OUR FOUNDING STORY
Why We Exist
For too many, the modern workplace feels… broken. It’s that gnawing feeling of disconnection, the quiet hum of burnout, the heavy weight of misalignment that makes even the most passionate work feel soul-crushing. We see the headlines: "The Great Resignation," "Quiet Quitting," "Work-Life Balance," and "Burnout..." but these aren't just headlines. They are symptoms of a deeper problem, a fundamental disconnect eating away at the heart of organizations and the careers within them.
Clarence Maur (Bongalos) saw this disconnect grow over two decades as a business leader. Initially, his path seemed clear: leverage a passion for business and marketing to build a cutting-edge marketing agency. He saw marketing as a powerful force, capable of driving change, intrinsically linked with leadership and strategy. Yet, even with this passion, something felt incomplete. Differentiating in a crowded agency landscape was a challenge, but the bigger unease stemmed from a deeper calling he couldn't quite articulate yet.
Parallel to marketing, Clarence was undeniably drawn to leadership. He sought out roles where he could guide and influence, investing intentionally in developing this crucial skill. Through years in the trenches, he experienced the profound, tangible impact a leader has on the people around them–the inspiration from the great ones, and the demoralization from the bad ones. So, early in his career, he made a commitment to always strive to be the kind of leader people deserved.
The last decade of societal changes, amplified by the seismic shifts of the global pandemic, brought the workplace crisis into sharp, undeniable focus.
It wasn't just a shortage of good leaders; it was an epidemic of misalignment that poisoned culture from the inside out. The frustration, the burnout, the mass exodus–this wasn't just about benefits or paychecks. It was about people wanting to feel valued, connected, and aligned in their work and within their organizations.
The marketing agency vision suddenly felt… insufficient. While crucial, marketing alone couldn't fix the foundational rot of a misaligned culture. Clarence realized the critical need wasn't just another voice in the marketing crowd, but a powerful force dedicated to solving the culture crisis itself–the root cause of so much organizational (and socioeconomic) pain and stagnation.
This realization was the spark. And as the concept for the firm took shape, its name emerged organically. Maur – Clarence's middle name, pronounced "more"–perfectly captured the driving force behind this new mission. It embodied his innate desire to always pursue more for himself, pushing boundaries and seeking deeper impact. Crucially, it also reflected his dedication to helping others pursue more in their own careers and within their organizations. The Maur Company is, in essence, The More Company–founded on the conviction that businesses and the people within them are capable of achieving dramatically more given the right foundations.
We were born not out of a desire to offer cookie-cutter solutions, but out of a deep-seated need to address the true, hidden problems holding businesses and people back. We believe the key to unlocking this "more" lies in a radical, human-centric approach: bringing leadership, marketing, and strategy into powerful, magnetic alignment, recognizing that people are the essential linchpin connecting them all.
We exist to help you build an aligned, human-centric culture where businesses and careers don't just survive, but truly flourish and achieve more.