know.

It’s definitely more expensive upfront. Less efficient, too.

And for sure, I’ve made mistakes by being too employee-friendly, too early.

But when I look at companies that inspire me — Patagonia, Southwest, Vans, Zappos, Whole Foods, Burton — they all built cultures where employees were treated like shareholders. They cared, invested, and trusted.

That wasn’t all charity, either; it was strategy.

Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” have outperformed the market by 3.5x over decades.

When you treat people as disposable, you might get output, but you don’t get loyalty.

You’ll leave behind a trail of lukewarm references and even active detractors.

Do the opposite — actually care, pay fairly, push for growth — and the compounding effect is wild.

My own “rolodex” ⌚is proof.

If I need a copywriter, strategist, or SEO crew, I don’t post a job ad. I just fire off a text. And they all still pick up, years later.

That’s not luck; it’s the residue of respect.

To be clear: this isn’t charity from me either.

I don’t accept poor performance or weak effort. Caring about people doesn’t lower the bar — it raises it, while showing you’ll have someone’s back if they’re willing to climb.

Everyone obsesses over customer LTV. But what about employee LTV? What’s the value of unlocking someone’s potential and keeping them in your orbit for 10 years? Or helping them chase a dream, knowing they’ll circle back later?

That’s the long game, at least the one I enjoy playing.

Labor Day started in the 1800’s as a recognition and solidarity of workers in an era when they were exploited and discarded.

Sometimes I feel like today, we’ve rebranded that same instinct — we call it “flexible,” “scalable,” “lean.” — but the instinct to treat people as disposable is still there.

I get it: contractors and AI have their place. Efficiency matters. So does margin, and intentional hiring. But no great company was ever built on a culture of disposability.

So here’s my reminder: you can rent labor, but you can’t rent loyalty.

And loyalty, in my experience, is an edge that continues to compound forever.

Dispatches from the field - lessons, stories, interviews, experiments.

Following up on Chapters 1 and 2 from the past few weeks, here’s the third piece in The Operator’s Guide to Leadership. This one’s about one of the hardest (and most underrated) skills: staying calm when everything around you is on fire.

No panic, no flailing — just clear-headed decision-making. I share a real story from my own career on how I learned this the hard way.

Smart reads, sharp tools, or internet gems.

Podcasts started as free marketing, but more publishers are finding ways to charge. The Economist is paywalling shows, The Daily Mail is leaning into true crime, and indie hits like Ghost Huns are monetizing superfans with merch and live events.

Sean Ellis (who literally coined “growth hacking”) makes the case that startups stall without someone owning growth end-to-end, aka a growth architect. It’s not just marketing — it’s product, data, and cross-functional experimentation.

I’ve always been a little obsessed with pricing, and this piece from my boy Rob Litterst breaks down how credit models work — complete with a swipe file of 12 real-world examples. Smart, tactical read on a pricing lever that can boost adoption and expand revenue.

Keep the Labor Day energy going, and I’ll be back in your inbox next Thursday.

In the meantime, lemme know, is this way of thinking about people and employees outdated, or still an edge? Just hit reply.

Have a great weekend you animals.

-Jordan

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