NEWS & NUGGETS: A DASH OF INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

🗓️ Four-Day Workweek Gains Ground: More companies are warming up to shorter weeks. An APA survey found 22% of U.S. workers had a 4-day workweek option in 2024, up from just 14% in 2022. HR leaders are watching these trials as productivity and wellness reports stay positive. Read more here.

⚖️ Work-Life Balance Tops Pay: What do employees value most? Hint: it’s not just money. In a 2025 Randstad survey, 83% of workers ranked work-life balance as more important than pay. Read more here.

🤖 From SEO to GEO: Generative Engine Optimization is the new play for ranking in AI tools like ChatGPT — think real prompts, multi-platform content, Bing indexing, and citable stats. Mentions now matter more than backlinks, and you can see results in as little as 48 hours. Read more here.

📘 New Hire Playbook: 20+ organizations have already raised their hands for early access to our New Hire Playbook. Want in? Just reply PLAYBOOK and we’ll send it the actionable PDF straight to your inbox.

BEHIND THE SCENES

🚨 Swag Survey Report

Our client, Precision Walls, recently surveyed 57 employees about their company store, and the results paint a clear picture of what’s resonating.

41 rated it satisfied or very satisfied, and 15 rated it neutral, with branded apparel like shirts, polos, pullovers, and jackets earning high marks for both quality and appropriateness for work and events.

Requests for improvement centered on more color options, women’s styles, golf items, and long-sleeve/dress shirts, along with small tweaks to website navigation and gift card options. Low-interest products included coolers, cups, socks, speakers, and watches, while pricing feedback was minimal but worth monitoring.

The takeaway?

Core apparel is a winning category worth continued investment, while small assortment and UX adjustments could boost satisfaction even further.

Based on these insights, we’re encouraging all our clients to run similar surveys and to make it fun, we recommend rewarding participants with a 20% discount on their next order. It’s a quick way to get actionable feedback, keep employees engaged, and ensure the company store stays stocked with gear they actually want.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

🎥 Ross's Video of the Week

In this powerhouse episode, Alex Hormozi, Codie Sanchez, and Daniel Priestley break down their most proven business strategies. They share how to stress-test ideas, price like the wealthy, and stack skills into $20k/month passive plays. You’ll learn the $100M offer formula, the science-backed trait top founders share, and the hiring approach that doubles profit in six months. It’s a masterclass in offer creation, sales psychology, and building influence for rapid business growth.

👉 Listen Now

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

 🤝 Meet Premier League

Premier League is Southern California’s leading pickleball community, led by our friend and PPA pro player, Connor McCartney. Connor has built a reputation for creating an inclusive, high-energy environment where players of all levels can learn, compete, and have fun.

📣 Our Collaboration

To support Connor’s mission, we set up a custom online store featuring 20 products for both men and women, whether you’re a beginner picking up a paddle for the first time or an experienced player chasing tournament wins. It’s a powerful way to boost brand awareness for his league while giving players high-quality gear that matches the energy of his world-class clinics.

🤝 Connect With Premier League

Whether you’re a beginner who’s never played pickleball or an expert looking to take your game to the next level, you should get in touch with Connor. He runs world-class clinics in San Diego that combine elite instruction with a welcoming community vibe. Shoot me a note at [email protected] to get connected.

WEEKLY GIVEAWAY

♻️ Giveaway Alert: Make A Set

Our fan-favorite Make a Set is making a return, this time with a sustainable twist.

We’ve teamed up with Econscious, an industry-leading brand for eco-friendly, sustainable products, to give one lucky winner:

1. Econscious Grove Sling Bag

2. Eco-Friendly Unisex Heathered Full-Zip Hooded Sweatshirt

3. Sustainable Unisex Committed CVC T-Shirt

You’ll get to choose any style and color from their collection, whether you’re into earthy neutrals or bold, bright tones.

👉 To enter, just reply to this email with “ECO" and we’ll announce the winner next week.

WEEKEND UPDATE

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

Family, the Real Gift

If you read last week’s episode, you know I took Bo and Maxine to Minnesota for our annual summer trip to visit family.

Every year, they roll their eyes a bit, asking why we only go to Minnesota. They remind me that their mom takes them to Africa, Mexico… places that sound far more exciting through the lens of a kid. And honestly, I love that their mom gives them those adventures. They’re growing up seeing the world, collecting stories and stamps in their passports.

But I try to give them something a little different. Something more real. Maybe even more lasting.

This trip, Bo got special time with my dad at Vikings training camp. Max baked cookies with my mom. My sister took Max horseback riding and somehow convinced Bo to join his cousin Maddie for a four-day pickleball camp. We played pickle on the same tennis court where I spent my own summers. The kids tubed, and they raced jet skis across Lake Minnetonka.

But none of that, not the tubing or the camp or even the jet skis, is what made the trip meaningful.

What mattered most were the unplanned, in-between moments: cousins piled together on the couch, late-night stories whispered between bunk beds, trading baseball cards with cousins, the way my kids lit up around people who’ve known them since birth. That quiet feeling of belonging. Of being known.

My kids are incredibly fortunate. They’ve seen places I didn’t see until I was an adult. But more than the places or the photos, they have something I hope they’ll never take for granted: a big, loving family who shows up, who loves them without conditions, without needing a reason.

As they grow older, I hope they understand that these trips, this time we spend with family… it’s the real gift.

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