Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzeig, co-founders of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses in Ann Arbor, MI, have a unique view of business.
“Business shouldn’t exist in order to create wealth; it should exist in order to give people better lives.”
In the above video, against the backdrop of great moving-stills and the sound of happy customers, Paul shares a brief history of Zingerman’s and the decisions that have brought them to where they are today.
Moving along the road of success for the last 30 years the partners had many opportunities to grow their business up and out, but they chose a different path; the road less traveled. Franchising or chain growth was never part of their dream. Their vision led them another way.
They decided to instead grow wide, and invite others to join them on their journey. Their small business was bursting at the seams and their workforce was filled with young hardworking go-getters. They wanted to truly share their success with others who understood their vision. What began as Zingerman’s Deli has grown into Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, eight separate businesses run by 16 partners who started as employees.
They decided to provide the opportunity for ownership in the brand to people who worked for them. Employees with a vision, a plan and a willingness to invest at a level they were comfortable with, were given the opportunity to expand that vision through ownership. By creating their own businesses within the brand that would complement one another they would become suppliers and customers to one another.
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