Not Your Typical Summer at Zoltun
Zoltun Design came alive every Monday this summer as our sons experienced job shadowing for the first time. Jake is 13 and Nate is 11. They are both good students and actively involved in soccer, volleyball, and band at DEW Middle School.
When Rick and I first proposed the idea of coming to work with us for the summer, they were fairly enthused, until they found out it meant getting up early as if they were headed to school. But after a few hours with us, they realized that they weren’t bored, and that they enjoyed being exposed to the creative atmosphere.
Our goals for their shadowing this summer were to:
1. Gain an understanding of what it’s like to own a small business
2. Hold a mock interview with each employee, discussing the role each plays
3. Capture the day-to-day happenings around the building on video
Even though they both have aspirations to go on to higher education after high school, we want them to experience our family business. Business ownership is both rewarding and challenging. Becoming a successful entrepreneur 
takes an extreme amount of discipline and dedication.
It was nice having Jake and Nate in the office with us. They observed how we work, and we observed our environment through their eyes. It came as no surprise that their favorite parts about coming to the south side were going someplace cool for lunch and playing Pokémon GO on the way to our lunch destinations. As we were walking the city streets we pointed out the interesting architecture of the buildings and street art.
When the boys were here, they taught us a lesson in not being serious all the time. Internal phone calls from them added some levity and got us laughing.
It’s difficult extracting kids from their electronics. Although the brain stimulation is profound from all of the evolving technology, we believe that good people skills are equally important. We want our kids to have technical skills and communication skills.
So, we had Jake and Nate hold mock interviews with each employee, asking the following questions. They narrowed it down to a few of their favorite answers:
Q: How long have you worked here?
A: Average 7.6 years
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: (Mark) Edinboro (the boys have been there for many soccer tournaments)
Q: What is your favorite thing about working for Zoltun Design?
A: The people and flexibility (the most common answer)
Q: How old were you when you decided what you wanted to do?
A: (Theresa) 13 (Mark) 12 (because those are closest to the boys’ ages)
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: (Tayler) Harry Potter
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory?
A: (Craig) Getting a Nintendo from my older brothers for Christmas
So, despite their discontent about getting up early Monday mornings, we gave our children a glimpse into owning a small design business.
Not unlike other kids, Jake and Nate live in a fast-paced world. We, as parents, try to keep up with it all. We honestly believe they teach us as much as we teach them.
We look forward to seeing what the future holds for the two youngest members of our Zoltun family and will continue to teach them about our business, early morning risings and all.
PS…There is a PokéStop right outside Zoltun Design’s front door. Come and check it out if you are in the neighborhood!