How Culture Fuels Growth And What Your Business Can Do To Scale Successfully
Welcome to the Five Door Podcast Blog! This blog dives into season three’s theme: company culture in home service businesses. In this episode, Sam Gembel, founder of Atlas Outdoor, shares how a strong, people‑first culture propelled his landscaping company from humble beginnings to a multi‑million‑dollar operation built on values.
Here’s what stood out, especially if you’re running a home service business and wondering how to turn a great team into a great culture.
Watch the full podcast here!
Culture Is a Feeling, Not a Plaque on the Wall
Sam doesn’t walk into his office and point to team photos or mission statements. Instead, his analogy? Chick‑fil‑A. Step inside, and you're greeted warmly. The environment draws you in. That’s culture — the feeling of belonging. Nothing flashy, just lived.
Not puppy decorations or fancy taglines. How your team feels when they clock in — that’s what matters.
Culture Often Precedes Systems & Outlasts Them
Sam admits there was never any grand culture plan at first. For years, Atlas ran without SOPs, job cost systems, or even job descriptions. Growth happened so fast, cash came and left in a flash. Yet people stayed.
Why? Because they felt part of something. Even during chaos, the culture held them. That’s the subtle power of culture, the glue during growing pains. It tells you that lasting culture doesn’t wait for perfect structure, it gleans from how people are treated today.
You Build Culture When You Do the Tough Stuff Consistently
Sam’s golden line: “Culture is built by holding people accountable when they’re not honoring the business and praising them when they do.” Tension and appreciation aren’t at odds. In fact, both drive clarity and pride.
Atlas didn’t shy away from enforcing standards and high performance. Yet they also made time for team breakfasts and recognition. Over and over. Day in, day out. That kind of consistency tells the team, “We’re real, we notice, and we care.”
The Leadership Trap: Promoting Based on Production, Not Potential
One of Sam’s biggest early missteps? Promoting people just because they were good at the job and not because they were ready or wanted to lead. Add extra layers early and it creates “fat” — too much structure, not enough clarity.
He learned: lean teams win. Purposeful roles matter more than padding payroll. And culture thrives when people are in positions that align with both ability and desire. That’s a good reminder: not everyone who mows well wants to manage.
Crisis Unveils Culture And Opens Breakthroughs
The pandemic could’ve broken Atlas. Instead, it exposed cracks and forced real conversation. The team faced the truth: where were our systems failing? Where was our turnover bleeding us dry?
The result? A shift. Atlas didn’t just survive - they honed efficiency, aligned values, and launched on a new growth trajectory. Culture doesn’t just sit there in good times. It sharpens your focus during bad ones.
Accountability Isn’t the Enemy
Ever had a workplace where people feel “tense”? People want to be held to a standard, but also to be seen.
What struck Sam was after some team members left, they circled back. Why? They wanted back in. Because Atlas offered more than a job, it offered purpose. That mix of high expectations and genuine care is what keeps people engaged and coming back.
Culture Legacy: “We’re People of Value Who Value Our People”
What does Atlas want to be known for a decade from now? The answer is simple and powerful: “We’re people of value that value our people.”
That’s it. This isn’t about ambition or status, it’s about reciprocity. It’s about creating a place where people feel worthy and see themselves in the company’s future. When growth is inevitable, culture is the context.
Sam’s Culture Choice: A-Players Over Profits, Every Time
Sam’s “Would You Rather?” is telling: Would he take more profit but lose top people or keep profit steady and give his team its best year? He chooses the team.
Money is a tool, Sam says, not a destination. And A‑players don’t work complacently, they solve problems. That’s culture in action: investing in people invests in growth.
Final Thought
What’s our takeaway here? Culture isn’t a brochure. It’s the emotion your business radiates. It binds people through growth and struggle. Sometimes it's louder in the chaos. Always, it echoes in the small gestures repeated over time.
In the end, Sam reminds us: success is showing up, growth is built on who you build with, and lasting impact lives in how valued your people feel.
