Bringing Hospitality Back to Business
It’s exactly 00:00 Sunday night rolling into Monday morning and while most people are enjoying sleep filled with the Sunday Scaries, I’m standing in my garage, tending the Recteq.
Why? Because this week’s work beging with hosting my colleagues, customers, and partners for an evening of food, drinks, and fun at our home.
Jenelle and I are excited to welcome roughly 40 people who will begin arriving at our home in about 18 hours. And before we get into the weeks whiteboard strategy session or product roadmap critique, we’ll break bread. We’ll eat, laugh, argue over sauces and whose country is the best, and maybe even become a little more human to one another.
We have been prepping the house since Friday. But today, around 2 p.m., the real work began: brining the pork shoulder. Now, the overnight vigil begins: 14 hours of smoke and patience to make sure everything is perfect.
Why do we do this? Because somewhere along the way we lost hospitality in business.
We traded warmth for efficiency, policy, and margin targets. Transactions and deadlines have replaced relationships. Hosting became awkward, and everything personal got squeezed out by performance metrics, scheduling links, and curated virtual backdrops.
I refuse to play that game.
I believe in eye contact across a dinner table; open doors and full plates. In welcoming your colleagues into your actual life. That’s how trust is built and where alignment begins.
This week was designed for learning, discovery, and pressure-testing ideas. But before we got into all that, I wanted everyone to meet my people—my wife, my son, our dogs and to feel the warmth of our home.
The Results of Hospitality
Working with local vendors, I turned our home into a gathering place. We brought in tables, seating, and a setup that could comfortably host all 40 guests. Jenelle make sure that every table was filled with fresh flowers, and we opened all of the doors to allow the unreasonably pleasent North Carolina air to flow freely
The house filled with laughter and joy. Colleagues and friends reconnected like old neighbors around a kitchen table. People relaxed on the back porch to enjoy the perfect weather, while others played games in the yard, forgetting for a while that we were here for work.
When I mention hosting a garden party, people have an overinflated perception of cost. The reality is that it was all less expensive than what each attendee would have spent collectively going to dinner. The ROI? Immeasurable.
We left the night as more than coworkers or partners. We left as collaborators with a shared sense of purpose and trust, because connection isn’t built in via Google Hangouts and shared PowerPoint decks. It’s built around tables, over good food, in places where people feel seen and welcome.
The Human Core of Business
Even in the age of AI—especially in the age of AI—business remains a human endeavor. Algorithms may predict trends, but they can’t build relationships. AI agents can’t replace the moment someone puts down their phone, shares a meal, and engages in deep conversation.
Hospitality is more than a nicety, it’s a deliberate act of leadership. It tells people: You matter enough for me to make space for you. To welcome you. To celebrate life with you.
Now, it’s late. Everyone has gone home. And my heart is full.
Tomorrow the real work begins: AI-native conversations, a MeetUp, and a series of strategy sessions. There will be debates and pressure. But, we’ll walk into it with full bellies and full hearts.
And the week will be better because of it.
Let’s put hospitality back in business.