Team Member Spotlight - Jenny Sorheim

Name and when you joined Lean Technologies:

Jenny Sorheim?

• We started Lean Technologies in 2003.
• I became an official part-time employee in January of 2006.

What is your role at Lean Tech and what does a typical day look like for you?

As co-owner, I get the joy of dreaming up Lean Technologies with Scott and our team.? It has been fun to see nothing turn into something after 21 years.? For my employment side, I do all things money; invoicing customers, paying bills, bookkeeping, and taking care of our team with paychecks and benefits.? In 2024 my role expanded in the area of marketing which adds creativity and strategy to my plate and has made my once part-time role currently turn into “almost full-time”.? My least favorite part of my job is dealing with tax obligations and anything legal, but someone’s gotta deal with it and I get to be that someone!

What aspects of our culture do you find most rewarding or unique?

Our awesome team is what makes the work we do so rewarding.? Our people truly want to help and are problem-solvers with can-do attitudes who genuinely want to serve our customers.? It is rewarding to get constant referrals from customers spreading the Thrive Love which makes us feel like the work we do matters in making people’s work lives easier and more effective.?

What is a project you’ve worked on that you are proud of?

?Overall, I am amazed I can even do basic accounting because this is not what I was trained in or ever dreamed I would be doing with my work-life.? When we were boot-strapping and it was just Scott and me, out of necessity I needed to take this role.? I read the book “Accounting for Dummies” back in 2006 and hit the ground running.? Now I have been in charge of the books for 18 years, so I think I (kind of) know what I am doing by now and I really do love all of my bookkeeping tasks!?

What do you love about Thrive?

I remember back when Scott was in the early days of coding Thrive in our basement and I said, “Is anyone ever going to use this thing?” And Scott very confidently said, “Yes they will, and it will be amazing!”? He was right (as he usually is), and the ironic thing is that I even use Thrive daily in my role at Lean Tech.? When a custom project is requested by a customer, we create that project in Thrive, and I use Thrive to track the invoicing process for that project. ? I have Thrive reports and notifications that help me stay on top of recurring invoicing tasks, follow up and communicate on projects.? Thrive creates clear communication with our team on any given project we are working on which is also one of the many things manufacturing teams love about Thrive.??

If you could trade jobs with someone for a day (and be proficient at it) would you want to try?

If I could be good at it?? I would love to work with apes at a zoo as some sort of trainer or handler–if that’s even a real job. In real life, I do not have the patience or stamina for this!????

Another job (that is more attainable) that seems enjoyable to me is professional lawn mowing.? ?I would enjoy seeing progress, making something beautiful, and being outside. I get to do this in my own yard for free!?

Outside of work, what are your hobbies or interests?

I love to hang out with my four kids and Scott doing anything, but especially love spending time with them outdoors.?Traveling with my family will take us skiing, camping, beaching, or visiting some museums.? I enjoy spending time watching our kids in all of their school and dance activities.? We embrace every chance we get to cheer them on in whatever they want to try.? I also love to learn, serve, and grow in my faith with my local church and friends as a disciple of Christ.?

Any other tidbits of interesting aspects/facts about you or your life that maybe someone wouldn't know or would be surprised to learn?

Before Kids and Lean Tech, I was a teacher and spent 5 years teaching fourth grade. Now I occasionally substitute teach. Teaching is my happy place!?

I spent 9 years homeschooling my 4 kids in their elementary years which was a gift to get to do. I’m now “retired” from that role and am enjoying more time working for Lean Tech this season.

?I love parrots and have two budgies that give us a great outdoor feel inside the house with their singing all day long.? My long-term goal was to get them super tame, but the reality is (as I said before with the apes) - I don’t have the patience or stamina for that!

I serve on the Board of Directors of an amazing non-profit, Many Hands. Many Hands provides structure for sustainable programs to improve the lives of those that have so little by creating economic engines in their communities. I have a passion for the mission of this organization to improve the lives of people in Haiti and the Bahamas. Looking for an effective, Jesus-centered organization that facilitates lasting change? Check them out! www.mh4h.org