Owl Things Considered: Issue 1

Hello, I'm Erica Beyea - Lead Customer Success Owl at KnowledgeOwl.

This is the first issue of Owl Things Considered, a periodic newsletter. 

In each issue, I'll share content that aims to make life better for you, your teammates, your customers, and your communities, such as: 

• Educational content about knowledge management 

• Stories of people or organizations that inspire us to do good 

• Behind the scenes views of how KnowledgeOwl does good 

• Other warm fuzzy content to make your day a bit brighter

I hope these newsletters will spark some inspiration in you!

'Inside the golden days of missing you', oil on canvas, 24" x 36", Erica Beyea, 2025 

This month's riddle 

What is an owl's favorite Dolly Parton song? 

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to find out! 

Knowledge management tips: put your customer first in your sentences

Marcia Riefer Johnston wrote a fantastic article that provides clear and practical advice on how to put the customer first in your sentences. 

I honestly think about this article daily—its advice guides my writing, whether I'm working on a newsletter, release notes, support docs, an email to a co-owl, or even an artist's statement! It shares great advice for any kind of writing. 

Also, the article mentions zombies! Who doesn't want to read about zombies?

An organization that inspires us 

We’ve long admired People-First Jobs (PFJ). They've single-handedly made a huge impact on the lives of so many workers in the world,

myself among them! 

PFJ promotes companies that treat their employees well. They only post job listings from companies that adhere to people-first values like autonomy, balance, flexibility, and transparency. 

I'm among the three owls who found out about KnowledgeOwl through PFJ! This has been a complete life-changer for me, and our company culture is so much richer due to PFJ connecting the right people with KnowledgeOwl. 

If you give your employees what they need to be happy, they’ll always produce better work. It isn't rocket science, but sadly, so many companies don't treat their employees like they're on the same side of the table. PFJ is trying to change that by highlighting companies that take good care of their people. 

They also have a great blog with some inspiring stories! 

How KnowledgeOwl gives a hoot 

A behind-the-scenes look at how we operate and strive to do good

KnowledgeOwl continually strives to contribute positively to the world. 

The company is run as democratically as possible, and everyone who works at KnowledgeOwl does their best to find new ways to make life better for our ourselves, our customers, and our communities. 

We have multiple programs to tell you about, but we'll start with one of the first ideas to improve the lives of our very own owls: 

KnowledgeOwl runs entirely on a 25-hour work week. It may sound like a completely wild idea, but it’s impressively effective. 

Our owls have great work-life balance, are super productive because they aren’t burnt out, and are never bored. 

As a small bootstrapped company, the 25-hour work week idea was born more out of necessity than inspiration, but it grew into being a core value of the company. 

You can learn more about what it’s like to run a company on a 25-hour work week from our CEO here, and you can read the perspective of a team member here. 

Dopamine dose 

Some warm fuzzies to brighten your day

^ My drawing from when I was 4 years old, of me and my dream dog. 

In each issue, I'll share a short list of things to add a little light to your day:

Song to smile to: 

"Me and My Arrow" by Harry Nilsson is a song about the writer's relationship with his dog, which any dog owner knows is the best relationship out there. I mean, I may be biased given my lifelong obsession with dogs (see photo above), but the vibe of this song is so cozy and nice it ought to bring a smile to any face! 

Cute animal alert: 

This cat walks his siblings to the school bus each day, even in the coldest of weather. 

❤️ Who we're giving to:

At KnowledgeOwl, we have a community commitment that we call 2% for People and Planet. 

We're a part of 1% for the Planet, and we also give another 1% to a charity of a different owl's choosing each month. It's a pretty cool program that lets us help many different people, in many different communities. 

If you're looking for some donation inspiration, you might think about giving to who we've given to recently (or starting a similar program at your company!): 

In January 2025, Lead Customer Support Owl Anne chose to give to the River Arts District Artists Foundation. 

“The River Arts District is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Asheville filled with old warehouses that were converted into hundreds of artist studios, many of which were completely destroyed in hurricane Helene. RADA Foundation has a hurricane relief fund that is helping with rebuild efforts and funding artists that have lost their art/supplies/studios.” 

– Anne 

In February 2025, I chose to give to Doctors Without Borders. 

“With so much conflict in the world lately, I wanted to give to an organization that helps anyone who needs it - regardless of politics.” 

– Erica 

Answer to the riddle:

An owl's favorite Dolly (D-owl-y?) Parton song is "I Will Owlways Love You". Owls also love Whitney Hoot-ston's cover of this song!

You can submit your owl puns to us by replying to this email, and we might feature it in our next issue! 

Hasta la próxima!

Thanks so much for reading Owls Things Considered! If you have any thoughts, questions, or ideas for the newsletter, please reach out to us at support@knowledgeowl.com. 

P.S. The painting at the top of this issue was created by me, Erica Beyea, Lead Customer Success Owl & Visu-owl artist!

Love, 

Erica, Ruf*, and the rest of KnowledgeOwl 

*world's best boy and my dream dog come to life