Our EPIC Culture: Enterprising & Positivity with Integrity & Clarity

In the fast-paced business world, where profit margins and market shares often take precedence, companies prioritising their company culture stand out. At Component Sense, our culture is as equally important as KPIs and revenue, and it shows up in how decisions actually get made.

We also know that many businesses often overlook its significance! Our ethos lies in our EPIC culture — an acronym that means that we are Enterprising and Positive and work with Integrity and clarity fo the Customer. 

For Kenny McGee, the founder and CEO of Component Sense, our EPIC company culture is more than just a set of values on paper. It is the very foundation upon which the company was built and the compass that guides every decision and action. But what does it mean to be EPIC at Component Sense?

Enterprising

To be enterprising is to be constantly seeking improvement and innovation. At Component Sense, this means fostering an environment where team members are encouraged to think outside the box, take calculated risks, and explore new avenues for growth. InPlant™, our embedded on-site inventory system, started as exactly that kind of idea, a calculated risk that grew into one of the ways we now help tier-one manufacturers recover value from excess stock. Being enterprising reaches beyond business processes into personal development too. We believe the company can only grow as much as our team members are willing to evolve.

Customers notice this trait too. Bob Siamro, at our InPlant™ partner Corning, once described the team as “not afraid to get boots on the ground quickly,” adding, “that's rare.” It's the kind of instinct we try to hire and reward for, not something we can manufacture after the fact.

Positive

Positivity is not only about mindset at Component Sense — it is a way of doing business. Whether interacting within the team or with customers, a positive attitude is at the forefront of every interaction. We understand that a positive work environment fosters creativity, collaboration, and ultimately, success.

Integrity and clarity

Integrity is the cornerstone of Component Sense's operations. We believe in doing what is right, even when no one is watching. This commitment to integrity extends to all aspects of the business, from ethical sourcing practices to transparent communication with customers and partners.  In practice, that means every component we redistribute is fully traceable back to a tier-one source and backed by a 12-month warranty, and when we take on a customer’s excess stock, we take all of it rather than cherry-picking the parts that are easiest to resell.

That transparency extends to how we price stock, too. As Grant Rutherford, our CTO, explains,

“By trusting us with data on your excess stock, we can bid on it based on your pricing, not just ours. If companies do not provide us with enough information, we must make an estimate and apply some caution with our cash offer. This can mean less money for our clients.”

The more openly a customer works with us, the more fairly we can value what they're selling.

Clarity ensures that everyone at Component Sense is on the same page. Clear communication, goals, and processes are crucial for success. By eliminating ambiguity and fostering a culture of transparency, we ensure that all team members understand their role in achieving the company's objectives. Consistent clarity also extends to our customer relationships, as we offer transparency and integrity in a so-called “grey” market. 

for the Customer

Officially, our EPIC values describe this as clarity for the customer and within the team, which turns EPIC from an internal culture statement into an external promise. When a customer asks how we can prove a component is genuine, or a seller asks what happens to their stock once we hand them a bid, EPIC is the standard we’re held to.

That promise is also why the business is built around long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions. Every sale carries a responsibility to handle a customer's stock properly rather than just move it, so treating each deal as the start of a relationship changes how the whole interaction is handled, from the first quote to the shipment itself.

But why did Kenny find it crucial to solidify and implement these EPIC values within Component Sense? Interestingly, he didn’t come up with the term EPIC himself! 

Instead, Kenny invited his team to collaborate on deciding upon and consolidating the company’s values. The team thought about the already existing company culture and came up with the term “EPIC” as a team! This initiative was inspired by Kenny’s visit to Zappos headquarters in Las Vegas, where he witnessed firsthand the power of a deeply ingrained company culture. 

Tony Hsieh, the former Zappos CEO who built the e-commerce giant’s famously strong culture, wrote about that experience in “Delivering Happiness,” and it made a lasting impression on Kenny. We send a copy of Hsieh’s book to every new recruit! The emphasis on culture in “Delivering Happiness” has shaped Kenny’s leadership style and become part of Component Sense’s DNA.

EPIC in Practice

Culture claims are easy to make and hard to verify. Component Sense is Great Place to Work-certified in the UK and pays the national living wage in Scotland, two independent signals that back up what we say about EPIC.

Being a lean team plays a part too. Fewer layers of approval mean decisions can move at the pace customers actually need, without losing the personal service that's meant to define EPIC in the first place.

Being EPIC is also an ongoing process. We believe personal development and adopting a positive mindset should be gradual. To achieve this, the company provides resources like boots and podcasts to aid team members in their self-improvement journey, ensuring they are ready to embrace our EPIC culture to its fullest.

That same commitment shows up in how new people join the company. Our internship programme gives graduates hands-on experience early in their careers, and building a genuinely gender-balanced team has been a deliberate, ongoing priority for us.

Join Our EPIC Team

If reading this sounds like the kind of place you’d want to work, that’s the point. Component Sense is a team of 30, small enough that EPIC is something every new hire experiences in their first few weeks rather than a value buried in a handbook. We’re always glad to hear from people who want to build a career around genuine sustainability and straightforward, honest work.

That team spans sales, growth, operations, and technology. Everyone on it plays a direct role in putting EPIC into practice day to day, rather than reading about it once during onboarding.

Our commitment to these values does not just influence Component Sense’s success. It creates a workplace where employees thrive and customers receive consistently exceptional service. As we continue to grow, one thing remains certain — our EPIC culture will continue to drive our journey towards excellence!