Bonusly not only allows people to be recognized—it gives everyone context about what’s happening across the company. It reminds us that 50 people are working just as hard as you are, even if you don’t see it day-to-day.
Skratch Labs began with a simple but powerful observation: athletes perform best when foundational needs—like proper nutrition and social support—are met. Co-founders Ian MacGregor and Dr. Allen Lim experienced that firsthand during their professional cycling days, when their homemade “secret drink mix” quickly became the only fuel teammates trusted, and today is a leading sports nutrition company for endurance athletes.
That same ethos—solving for what really matters—carries into how Skratch approaches company culture today.
“When we grew rapidly years ago, we realized we needed to be intentional about how we worked together,” recalls Ian. “We gathered the whole team and asked: who are we at our best, and who are we at our worst? Out of that came our core values. They’re not aspirational or inspirational—they’re agreements for how we treat each other. And they haven’t changed.”
Scaling culture without losing the magic
Skratch adopted Bonusly in 2019 after Ian saw it in action at another founder-led business known for its strong culture. Ian recalls that seeing how the company used Bonusly made it clear why their culture was so effective, and he wanted to bring that approach to Skratch.
As Skratch grew beyond 20 employees, visibility became a challenge. “Once you get past a certain size, you lose the ability to just implicitly know what everyone else is working on,” Ian explains. “There’s a human tendency to overweight your own contributions and underweight what others are doing—not out of malice, but just because you don’t see it.”
Bonusly helps bridge that gap. Through the Slack integration, recognition becomes impossible to miss.
“It shines a light on moments outside your direct team,” Ian says. “That not only allows people to be recognized, it gives everyone context about what’s happening across the company. It reminds us that 50 people are working just as hard as you are, even if you don’t see it day-to-day.”
Reinforcing behaviors that matter
Because Bonusly ties recognition to Skratch’s values, it reinforces the exact behaviors Ian and his leadership want to scale. “It allows us to say high five, good job, when people do the things we want them to do,” Ian explains.
A recent example came from Skratch’s field events team. “We had teammates spend three days executing a big consumer-facing event, the Leadville 100,” Ian recalls. “I didn’t even realize they were there until I saw the recognition. Not only was it like, wow, they did an amazing job—but also, wow, I didn’t even know they were doing that work. Bonusly is a neat way to bring that day-to-day hard work to the surface.”
Recognition for leaders, too
For Ian personally, Bonusly provides something less visible but equally meaningful: feedback.
“As a leader, it can be lonely,” he shares. “I communicate to the company weekly, but you don’t always know if it’s landing. Bonusly gives people a place to say thank you for something that worked, and that feedback helps me adjust. It’s valuable to know what’s resonating.”
He notes that recognition acts as a practical leadership tool. Seeing what the team chooses to recognize helps Ian spot which messages and priorities are taking hold across the organization. It offers a pulse check on culture in real time, without relying on surveys or assumptions. “It helps me get more consistent feedback on what’s working,” Ian says. “And from there, you can also extrapolate what might not be working.”
The Bonusly effect at Skratch Labs
Six years in, Bonusly remains a fixture at Skratch because it enables a culture of trust and accountability.
Scaling is really hard because it’s so easy to lose the magic,” Ian says. “What Bonusly has done for us is help bring our culture to the forefront, so we can scale without losing what worked so well previously.”
For Skratch, that means a company where values are lived daily, behaviors are visible across teams, and employees stay connected to what matters most: performance. Just as Ian learned that athletes perform best when their basic needs are met, Skratch applies the same principle to its people: when employees have the right tools and ample visibility, they can do their best work.
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