Planning Library · Northstar OS · Part 2
Our standards.
Values state what we believe. Standards translate them into what we do — the observable bar for a market, a room, and a team. Part 2 of the Northstar OS. Refreshed annually and relaunched at kickoff.
Marketplace · LiveBrand · LivePerformance · Staged (Phase C)
Marketplace & Program ▸ HOW WE BUILD THE PRODUCT & VIEW QUALITY
How we run the market, cafe, and programming.
Outcome. A great Groundworks means more dollars in the hands of Salinas & Pajaro Valley farmers, and a room the neighborhood actually shows up to.
| The principle | The standard |
|---|---|
| Farmer-first pricing. | We pay above wholesale on every SKU sourced from Salinas & Pajaro Valley growers. Farmer payout share of COGS is reported monthly and never drops below [65%]. |
| Access is not a phase. | CalFresh / EBT is live on day one and matched dollar-for-dollar up to [$10] per visit. No 'we'll add it later.' |
| Seasonality drives the menu. | Cafe and market SKUs rotate on the growing calendar — not the marketing calendar. Any out-of-season staple carries a written reason. |
| Programming with intent. | Every event has a stated purpose, a named host, and a follow-up email within 48 hours. Events without a purpose don't run. |
| Hospitality memory. | Counter staff know two things about every repeat customer within a month of them becoming a regular. Regulars are recognized by name. |
Brand & Community ▸ HOW WE PRESENT OURSELVES TO CUSTOMERS & THE WORLD
How we present ourselves to farmers, guests, and the coast.
Outcome. Our brand is the collective work of the farmers, cooks, and neighbors who make this room possible. We amplify them — we don't sit on top of them.
| The principle | The standard |
|---|---|
| Farmers are the hero. | Growers get named on the board, on receipts, and on social. Groundworks' logo never covers a farm's name. |
| Culture in agriculture — never talk down. | We speak to farmworkers and guests with the same register we'd use with a foundation program officer. No 'foodie' condescension. Ever. |
| Bilingual by default. | Signage, menus, and any customer-facing form are English + Spanish at launch. Staff-facing docs follow within [90 days]. |
| Plan in public. | The planning library stays open and shareable. Concepts are for stealing. If someone runs with an idea before we do, we take that as evidence it should exist. |
| We welcome everyone. | Doors open to CalFresh users, farmworker families, chefs, and out-of-town visitors on the same terms. Any policy that filters the room gets escalated to the board. |
Performance ▸ HOW WE WORK TOGETHER & REWARD OUR PEOPLE
How we work together and reward our people.
Outcome. We run a serious operation on a small team. Honest numbers, real feedback, pay tied to outcomes.
| The principle | The standard |
|---|---|
| Honest numbers. | Forecast vs. actual is graded plainly on /financials. Misses are named and explained — never spun. |
| Books close on time. | Month-end closes within [7 business days]. Dashboards refresh every Friday and are reviewed at the Monday standup. |
| Feedback lives in 1:1s. | Every direct report gets a weekly 1:1 with the playbook on /onetoones. No annual-review-only feedback; nothing important waits for a review cycle. |
| Pay tracks outcomes. | Bonus is graded via /bonusplan against Individual × Company WhyGos. Targets set at annual planning, graded at QBR, approved by the board. |
| Standards apply to the founder first. | The ED is held to these standards by the board chair before anyone else on the team is. Founder self-exception is a fireable pattern. |
Performance standards are written now so the bar is set before the first paid hires arrive. They activate in Phase C alongside /onetoones and /bonusplan.
Ground rules
How this stays useful.
- Living document. Refreshed annually alongside Part 1 and relaunched at company kickoff.
- Everyone gets access. Staff, board, and advisors all read from the same page.
- Principles short & memorable. If you can't say it in one sentence, it's not a principle yet.
- Standards are observable. A standard names a bar you can point at from across the room — a percentage, a timeline, a behavior.
- Not every standard needs a metric. Attach a number where it clarifies. Don't invent one to look rigorous.
- Founder is graded first. The ED is held to these standards by the board chair before anyone else on the team is.
Related
See also.
- /northstar — Part 1: purpose, direction, progress
- /founderrole — CEO responsibility #3: Standards
- /bonusplan — how standards flow into compensation
- /onetoones — where feedback against standards happens
- /ops — the operational playbook that enforces the bar
- /governance — where the ED is graded against these standards