🎁 Weekly Giveaway Winner: Congratulations to Brenda Vega, training coordinator at Preston Companies, on winning our giveaway in last week's newsletter! A big thank you to everyone who participated. Missed your chance this time? Don't worry—this week, we're giving away a productivity journal from Spoke Customs.

📦 Walmart Testing Zipline Drove Delivery in Dallas: The world's largest drone delivery provider announced Tuesday that residents living within 2 miles of a Walmart Supercenter in the suburb of Mesquite are eligible for delivery of more than 65,000 items in 30 minutes or less. This video is worth checking out.

⛳️ Masters of Merchandise: Augusta National generated $70 million in apparel sales last year, all in less than a week.

🎂 Revolutionize Your Birthday Recognition: We've just released our first video revealing how to transform employee birthdays from forgettable moments to powerful culture-builders, and we're offering $100 in free merchandise credits, our exclusive playbook, and early video access to those who respond. Simply reply "BIRTHDAY" to claim your resources before all spots fill up!

Words of Wisdom

Quote of the Week

Looking at this Blanchard quote, I am struck by something that many companies miss…

The real reason to focus on employee happiness isn't some fuzzy "feel-good" metric – it's because satisfied employees create satisfied customers, and satisfied customers drive profit.

Too many organizations still see employee engagement programs as a cost center rather than the profit driver they truly are. They'll spend thousands acquiring customers but pennies maintaining their most valuable asset – the people who serve those customers.

The HR Corner

The Dinner Party: A Tale of Onboarding

Imagine you've been invited to a dinner party at the home of someone you've only met briefly. You've heard great things about them, and after a few conversations, you’ve accepted their invitation with excitement.

The day arrives. You knock on the door, dressed nicely, perhaps holding a bottle of wine. But after a quick "come in," your host disappears into the kitchen, leaving you standing awkwardly in the entryway. You don't know where to put your coat. You don't know if you should sit down. You certainly don't know any of the other guests who are chatting comfortably in small groups.

Someone eventually notices you're lost and gestures toward a stack of papers on a side table: "Oh, you should probably fill those out first. House rules. And then sign the guest book."

Sound appealing? Of course not. Yet this is exactly how most companies handle onboarding.

Here's what strikes me as bizarre: Companies spend thousands, sometimes tens of thousands recruiting top talent. They craft compelling job descriptions, conduct multiple rounds of interviews, make competitive offers, negotiate benefits...

And then day one arrives, and they essentially abandon their new hire at the doorstep.

❗️Only 12% of U.S. employees believe their company has a satisfactory onboarding process. Think about that. The other 88% are essentially left standing awkwardly in the entryway, wondering if they made the right decision.

No wonder 20% of new hires quit within the first 45 days.

The best dinner party hosts know that the welcome is everything. They greet you warmly, take your coat, offer a drink, introduce you to others, and make connections between guests. They don't just invite you in, they integrate you.

This is exactly what great onboarding should do.

👉 At Brand Sauce, we help companies transform their onboarding from paperwork into welcome experiences. From custom welcome kits to personalized digital touchpoints, we ensure new hires feel valued from day one.

Because the bar is remarkably low. When your company creates an exceptional first impression, people notice. People work harder. People refer their friends.

It's not just about getting people through the door. It's about making them never want to leave.

Print on Demand for Internships

Swag Powered Internship Program: Ardurra’s Welcome Package

Our client Ardurra recently reached out to help them elevate their summer internship program. We put together a collection of eco-friendly branded products that their interns would actually love and value. The concept? Each intern gets to choose one gift before they start - creating excitement and personal connection from day one.

If your company is running a summer internship program, this is a perfect way to welcome new talent and instantly make them feel part of the team. The custom selection we created for Ardurra included sustainable tech accessories, premium apparel options, and practical everyday items - all branded with their logo and all eco-conscious. You can see an example of the products we curated for their internship program below.

Interested? We can create a pop-up shop for you featuring 9 carefully curated products. The best part? You can rotate these 9 products at any point throughout the year to keep your program fresh and exciting. A pop-up shop is the best way to get started - it only costs $100/year and you only pay for products you actually buy. No hidden fees, no minimum quantities, and no wasted inventory.

👉 To learn more about pop-up shop options, click here.

Weekly Supplier Spotlight

Spoke Custom: Personalization Masters

Meet Spoke Custom

With roots dating back to the early 1970s through parent company PCNA, Spoke Custom brings over 50 years of industry expertise to the print-on-demand space. They've spent decades perfecting their processes and developing state-of-the-art technology to deliver personalized products with unmatched quality and speed.

What truly sets Spoke Custom apart is their commitment to deep personalization without minimum order requirements. Most suppliers require minimum orders of 24, 48, or even 100+ items, but Spoke Custom will produce as little as one single customized piece – making them perfect for special recognition items, executive gifts, or personalized onboarding kits.

Product of the Week: Vienna Hard Bound Journal Book

This week, we're highlighting Spoke Custom's Vienna Hard Bound Journal Book ($22 MSRP) – an elegant 5" x 7" notebook. This soft-touch, hard-cover journal features a built-in elastic closure, color-matching elastic pen loop, and ribbon page marker.

This journal offers the perfect canvas for your company logo while providing functionality your team and clients will appreciate. The Vienna Journal makes an ideal welcome gift for new hires, a thoughtful client appreciation item, or a premium addition to your company store.

🤝 Partner with Spoke Custom

Interested in adding Spoke Custom products to your company store? Please let us know—reach out at [email protected].

‼️Swag Giveaway

Email us "SPOKE" and we'll select one lucky winner to receive the Vienna Hard Bound Journal Book ($22 MSRP), customized with your company logo.

Weekend Update

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

What If Work Felt Like College?

Some of the most powerful, enduring brands in the world aren't companies, they're colleges and universities.

Think about it.

People wear their school's colors for life. They join alumni groups. They go to reunions. They follow the sports teams like they're family. There's an emotional bond that goes way beyond education. It's identity. It's a community. It's pride.

And here's the question I keep asking: What if our workplaces could do the same?

A Personal Story: Becoming a Gator Changed My Life

I played college tennis at the University of Florida. I didn't grow up a Gator fan. I barely knew what the SEC was. But I got recruited, took a visit, and something clicked. The campus, the people, the energy—it just felt right.

I didn't just attend UF. I became a Gator.

Since graduating, that experience has stuck with me. I'm still in a fantasy football league with old teammates. I still talk regularly with people I met there from all over the world. And I still cheer for the Gators like I'm on the team.

Just last weekend, we hosted a watch party for the Final Four. The Gators pulled off a dramatic win, and days later, they became NCAA champs. My phone blew up with congratulations from friends, former classmates, even colleagues.

That's the invisible thread a powerful brand can create.

HR Professionals: This Is Your Opportunity

Now imagine if employees felt that same connection to your company.

Imagine if they:

• Stayed in touch with coworkers long after they left

• Spoke proudly about your culture and values

• Still rooted for your success, even from the outside

• Felt like being part of your company shaped who they are

That's more than employee engagement. That's identity. That's emotional connection. That's brand.

Employee happiness isn't about perks or pizza parties. It's about creating experiences that leave a lasting mark.

The Brand Sauce Mission

At Brand Sauce, this is exactly what we're helping companies build.

We believe that a job should be more than a line on a resume. It should be a chapter in someone's story. One they're proud of. One they talk about years later. One that connects them to people and memories they'll carry for life.

We're working with forward-thinking HR teams to design employee experiences that go beyond the surface—to create meaning, connection, and joy at work.

And here's the secret: When employees feel proud to work at your company, they give more. They stay longer. They spread the word. They help build the brand.

A Challenge for You

So here's what I'd love for you to reflect on:

• What do your employees really feel about working at your company?

• Will they remember it 10, 15, 20 years from now?

• Are you giving them moments, relationships, and stories they'll carry forever?

If the answer is not a confident yes, that's okay. That's what we're here for.

Because the future of work isn't transactional—it's transformational. Let's build workplaces people never want to stop cheering for.

Let's make employees happier.

-Ross

© 2025 On Demand Global, LLC, DBA Brand Sauce