🎁 Weekly Giveaway: This week, we're giving away our biggest and most exciting giveaway yet – “Build Your Fit.” You won’t want to miss this one…

👕 OpenAI Simply Understands the Power of Swag: Will Depue of OpenAI offers limited-edition merch for creative ChatGPT ideas. Read Will’s tweet here.

📈 Corporate Gifting Market Boom: The corporate gifting market is expanding rapidly, with personalized gifts, innovative B2B solutions, and unique handcrafted products reshaping the industry. North America and Asia-Pacific are projected to be the fastest-growing regions, with CAGRs of 8.35% and 9.05%, respectively. You can read more here.

🤖 AI Reshaping Workplace Recognition: HR professionals are increasingly using people analytics and AI to assess employee retention, with 82% now applying these tools to understand turnover patterns and identify high-performing talent. Read more here.

Words of Wisdom

The Power of Limited Edition Swag

Talk about merchandise ROI! Trader Joe's recently released their new pastel-colored mini canvas totes for just $2.99 each, and they've quickly become the grocery industry's hottest accessory.

The 13 x 11 x 6-inch bags—available in pink, blue, green, and purple—are selling out instantly across stores nationwide, with some being resold online for a staggering $1,000+ each. This phenomenon perfectly illustrates what we at Brand Sauce have always known: thoughtfully designed, limited-availability merchandise drives incredible customer engagement and brand visibility.

While Trader Joe's states they "do not endorse the resale of any of our products," this viral sensation shows how the right branded items can transcend their practical purpose to become highly coveted collectibles. So, what $3 item in your merchandise catalog could create this level of customer excitement?

You can read the full story here.

The HR Corner

Illuminate Your Workplace: The Magic of a Culture That Shines

Picture this: a team so energized by your company culture that they literally light up when they walk through your doors—not just on special occasions, but every single day.

When you invest in creating memorable moments that celebrate each person's unique contributions, something magical happens.

The atmosphere transforms from a workplace into a community where people feel truly seen and valued.

Studies show that companies with exceptional recognition experiences see 70% higher productivity and dramatically better retention. Why? Because when people feel appreciated, they don’t just work harder—they become ambassadors who spread your company’s vision far beyond your walls.

The ripple effect touches everything: customer satisfaction soars, innovation accelerates, and your company becomes the one everyone wants to join.

This isn’t just about making employees happy—it’s about building the foundation for a thriving organization where authentic connections fuel extraordinary results.

👉 We've cracked the code on building culture your employees rave about. Email us "CULTURE" for the secret sauce!

Weekly Supplier Spotlight

Stanley Stella

👋 Meet Stanley Stella

Founded in Belgium in 2012, Stanley Stella is redefining sustainable fashion with premium blank apparel that combines style, quality, and eco-conscious practices. As one of the top five purchasers of organic cotton globally, they've built their reputation on unwavering sustainability commitments that go beyond industry standards.

Every garment in their collection uses exclusively 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton grown without GMOs, chemical pesticides, or fertilizers, creating products that are as kind to the planet as they are comfortable to wear. Their outerwear incorporates recycled polyester from PET bottles, further reducing environmental impact.

What sets Stanley Stella apart is their attention to both sustainability and style. Their contemporary designs feature meticulous attention to detail, fit, comfort and durability, with a vibrant palette of unique, on-trend colors that evolve with market demands. Each garment is also engineered for exceptional decoration performance, making them perfect for custom branding projects.

Beyond materials, Stanley Stella prioritizes ethical manufacturing. They maintain close relationships with their suppliers, ensuring workers receive fair wages and have access to medical facilities, even providing food essentials at significant discounts to thousands of workers in their supply chain.

For companies looking to align their merchandise with authentic sustainability values without compromising on style or quality, Stanley Stella delivers the perfect blank canvas for your brand story.

🤝 Partner with Stanley Stella

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

‼️Swag Giveaway: Build Your Fit

Ever wished you could design your own sustainable swag ensemble? Well, now's your chance to play dress-up. Introducing our "Build Your Fit" giveaway – it's like Build-A-Bear, but instead of stuffing a teddy, you're styling yourself. Here's how it works:

1. Email us the word "FIT" at [email protected]

2. One lucky winner will be selected randomly

3. The winner gets to customize their own 3-piece Stanley Stella collection:

   • Choose a premium organic jacket

   • Select the perfect sustainable shirt

   • Pick your favorite eco-friendly pants

4. We'll add your company logo to each piece

5. Entry deadline: April 23, 2025. The winner will be notified by email.

May the best dresser win!

Weekend Update

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

Do You Have YouTube Mentors?

I have a lot of them.

These are people I've never met in person, just discovered them on YouTube, but I've learned a lot from them.

One of my biggest mentors is Dr. Gabor Maté. He's taught me a great deal about human behavior, but the most powerful lesson he's given me is this: don't focus only on work.

In many of his interviews, he shares openly about how he worked too much and didn't spend enough time with his family. He missed out on play and joy. That message hit me hard.

Another unexpected mentor of mine is Dana White, the founder of the UFC. He was once asked how he'd like to be remembered, a question clearly aimed at his business accomplishments. But his answer caught everyone off guard. He said, "As a great dad." It shocked the interviewer. And honestly, it shocked me too.

Here were two highly successful people, both telling me the same thing: Work hard but more importantly, be a great husband and a great dad.

As many of you know, I work a lot. But I try just as hard to be a great dad. And to me, the most important part of that is simply showing up. Being there. Spending time. Not telling our kids who to be, but showing them what matters.

Last week, I had the chance to really show my kids what it means to show up. And truthfully, I'm more proud of that moment than anything else we did to move Brand Sauce forward.

To all the parents out there grinding every day, trying to balance the work hustle with family time, I see you. I'm not perfect either. None of us are. We all feel that guilt sometimes, that we're not spending enough quality time with our kids. But if we keep showing up, they'll feel it. They'll remember.

And if they don't remember? Well... at least I'll have this newsletter and my Instagram to remind them.

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