Own Your Time

Lee LeFever and his co-founder and wife, Sachi LeFever, didn't know exactly what type of business they were setting out to build when they started Common Craft in the early 2000s. What they were sure of is that they would design the business in such a way that they prioritized their happiness and time--they wanted the opportunity to go camping on Tuesdays if they felt like it, and make up the time later. While not sacrificing their vision for a business that values time over money, Lee and Sachi built a leading internet-based visual communications firm that includes Google, LEGO, Intel, Microsoft, Ford, and Dropbox as its clients. They paved the way for explainer videos that are now a mainstay of companies' marketing and communications strategy. They learned to pivot to different income streams, and say no to opportunities that would increase unhappiness and decrease autonomy. And they did it all while working from home, not taking on outside employees, and camping on Tuesdays. Like Paul Jarvis in Company o