We sell fun and we love nothing more than sending a customer out the door stoked, delighted, and having gotten more than they expected. We're all about creating long-term relationships with our customers and we achieve that by delivering delight with every interaction.

•  Working relentlessly to find the best outcome for our customers

•  Staff are sharing information, passion, and resources with our customers and welcoming them into the Next Adventure family.

•  Smiling because we genuinely love stoking out our customers, not because it says to on page 14 of the employee manual.

•  Are all of my customer and staff interactions creating a healthy, respectful long-term relationship?

•  Did I create a win-win for everyone?

•  Did I under-promise and over-deliver?

Kaizen is a Japanese word that means "finding joy in the pursuit of excellence" or "enthusiasm and satisfaction in improvement". We foster the value of Kaizen from the first day an employee joins Next Adventure. It's a hunger for more, an unwillingness to settle for "good enough". The line between being good and being excellent is very thin and we are committed to finding every opportunity to go that extra distance. We think our customers notice the difference.

•  Staff displaying a hunger for learning and growth – a natural, innate curiosity.

•  Asking questions more than making statements.

•  Bringing in new ideas from the outside – always thinking of ways to improve the business, even in your time off.

•  How can I improve my team? What can we do better today?

•  Am I making it easier, better, and more efficient, not just for me, but for my teammates and our customers?

•  When I see something that doesn't work well, do I ignore it, or dig in to find a better way?

At Next Adventure, we believe that EVERYONE should have access to the benefits of outdoor adventure. There are a lot of barriers out there: financial, cultural, not knowing where to go, dodgy gear ... and more subtle barriers like not feeling welcome in the outdoors, or even safe. Next Adventure exists to "Inform, Outfit, Excite" and we work hard to make our stores welcoming to everyone: BIPOC folks, LGBTQ+ folks, all body types, people for whom English isn't their first language, people with disabilities, older folks ... in short, everyone.

•  Genuinely listening to our customers to find out how we can best serve them.

•  Seeing the possibilities rather than the limitations

•  Taking personal satisfaction in helping people get what they need to enjoy the outdoors

•  Do I work hard to stay awake to my own biases and challenge them when they arise?

•  Whose needs am I focusing on, my own, or my customers'?

•  Do I genuinely serve every customer equally, regardless of gender, race, experience level, attitude, etc.?

Fear is just another force of nature and challenging it on a regular basis builds strength and confidence. At Next Adventure, we value taking well-calculated risks. We strive to create an environment where employees can think big, be bold, and challenge themselves.

•  Pushing yourself, trying new things, and not stopping at "good enough".

•  Diving into difficult conversations headfirst, knowing that often the only way out, is through.

•  Getting out of your own way by being willing to drop your agenda and ego when that better serves the greater good.

•  Am I really pushing myself? Could I do more?

•  What makes me uncomfortable and what can I learn from that?

•  What risk did I take today to make positive change?

At Next Adventure, we hold ourselves to the standard of being reasonable, ethical, and balanced, with each other and with our customers. We embrace the power of "and." So often we're presented with the choice "Do you want this, or do you want that?" but we believe that with a thoughtful, balanced approach, you can have both. We can have fun AND be productive. We can be generous with our customers and community AND be profitable. We can have clearly defined policies AND have the flexibility to do the right thing.

•  Being willing to step back, see all sides, and accept different perspectives.

•  Meeting people where they are and putting yourself in their shoes.

•  Always striving to do the right thing, no matter how uncomfortable that is for you personally.

•  Am I creating a culture where my staff know I won't ask them to do anything unethical?

•  Am I providing balanced solutions that make sense for the company, the customer, and myself?

•  Am I asking my staff to do tasks I would not be willing to do myself?

If you've ever spent more than a couple of minutes in one of our stores, you noticed that we do things a little differently. We do more, with less. We follow our customers' needs rather than "outdoor industry norms." We feel an urgency about getting our customers the gear that they need to do amazing things outdoors at a price they can afford. Basically, we find a way, even when it looks impossible. If you've never seen an episode of the 1980's TV show "MacGyver," Google it and you’ll see what we mean!

•  Using all of the resources available to make something work, in the face of difficult odds.

•  Never being a victim of circumstance.

•  Looking at challenges simply as a puzzle to be figured out.

•  Have I exhausted every possible option?

•  Did I enjoy the process of solving problems today?

•  Have I challenged all of my assumptions about what can be done to solve this problem?

Next Adventure is all about building human connections with our customers, with our staff, and with our community. We build open and honest relationships through good communication, authenticity, and genuine goodwill. We empower our team to start from a place of compassion and always do the right thing. We strive to see our customers, colleagues, vendors, and partners as people first. "Inform, Outfit, Excite" is more than just a tagline. It's what we love doing.

•  Listening more than talking. Using inquiry before advocacy.

•  Worrying less about my own goals than helping others achieve theirs.

•  Supporting a wide range of community helping organizations.

•  Did I employ the campsite rule: did I leave it better than I found it?

•  Did I make a positive difference for someone in need today?

•  Did I sincerely suspend judgement and see things from the perspectives of others today?

There is a built-in paradox to the outdoor industry: the lightweight, high-tech gear we use to explore the outdoors is often manufactured overseas, and getting it into your backpack here creates a large carbon footprint. For the moment, there is no perfect solution to this challenge but we are committed to finding every way possible to reduce the impact. Next Adventure has been "recycling" used outdoor gear through our Bargain Basement for almost a quarter-century in Portland. There is more work to do here and we are committed to making progress every year.

•  Volunteering in clean up efforts at our favorite trails, rivers, campsites, etc.

•  Supporting local conservation groups with money, time and/or donations.

•  Spreading our love of the outdoors and inspiring others to appreciate and respect natural places

•  Am I regularly challenging my assumptions about what can be done to reduce our impacts?

•  Am I living a "leave no trace" ethic in my life and work?

•  Am I constantly looking for opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle?

Whether it's paddling a raft through Class IV rapids on the Rogue River, climbing a Cascade peak in a roped team, splitboarding Mt. Hood with a group of friends, or running a complex business, every voice matters and you must sincerely listen to your teammates to succeed. You want people on your team who truly care about others, respect you, believe in you, and have your back when the going gets tough. It's the journey that's important, not just the destination, and getting there together is what really matters.

•  Actively listening and stretching to see things from other perspectives.

•  Speaking up when you feel strongly – trust that your ideas will be heard, considered, and respected.

•  When it comes to improving Next Adventure, anyone can talk to anyone, about anything, at any time.

•  Whose perspective am I forgetting to consider when making important decisions?

•  Am I creating a culture where everyone feels safe to speak up and go against the flow if needed?

•  Am I practicing "inquiry before advocacy?" every day?

Next Adventure is "your alternative outdoor store." Our stores are like us: quirky and unpretentious. We serve the professional snowboarder and the grandmother needing a raincoat to take her grandkids to the playground with equal enthusiasm and genuine interest. The "Next Adventure Way" is to be welcoming, fun-loving, and authentic. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we are serious about serving the adventure needs of our customers.

•  Do I genuinely celebrate the beautiful diversity of our customers and staff?

•  Am I expressing my own individual style without hesitation?

•  Do I actively welcome others to be fully themselves?

•  Am I creating a safe space where people can be open, vulnerable, and authentically themselves?

•  Am I truly creating a welcoming environment for other staff and our customers?

•  Am I making genuine human connections with customers, coworkers, and community members?