Winning Company Culture of the Year helped eyewear e-tailer click with community

When the husband and wife founders of Greenwood, Ind.-based One Click heard their company name called out as the winner of the Company Culture of the Year Mira Award last spring, Angie and Randy Stocklin were shocked at first. The competition was fierce in the culture category, with global corporations 10-times their size or bigger all demonstrating just how great it can be to work at a tech company.

The Mira Awards, however, are open to Indiana companies small and large across a broad spectrum of our thriving tech economy, and the judges are looking for excellence regardless of where it originates. Of course, every Mira Awards application tells a story of excellence — sometimes it’s the big guys who get recognized, but in 2017, it was small entrepreneurial eyewear e-tailer One Click that impressed the Mira Awards judges the most.

“We’re going to continue driving toward our mission of becoming the world’s most people focused eyewear company, which involves providing an amazing experience for our team members and customers, as well as the communities we serve,” said Angie Stocklin, COO of One Click. “We’ve had our strongest year, in terms of growth, and we believe we’re just getting started with our brands.”

One Click brands include Readers.com, Sunglass Warehouse, and felix+iris. We had an opportunity to ask Angie a handful of questions about the impact winning the Company Culture of the Year award had on the business and her responses are included below.

Did One Click experience some immediate gains after winning a Mira Award?

Angie Stocklin: After winning a Mira Award for Company Culture, we saw an increase in applications for our open positions. Part of winning the award and being in the news is that fresh faces get to hear and learn about One Click and what made us a winner. Getting to introduce our company and our brands to new people, new customers was really encouraging for us.

Since winning a Mira award, how has your company grown/transformed?

The biggest transformation that we’ve seen would be internally within our departments and the impact winning had on our team members. When we shared that we won the award, our team really carried with them an elevated sense of pride at being a part of One Click. We’ve always said that every single team member owns our culture and it’s because of them that we won the award for best culture..

What role do you feel winning the Mira award played in this growth/transformation?

Winning the Mira Award led to an increase of awareness for One Click and our brands (Readers.com, Sunglass Warehouse, and felix+iris) within the Indianapolis business community. That includes purchases too! Individuals were continually offering personal congratulations long after the awards ceremony. We even received numerous hand-written notes of congratulations from local partners, professionals and organizations.

What advice do you have for people considering applying for the Mira Awards this year? Is it worth it?

Applying for a Mira Award was one of the best things we could have done for our company. If you’re considering applying we strongly encourage you to do it! Something special about the amazing tech community that we have in Indianapolis is that you not only receive a ton of support, but even being a nominee truly puts you in a honored class with some of the best tech companies in the state.

How did you share the news of your win after the Mira Awards?

After winning the award, we were so excited to share the news with our team. Not only did we send out a company wide email, but we also bought a huge celebration cake for everyone. We also shared the news through all of our social media channels, as well as a press release that was sent to national outlets. Winning was news that we were so proud of and we were more than eager to share our excitement with everyone!

What does it mean to you and your team to be Mira Award winners?

Winning, especially for Company Culture of the Year, really meant the world to our team. The Mira Award combined with our other Best Places to Work awards, tells us that our culture is as strong as it has ever been. Being a Mira winner is also an affirmation that our people are winning and they feel valued and cared for. In return, our team members care for each other, which is awesome to see on a daily basis.

Some of our proudest moments come from seeing our team members, along with all of their friends and family, share our success and awards on their own personal social media accounts. This tells us that not only are our team members proud of our accomplishments, but they’re also sharing their One Click experiences with people that they care for. Referrals are our top source for job candidates, which is a direct reflection of how engaged our team members are and how they are excited to share our culture with the people in their lives.

What’s next for your company? How are things going?

There has never been a more exciting time to be a part of the One Click team and we believe that 2018 has the potential to be even more impactful. We have an amazing team that wants to be excellent and will do whatever it takes within our core values to be successful!

Learn more about One Click’s Company Culture of the Year Mira Award win and explore the upcoming 2018 Mira Awards.