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How These Entrepreneurs Use Feedback and Honesty to Build a Thriving Business Feedback can be an incredible tool to help your business grow.

By Rose Leadem

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

One of the best ways to grow, in business and life, is through feedback from the people around you. At least that's what helps co-founders Matthew Michaelson and Calvin Bohn of Smalls, a company that creates cat food using human-grade ingredients.

Related: 5 Steps for Giving Productive Feedback

In the video, Michaelson shares why he and Bohn prioritize open communication, criticism and feedback from one another in order to foster a growth environment. And even as they scale and hire more employees, this will continue to be a priority for them.

"When we have folks join us, I think the number one thing we can do is lead by example," Michaelson explains in the video. "Calvin and I have a weekly meeting where we air our grievances. We'll continue to do that with folks on our team -- carve out time for them to give us upward feedback and for us to give them feedback too."

Related: 4 Ways Co-Working Spaces Inspire Innovation and Collaboration

By setting aside a certain time to let people share their opinions, Michaelson believes that people will feel more comfortable being honest and critical to one another in the workplace.

To learn more about Michaelson and Bohn's approach to business, click play.

This video was shot at Pilotworks.

Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for Entrepreneur.com. 

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