Grok Input:

This is my store. I am an employee owner at Winco. The beauty of that is that I have one store I work at, the Winco by the mall in Boise on Fairview and Milwalkie, but I have ownership in the results of all 140 Winco stores across the nation. I love working at winco because I know that I am earning ownership in the machine that I work at. Employee ownership is one of the greatest paths to financial success in my opinion. The time you put in, the effort is rewarded with ownership. The reason I talk about winco on my blog so much is because I want to drive more people to shop at winco wherever they are at. It helps me in the long run to promote the business. When you are an employee owner, you give yourself a raise every time you do something that helps the business be more profitable. As a manager in training, I am learning all about our processes and how we do things. I am learning how to set up the store for success, and the whole time I get to support our customers when they are on the sales floor. I get to help people find what they are looking for and direct them to new products or offerings. It is a ton of fun and I am loving it. It feels good to have a career that I am passionate about and a company that I am looking forward to being a part of. If you don't have something that excites you about where you work, it may be time to look for a change. If your results arent rewarded where you work, it may be time to look for a change. Where you invest your time every day is the second most important decision you make every day, right behind who your spouse is and if you are on the same page or not. Don't let life just happen to you, go out and create the future that you want to live in. Sometimes that means starting at the bottom and working your way up. I started working at winco doing the night shift as a freight stocker, and was blessed to be chosen for this manager in training role. I'm not where I want to be yet, but I am well on my way to building that future, and I am excited about it. I hope that you are excited about your role and life as well!

Grok Output:

Hey, Life with Justin Stephens community! Justin here, with a journal entry on my experiences at WinCo and why it's such a game-changer. As we document this journey through personal finance, success, business, sales, and marketing, today's update highlights the power of employee ownership and service. This is my store. I am an employee owner at WinCo. The beauty of that is that I have one store I work at, the WinCo by the mall in Boise on Fairview and Milwaukee, but I have ownership in the results of all 140 WinCo stores across the nation. I love working at WinCo because I know that I am earning ownership in the machine that I work at. Employee ownership is one of the greatest paths to financial success in my opinion. The time you put in, the effort is rewarded with ownership. The reason I talk about WinCo on my blog so much is because I want to drive more people to shop at WinCo wherever they are at. It helps me in the long run to promote the business. When you are an employee owner, you give yourself a raise every time you do something that helps the business be more profitable. As a manager in training, I am learning all about our processes and how we do things. I am learning how to set up the store for success, and the whole time I get to support our customers when they are on the sales floor. I get to help people find what they are looking for and direct them to new products or offerings. It is a ton of fun and I am loving it. It feels good to have a career that I am passionate about and a company that I am looking forward to being a part of. If you don't have something that excites you about where you work, it may be time to look for a change. If your results aren't rewarded where you work, it may be time to look for a change. Where you invest your time every day is the second most important decision you make every day, right behind who your spouse is and if you are on the same page or not. Don't let life just happen to you; go out and create the future that you want to live in. Sometimes that means starting at the bottom and working your way up. I started working at WinCo doing the night shift as a freight stocker, and was blessed to be chosen for this manager in training role. I'm not where I want to be yet, but I am well on my way to building that future, and I am excited about it. I hope that you are excited about your role and life as well!

Reflections: Ownership and Passion in Action

This setup at WinCo reinforces why employee ownership excites me—it's not just a job; it's building something bigger. The customer interactions add fulfillment, reminding me how service ties into marketing and relationships.

Why This Matters for Your Journey

Experiences like this show how choosing rewarding work (with ownership) boosts finance (equity growth), success (career trajectory), and life (passion in daily grind). It's a reminder to seek roles that align with your values.

At Life with Justin Stephens, we share raw Journal Entries like this, alongside Point of View stories, Life Strategy tips, Resources, and Great Causes to inspire your path in finance, business, sales, marketing, and beyond.

Call to Action: Subscribe at justindcstephens.com for daily motivation. If you're in Boise, stop by the Fairview store, and comment: What's one thing you love about your job?

P.S. Tomorrow, a Point of View post from an ESOP expert on ownership benefits. Stay tuned!

To your success,
Justin Stephens