Discover the secrets to happier employees in this week's edition of Happy Office Hour, powered by Brand Sauce. Packed with industry insights, hot new products for your company store, and valuable tips to make your office happier—while making your company culture the envy of your industry.

A Dash of Industry Insights

Industry Headlines, Insights, Data & Events

📊 Employee Appreciation Day: Invented by Dr. Bob Nelson, Employee Appreciation Day is the one opportunity to show your employees you care. How are you celebrating your employees on March 7th?

🖨️ First-Ever POD Conference: STAHLS' hosted an exceptional inaugural event highlighting how Print on Demand delivers wins for the environment, employees, and businesses alike. Thanks to Jayson Tompkins and the team for the valuable industry insights!

✨ Brand Sauce Rebrand Coming Soon: Our design team, led by Ian Kilpatrick, has been crafting an exciting new visual identity that better reflects our innovative approach to branded swag and merchandise. The preview mockups have us thrilled to share this refresh with our community soon!

🎂Turn Personal Milestones into Cultural Wins: Birthdays offer a unique opportunity to recognize each employee as an individual, not just a team member. Reply to this email with "birthday" to receive our playbook on setting up an effortless, impactful program.

Marketing Sauce

From Free T-Shirts to $200M Empire: The Hormozi Growth Hack Your Brand is Missing

From a single gym in 2013 to a $200M+ empire under Acquisition.com, Alex and Leila Hormozi have built their success on executing fundamentals that others overlook. With 7.8M+ followers and 200,000+ book sales, they've mastered the art of leveraging small opportunities for exponential growth.

The video showcases one of these brilliant tactics: how Alex transformed free branded t-shirts into hundreds of 5-star reviews overnight, while simultaneously turning gym-goers into walking billboards for his business.

This isn't just about t-shirts—it's about creating strategic win-wins where your branded merchandise drives measurable business outcomes beyond awareness.

What could your company accomplish if your branded merch wasn't just swag, but a conversion tool?

Words of Wisdom

Quote of the Week

Product Spotlight

“One-Stop Shop” and Beyond

This order showcases exactly why teams trust Brand Sauce for all their branded needs. Whether it's safety equipment for your field teams, office essentials for headquarters, tech accessories for remote workers, or premium apparel for gifts - our platform handles it all with the same streamlined experience.

No minimum orders. No vendor juggling. No hassle. Just exactly what you need, when you need it.

Why manage multiple vendors when you can consolidate everything in one place with zero compromise on quality or selection?

Client Spotlight

Client Spotlight: GPI

Meet GPI - Engineering Excellence Through Innovation

For over 15 years, GPI has delivered innovative, sustainable solutions across a diverse project portfolio. Their success isn't built on strategy alone, but on a visionary philosophy that values their greatest asset: their people. By empowering employees to perform beyond expectations and fostering genuine teamwork, GPI has created a culture where quality and commitment drive every decision.

A Brand Sauce Partnership: Upcoming Employee Appreciation Day Pop Up Shop

We've partnered with GPI to create a custom Employee Appreciation Day Pop Up Shop launching on March 7th. This innovative approach will give their team members the freedom to select a gift they truly want, perfectly aligning with GPI's people-first philosophy. By prioritizing choice and quality, GPI is demonstrating their commitment to meaningful employee recognition.

The Anticipated Impact

🤝 Partner with GPI

Interested in connecting with GPI? I'm happy to make an introduction - reach out at Ross@BrandSauce.io.

🚀 Join the GPI Team

GPI continues to grow and is looking for talented professionals to join their exceptional team. Explore current opportunities here.

Weekend Update

Around the Water Cooler With Ross aka The P.O.D. Guy

Seven years ago, I had a vision.

I believed that all company stores should be print on demand (POD)—no more carrying inventory, no more outrageous prices for a terrible service. The idea seemed obvious to me, but convincing others? That was the real challenge.

Somehow, I managed to get Ian Kilpatrick and Jason Eastwood on board for this wild ride. We set out to build an app that would house millions of products—all of them POD.

In the early days, not many people took me seriously. Some saw the vision, but I’m pretty sure most thought I was crazy. Yet, there were a few who believed in me, and that meant everything. A huge thank you to Christopher Robbins, Mike Fullerton, Michael Duke, BASI, Jason Lucash, Michael Szymczak, Blake Burroughs, Dan Freismuth—you all have no idea how much your support meant in those crucial early days.

Fast forward to this week: I had the incredible opportunity to attend the first-ever Print On Demand conference, hosted by STAHLS'​. They put on an amazing event, and I’m grateful to Jayson Tompkins and everyone involved for the invite.

For many, it was a chance to connect with old and new friends. For me, it was something bigger—validation.

That “crazy” idea from seven years ago? It’s now a reality.

Entrepreneurship is tough. You get punched in the face daily, then wake up and do it all over again. But today, I have a supporting cast—and now, this POD community is my new tribe.

Together, we’re changing the world in a major way: better for the environment, better for employees, and better for businesses.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone I spent time with in Arizona this week. If I forgot to tag you, I apologize—writing this got me emotional, and I may or may not have tears in my eyes.

P.S. Thank you to Ned Specktor for introducing me to the promo industry.

Let’s keep building. 🚀