Back when I was a twenty-something college kid in Atlanta, GA, I spent my days (and plenty of nights) working in restaurants. I think about those hospitality years a lot—the awesome people I met, the laughs we shared, and the crash course I got in customer service and human nature. I didn’t realize it then, but those shifts were quietly prepping me for everything that came later in tech and, eventually, at Hey Reliable.
Attitude Changes Everything
One restaurant gig stands out in my memory. The training was brutal, but it opened my eyes to what branding really means—beyond logos or taglines. One thing that stuck with me? How we treated vendors. If the delivery guy dropping off food or kegs decided to grab lunch, their meal was comped, and we served them with the same care we’d give any guest. It wasn’t just kindness; it was a statement about who we were, down to the smallest details.
Then there was the attitude lesson I saw play out every shift. One person’s sour mood—maybe over a spilled drink or a late order—could spread through the staff like wildfire. But when we kept it positive, the whole vibe shifted. It was a reminder that how you show up doesn’t just affect you; it sets the tone for everyone.
Falling for the Reliable Voice
Years later, I was a freelance designer hunting for a dev team to code one of my projects. I picked Hey Reliable and was instantly hooked by their vibe. The customer service rep I worked with was so warm and friendly—her emails and calls genuinely made my day. When I joined the team shortly after, I found out that wasn’t an accident. It was the “Reliable Voice”—a deliberate, heartfelt way of connecting that I’d already fallen for. They trained me in it, and I loved it even more.
Fast forward again, and through a mix of hard work and dumb luck, I ended up as the owner of this company I adore. Go figure.
Keeping the Warmth Alive
These days, keeping that friendly, welcoming voice alive is a top priority for me. Every day, our team pushes to do it better than we did yesterday—not just with clients, but with each other and our vendors too, whether it’s over the phone or in a chat. Attitude’s contagious, and it’s helped us build a company culture that’s genuinely kind and easy to be around.
It’s Not Just Karma—It’s Branding
I’ve been on enough business calls and email chains to know the difference between the cringe-worthy ones and the ones that leave you smiling. The folks who are kind, who make you feel valued? Those are the ones I’d bend over backwards for, the ones I’d recommend without hesitation. People don’t forget how you make them feel—and how we talk to each other matters.
Get that right, and it’s the kind of marketing money can’t touch. It’s built one conversation at a time, and it’s what Hey Reliable is all about.
The Author
