VENDOR

There’s lots of activity going on these days at the worldwide headquarters. Among the new things that can be found at the fort are new pieces of art, new employees and new interns.

The greatest of all time is the centerpiece.

The other greatest of all time is a close second.

Greetings from unincorporated Rabbittown, Georgia.

The found art grand champeen.

The statute of limitations is a wonderful thing.

… and then there was Account Service.

Location is everything.

Mmmmm, paneling!

Our first business cards.

The Vendor Inc. SXSW “Waiting For Godot” Stage’s first winter.

Our first embossing.

Our first rubber stamp.

Our first First Aid Kit.

Our first thank you note.

Our first gift received.

Our first misspelled outgoing holiday schwag.

Our first gift wine received.

Our first tequila received.

Our first electrical issue.

Our first post new business meeting bbq feast.

Our first contract.

Our first revenue.

Start-up Journal: Policymaking.

Starting a new company falls in the category of  knowing the job is dangerous when you take it. Unexpected things happen on a daily basis. In our case it’s been things like impossible phone system manuals, plumbing that works in reverse and the first time a guest walks into the office carrying a shotgun. In our case it was the good kind of guest-walks-in-carrying-a-shotgun situation, as opposed to the bad. Basically a social visit, with shotgun.

Once the social visit was completed, the guest forgot the shotgun. Not the keys, wallet or credit cards; just the shotgun. Which left us sitting there in our office, with the shotgun. After the initial synchronized “holy shit there’s a firearm on our couch,” we took a picture to commemorate.

The picture led to a quick search. It told us the shotgun ran anywhere from $17,500 to $60,000. This probably helps pay for things like their site, downloadable pdf, logo and tag “A Tradition of Performance.” We also learned that the K-80 is a piece of art handmade in Ottsville, Pennsylvania; a high-end sporting gun made to shoot clay. So we shot a few neighborhood mailboxes and stop signs.

Then we  moved on to more pressing thoughts. Like, do we need a firearm policy?

My only experience with firearms in the workplace was once having to sign a document that forfeited my right to carry a concealed weapon to work. Until that point I had just assumed the thousands of co-workers I’d come across in my career weren’t packing. Apparently not so.

Rather than consult our attorney, we did another quick search. We found that in Texas you can pack concealed licensed heat in the workplace, unless warned otherwise. So we considered our options.

First, we could require everyone to pack concealed licensed heat. I’d lived in Georgia and was aware of the Kennesaw Gun Law that required the presence of a gun and ammo in every home. We could try to do the same and call it The Vendor Inc. Heat Mandate, or something.

Second, we could allow people to pack concealed licensed heat, but not require it. Those that don’t want to pack heat can carry a wrench in their jacket, or just wear the jacket.

Third, we could prohibit firearms in the workplace altogether. However, our search engine lawyering skills uncovered some nuances. To prohibit firearms in the office we’d need to clearly post a sign that screams firearms are not allowed. But, according to Texas Senate bill 730, we can’t prohibit the packing of concealed licensed heat in our parking lot.

From a Vendor Inc. policymaking point of view, we interpret Senate Bill 730 as saying we can’t keep people who are packing heat out of our parking lot, much less fire someone for packing heat in the parking lot. However, since Texas is an “at-will” employment state, we can fire someone for no reason who is packing heat in the parking lot.

It’s the subtle differences that mean everything.

We have yet to establish a firearms policy, but are carefully considering all options.

Next up in Start-up journal, Infrastructure.