New year, new healthy eating goals!

Whether you’re a CEO or early employee in the trenches, startups are hectic with unpredictable schedules.

How can you eat healthy (for mood, energy, happiness, brain power) in the midst of chaos?!?

Never fear, O’Daily friends.

As any co-worker can tell you, I am the queen of healthy snacks and wholesome lunches. (Sorry for all the crunching in meetings!)

I don’t spend all weekend cooking. I don’t have a personal chef (…yet. Cookonnect is VERY tempting.)

I am very lazy efficient so I’ve spent 15 years making it simple and fast to eat healthy no matter how busy it gets.

Before we get to the 5 strategies…

How Do You Define “Healthy”?

Everyone has different goals, eating preferences, and frameworks.

Here’s what “healthy” means to me:

1. Lots of vegetables
2. Lots of fiber (correlated to longevity!)— veggies, fruit, whole grains
3. Minimizing processed foods

5 Way To Eat Healthy When You’re Building a Company

1. Add Veggies

Add as many vegetables as possible to everything!!

• Get lettuce on your nachos
• Add kale to your beans and rice
• Order a side salad (to go with your fries and burger)
• Put tomatoes, salsa, lettuce, avocado, spinach, peppers, onions on your Chipotle
• Bring baby carrots with your pita and hummus

Vegetables have tons of vitamins and minerals, lots of fiber and water, and are low in calories.

If you do one thing, add more vegetables.

#PROTIP

Prepackaged, frozen, canned, fresh — use whatever is manageable. Prewashed lettuce, kale and baby spinach, and frozen stir fry mixes are staples at our house.

2. Prep Your Staples

We call it the “Sunday Chop.” We prepare a few key items that make meals 10x easier during the week.

Foods To Prep

• 1 grain (brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, whole wheat pasta)
• 1 protein (baked chicken breasts, sautéed ground turkey, beans, marinated tofu)
• 2-3 veggies (cut up broccoli, diced onions, carrot & celery sticks, cored & halved peppers)
• A soup or main dish if highly motivated!

5-Minute Meals

• Burrito bowls
• Stir fry
• Pasta with veggies + protein
• Asian grain bowl
• Soup
• Wrap (add grain, protein, veggies, sauce to a tortilla)

#PROTIP

I steam everything in the microwave! Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, zucchini, carrots, cabbage. EVERYTHING. Microwave safe bowl + plate as a lid. 3-5 minutes.

3. Invest In Snacks

A strong snack game means you fend off your late afternoon Dorito craving and front-load healthy food before an evening event.

Fast & Healthy Snacks

• Nuts, especially raw ones
• Hummus + veggies
• Cucumbers, green beans, radishes, carrots, red/green peppers can be whole or prepped fast
• Bring a whole carrot or cucumber if you don’t have time to chop it. It’s only weird the first few times.
• Apples
• Bananas (use this carrying case)
• Oranges or Clementines
• Hard boiled eggs
• Nut butter
• Berries (fresh or frozen)
• Homemade trail mix (pre-packaged has extra salt, oil, and sugary things)
• Edamame (frozen or roasted)

#PROTIP

I use these snack containers (here and here) and love them. They are fun, eco-friendly, and don’t get smashed in your bag.

4. Pack Your Lunch or Eat a Salad

Since you now have quick-prep tips…I’m going to say the annoying, cliche thing:

Packing your lunch is a great way to eat healthier and save money.

Not possible? Load your restaurant plate up with veggies — a salad, side dishes, or both.

Working from home? Run Tips #1-3 on repeat.

#PROTIP

Whether brown-bagging or going out, keep a stash of healthy snacks in your bag, desk, or car.

5. Ask For Healthy Food At Work

Everywhere I’ve worked, folks have been really supportive and helpful about providing healthy options when possible.

(Especially once they know it’s my jam.)

If you’re the boss, it’s fairly easy to set the tone and make requests.

If you’re not the boss, it’s a fine line between Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Get and Total-Pain-In-The-Ass. Be discerning.

Ways To Ask For Healthy Food:

• Find out how snacks are selected and stocked and make specific suggestions within that framework (from the vendor used, within the price range, etc).
• Develop a list of nearby lunch places with healthy meals to suggest when taking clients or going out as a team.
• Share what you’re looking for with the person who makes food/lunch selections. Provide examples. Be low-key and kind.

#PROTIP

Go with the flow occasionally so people don’t hate you. 😂

Taking care of yourself is key to bringing your startup “A” game.

Eating healthy is great way to fuel your brain and feel strong mentally and physically no matter what business surprises lie ahead!

Want more details or specific meal ideas??

• Quick, healthy brown bag lunch ideas
• **COMING SOON** The healthy, fast recipes I use every week

What are your best tips for healthy eating during startup chaos?? For those working on healthy eating, what’s the biggest challenge for you?

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What do Calendly ($3B), Salesloft ($2.4B), Rigor (acquired by Splunk), OrderNerd (acquired by Popmenu), and Zinnia (future unicorn) all have in common?

1. ATL, baby!
2. Their CEOs were successful sales reps at tech companies before making the leap to founder.

Yes, there are great engineering-focused founders (Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Charles Brian Quinn) but it’s no coincidence that great sales people build great companies.

Here’s 5 reasons software sales reps make amazing startup CEOs.

5 Reasons Software Sales People Make Great Startup CEOs

1. They can sell.

At the highest level, selling is getting someone to believe what you believe.

Which just happens to be the #1 job of a CEO.

CEOs sell to customers, investors, employees, and beyond.

Selling involves trust, relationship-building, vision-casting, positioning, and closing.

2. They can talk tech.

Can you build a tech company without being an engineer?

Yes!

Does it help to know your way around software, products, and tech lingo?

Yes!

The best software sales reps are tech-savvy.

They’re handling product questions from prospects, working with engineers on custom integrations or feature requests, and explaining the technical “why” to customers.

They know “enough to be dangerous” and are constantly pushing to learn more.

It’s a great foundation for building a tech startup.

3. They like to win.

Show me a sales person who doesn’t want to be 1st on the leaderboard…and I’ll show you a customer service rep. 😂😂😂

The best sales reps play to win. They work 100 hour weeks. They make miracles happen on the last day of the quarter. They are intolerable a tiny bit upset if they fall short.

This determination, focus, and competitive drive translates seamlessly to startups.

4. They’re innovative.

How can I get an edge on my competitors?

How can I find leads no one else is thinking about?

What is a new way to catch the attention of a prospect?

How can I work more efficiently?

How can I creatively solve this customer’s problem?

Welcome to the mind of a great sales rep.

Or is it the mind of a startup founder??

5. They’re courageous.

Sales reps will…

• Make the ask
• Push boundaries
• Talk to strangers
• Fight for what they believe in
• Challenge antiquated thinking

Being a startup founder requires that you…make the ask, push boundaries, talk to strangers, fight for what you believe, and challenge antiquated thinking.

6. They think big.

Why go for a $1000 deal when you could go for a $100,000 deal? Why start a million dollar company when you could start a billion dollar one?

It’s a similar amount of work but the impact is bigger.

“Thinking bigger” is natural in sales. It’s a compilation of winning, innovation, and courage.

“Thinking bigger” is a tremendous skill and mindset for entrepreneurship as well.

Are you in tech sales thinking about starting something?

1. DO IT!!! (Not that I’m biased…)
2. Feel free to reach out and chat pros, cons, and how to get started!
3. 2023 is a fresh start and time for new goals and challenges. Is this the year you start a company??

What’s next on The O’Daily?

BIG announcement coming next week plus alllll the healthy-eating-at-a-startup advice to ring in the new year!

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If I’m cleaning, cooking, commuting, or getting ready for work, I’m listening to a podcast. (And you probably are too!)

Podcasts are an amazing resource for learning. When they’re done well, it’s education in an entertaining, thought-provoking way.

Here are my top 4 favorite podcasts plus some great “honorable mentions.”

What are your favorites???? (Share in the comments!)

My 4 Favorite Podcasts

1. All In Podcast

Jason Calacanis hosts David Sacks, David Friedberg, Chamath Palihapitiya each week in my favorite podcast in the VC and investing space!

Funny, irreverent, thought-provoking,  with a fresh take on popular news stories and industry insider perspectives.

It’s my #1 pick for How To Think Like a VC. I listen (or watch) every week.

2. Five and Thrive

Five minutes of tech and innovation news out of the Southeast, hosted by my awesome colleague Jon Birdsong.

Highest value per minute of any pod out there. I never miss.

3. Huberman Lab

LOVE LOVE LOVE this science-based health and performance podcast. Dr. Andrew Huberman, Stanford professor and neuroscientist, shares the best science in an approachable way and interviews amazing guests — leading researchers, doctors, and scientists in their field.

It’s nerdy, it’s actionable, and I’ve implemented several new habits based on the science. (Hellooooo, morning sunlight.)

4. Plain English

My husband introduced me to Derek Thompson’s writing during the pandemic.

His podcast, Plain English, deep dives into current stories and social trends, seeking truth and nuance over hyberbole or validating the common story line.

He’s highly intelligent, funny, self-aware, and deeply curious. Plain English + Morning Brew (daily newsletter) are my first stops for general news.

Honorable Mentions

I love these too!

• The Atlanta Story - ATL’s most interesting creators, entrepreneurs, and builders
• Rising Tide - Sharing stories of career-driven women (I was interviewed here!)
• Invest Like The Best - Conversations with the best investors and business leaders
• 20 Minute VC - Advice from startup investors and operators. The Memos are fascinating.
• Work Life with Adam Grant - Research on how to make work “not suck”
• The Money With Katie Show - Awesome financial (and life) advice from a self-made entrepreneur
• Stuff You Should Know - A classic from two smart and hilarious Atlantans
• The Happiness Lab - From the brilliant Yale Prof Laurie Santos who leads my fave online course
• Choose FI - Pursue freedom with better financial decisions

And THAT’S five minutes…

(Name the pod!)

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What podcast should I check out or add to the list? What’s your favorite podcast?

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Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

- Mike Tyson, startup guru

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Okay, so he’s not a startup guru (that I know of) but this quote always reminds me of startup life.

Just one big punch in the mouth!

JK. JK. JK.

You make annual plans.

You set out metrics.

Then…the app crashes, your top customer wants to quit, fundraising takes longer than expected, and you can’t find engineers.

How do you follow through on your annual plans and goals despite normal startup chaos?

Here are 5 steps to ensure you achieve your annual goals!

You’ll be as motivated and focused in December as you are in January.

5 Strategies For Annual Plan Follow Through

1. Pick the right framework.

There’s 100 different options for annual planning.

(We shared 5 of our favorites last week.)

Choose a goal setting framework or philosophy that feels easy and effective for YOU.

Which framework are you most drawn to?

The best framework is one that resonates with your style and values.

2. Keep it top of mind.

Where will you see and feel your annual goals every day?

Ideally, you’re “touching” them by writing them, discussing them, updating metrics, or something that keeps them alive.

Static goals quickly become part of the scenery.

Top-of-Mind Ideas:

• Dashboard in your office (updated daily or weekly)
• Discuss in a daily check-in
• Include on your Einsenhower Matrix
• Set a daily intention in a gratitude journal
• Post-it note on your desk (rewrite daily)

3. Set up an accountability touch point.

At Rigor, we added a mid-quarter check-in for our strategic goals.

Why?

We would be preparing our end-of-quarter recaps and realize something totally fell off our radar. (It happened to everyone at one time or another!)

Having a preset meeting to discuss progress on long term goals is a great way to maintain focus.

• Schedule accountability touch points NOW. (Before you get punched in the mouth!)
• Include an “accountabil-a-buddy” or peer group. (We are way more likely to keep meetings with other humans than stick to empty calendar placeholders.)

4. Delegate this process to someone great at accountability.

Do you know accountability isn’t your strong suit? Do you get busy and have trouble following through?

Behold…

Potential Accountability Resources:

• Operations specialist - a COO, operations manager, or virtual assistant can schedule meetings, send reminders, and handle logistics. Ultimately the CEO is responsible for holding individuals accountable but having someone else on the details can make a huge difference.
• Executive coaches - lots of excellent options out there. Rising Tide offers a great QXR session and format for personal development.
• Teammate who loves it - maybe it’s not officially their job but they are Galvanizing or have Tenacity so it will be in their zone of genius

5. Be open to adjustments.

Twelve months can be a lifetime at a startup. What made sense in January may not be a priority in December.

Goals serve you.

Don’t mindlessly strive for goals that aren’t the best and highest use of your time because you “wrote it on the paper” in January.

(I am sooooo guilty of this. MUST…FOLLOW…THROUGH…)

If you haven’t made progress on your annual goals, why not?

• Are you working on something that’s more important?
• Are you getting sucked into low priority items?
• Do you not enjoy the work required for the goals?
• Did you need to trim to 1-2 goals instead of 5?

Be honest with yourself and course correct accordingly.

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What strategies help you and your company stick with your annual goals? Any tips or stories to share?

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2023 is just around the corner!

(Kathryn frantically orders gifts on Amazon…)

As you head into company annual planning and 2023 goal setting, here are 5 awesome tools to help facilitate the process.

Pick one to anchor around or incorporate aspects of all five. Being thoughtful now will pay dividends as you attack the new year!

5 Resources for Annual Planning

1. One Page Strategic Plan

A David Cummings classic. It works for large companies, individuals, teams, projects, personal, work, and everything in between.

Here’s the downloadable template.

2. S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Take a goal from vague pipe dream to Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Whatever planning or goal setting framework you use, SMART goals always apply!

When we implemented the “SMART” principles to our quarterly planning process at Rigor, it changed the conversation. We stopped debating whether a goal was achieved and started talking about improvements, next iterations, or digging in on “why” something worked or didn’t.

3. OKRs

The Objectives and Key Results framework, initially created by Andrew Grove at Intel and popularized when John Doerr brought it to Google (and wrote a book about it).

It’s a great option for product or non-revenue projects and can be used at companies large and small.

4. Atomic Habits

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Atomic Habits is amazing.

James Clear wrote one of the most popular (4.8 out of 5 stars) and transformational books on how to change your life through habits.

You are what you do. You do what’s easy. How do you make it easy to achieve your goals? Build it into your daily workflow so it becomes automatic. Systems over goals.

5. Traction

Well-known business operating methodology that incorporates vision, data, goal setting, meeting cadences, and more.

If the Simple Strategic Plan is the Cliff Notes, Traction (aka Entrepreneur Operating System — well branded, Mr. Wickman) is the end-to-end handbook.

Read the book (not to be confused with THIS Traction book - also highly recommended) and see which aspects work for your company.

The Best Resource

…is the one that works for you!

Maybe you hate plans but love habits. Or you need something you can complete in less than an hour. Or you need something that can support a larger team.

Identify what what resonates with you at this stage.

Your process should feel meaningful and easy to maintain.

Speaking of maintaining…how do you stay on top of annual goals amidst startup and life chaos??!! We’ll talk next week about simple ways to build accountability and goal tracking into every day life.

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What tools do you use for annual planning? What goal and planning frameworks work well at your company?

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How are you thanking your employees this year??

You got the customer gifts handled (whew) and you realized…oh crap, what about my team!?!?

We got you.

Distributed team?

Got you.

Working on a tight budget?

Still got you.

As we learned from customer gifts, it’s not the money that matters. Creativity, thoughtfulness, and personal touches make the most memorable gifts.

For the busy startup leaders, here’s 10 ideas for employee gifts and celebrations (including low cost and remote friendly options) this holiday season!

10 Fun and Memorable Employee Gift Ideas

1. Hoodies or pullovers

(remote friendly)

• Everyone loves cozy winter wear.
• We’ve ordered these, these, and these with rave reviews from the team.
• Get something high quality, even brand name (like North Face). It won’t be much more in the grand scheme of things but makes a huge difference in how often it’s worn!

2. Yeti or Miir drinking vessels

(remote friendly)

• Mug, water bottle, large cup with lid. Lots of options!
• Special touch: fill with candy, office snacks, coffee, gift cards, or other swag.  

3. Draw-a-name gift exchange aka “Secret Santa”

(remote friendly)

• Company provides $25/person.
• DrawNames.com makes it super easy to administer.
• Everyone gets a personalized gift and it’s fun to guess your gift-giver!

4. Ask the trendiest and/or most team-oriented person

• They know what your team will like or have unique, industry-specific ideas.
• BONUS: they will probably love to help you plan!

5. Team outing

• Fancy dinner, escape room, rafting trip, cooking class, sporting event, lawn games/bar games tournament, just to name a few…
• -OR- gift a larger team offsite or retreat for the new year (planned by Zinnia, of course!)

6. Unexpected time off

(budget + remote friendly)

• Cancel meetings, close the office early for a day.
• It *must* be a surprise. Last minute meeting cancelations make people happier than if they didn’t have a meeting at that time anyway. Our brains are weird!
• Even if you have unlimited vacation, there’s something about a boss saying, “Stop working today.” Hits different.

7. Handwritten thank you note

(budget + remote friendly)

• Make it personal. Mention specific qualities, experiences, or standout projects that the team member contributed.
• Fun team photo from the year? Include it or make it the card cover.

8. Paper Plate awards

(budget + remote friendly)

• Example superlatives: “Most likely to…” or “Best XYZ”
• I got two “Pundies” (Pardot version of Dundies) over the years:
• Pollyanna Award for Office Gladness
• Asks Best (or was it “Most” 🤔) Questions
• Another fun one: the “Ted DiBiase Award” aka wrestling’s “Million Dollar Man” given to the sales rep (Go KG!) with $1M+ ARR closed.
• Keep it fun AND kind.

9. Off-site potluck

(budget friendly)

• At your house or another not-the-office location. There’s something special when someone opens their home to the team.
• Everyone brings a dish. Can be around a theme (or not).
• Variation: gingerbread house party. Bring candy!
• Make time to give shoutouts or share the best memories from the year.

10. Personalized gift cards

(remote friendly)

• Short on time? Give each team member a gift card with significance — related to a hobby, favorite hangout, date night locale, clothing brand, store, celebrity, etc.
• It’s personal but can be emailed 😅
• Need ideas? See person from recommendation #4!

BONUS IDEA!!!! ➡️ CEO’s Favorite Things

• A twist on Oprah’s classic “Favorite Things” — the CEO picks their favorite things to gift to the team with a big reveal! (h/t Angela Ferrante)

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What has been your favorite gift given or received? Other fun or creative suggestions?

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In case you missed the memo (here and here), it’s customer gift season!

We shared customer gift timelines.

We shared specific gift suggestions.

Today we cover real life customer gifts and the surprising lessons learned!

3 Lessons Learned From Real Customer Gifts

Lesson #1: It’s Not About Money

Amazon Gift Cards vs Branded Cookie Basket

In the early years of Pardot, we gave $100 Amazon gift cards (physical ones) with handwritten thank you notes to our top users. Pretty nice gift, right?

When Pardot was acquired by Exact Target, we suddenly had Big Company Marketing Energy.

Behold…the custom, branded cookie basket.

Cookies in the shape of an email icon, logos and company colors on everything, hot cocoa and a mug to complete the cozy vibe.

Cute but affordable. $40 per basket (with bulk discount).

Our customers freaking LOVED THEM. 

I got more enthusiastic thank yous from a $40 cookie basket than from thousands of dollars of gift cards.

LESSON LEARNED:
Thoughtful, branded, and creative gifts beat out expensive and generic ones.

Lesson #2: Know Your Customer

Swear Words + Engineers

The highest value swag of all time, hands down, were ceramic Rigor coffee mugs for $10 each.

• Rigor Logo on one side
• GET SHIT DONE on the other
• Used daily by customers
• Sat on desks as decor
• Requested by prospects, visitors, friends
• FLEW off our shelves

Why so popular?

• Engineers (often) love coffee.
• Engineers are (sometimes) irreverent and funny.  
• Engineers (usually) want to be left in peace to code.

(DISCLAIMER: Not all engineers love coffee and swear words, okay??)

The mugs were simple, fun, a little bit edgy, and a perfect fit for our techie customers.

The idea was inspired by a coffee mug from the internet with the same phrase.

We added a logo and…

Voila! Customer gift magic!

LESSON LEARNED:
Find a great item that fits the personality and interests of your typical user. Like Lesson #1, creativity outperforms dollars spent.

Lesson #3: Make It Personal

Does Your Sister Own A Goat Farm?

It’s the gift I still talk about.

Strangers say, “The most incredible swag I ever got was…”

I finish their sentence. We’re always talking about the same gift.

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In December 2020, Rippling sent a box of four caramels to its customers.

Handmade caramels.

From a goat farm.

Owned by the sister of the Rippling CEO.

In the most beautiful packaging.

With a note from Parker Conrad about working from his sister’s Vermont goat farm during the pandemic.

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Do you need to have a sister who owns a goat farm to give a great gift?

Yes.

But if you don’t have a sister or a goat farm, is there a person or business in your life with a unique product?

What about a customer who has a gift-worthy item? Or a local company with a quirky brand?

Tell the why behind the gift and explain the personal connection. The present goes from mundane to goat-farm-magical with a heartfelt story.

LESSON LEARNED:
A well-executed personal connection or story makes a deeply memorable gift.

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What has been the most popular customer gift you’ve given or received? Any fun or noteworthy lessons learned?

It’s customer holiday gift season!

We urgently, I mean, helpfully reminded you last week with a timeline, how-to suggestions, and brainstorming questions!

This week, we cut right to the chase.

What gifts should you give your clients?

Here’s a list of 7 ideas and vendors with various price points, lead time, customization, and fanciness.

All of these I’ve used, received, or had highly recommended from other founders.

Let’s gift to it!

1. Swag Packs from Swag Up

• I’ve received a Swag Up gift box that was awesome.
• Several fun items, custom branded, in a great gift box.
• The founder/swag giver had a good experience too.

Why We Love It:

Swag Up handles manufacturing, packing, shipping, and storing inventory. One-stop shop.

But I love storing and sorting through old swag…said no one ever!

2. Great Wine from Starbright Wine

• Online wine retailer with highly curated options.
• Corporate gifting packages (they write the handwritten notes for you!)
• Local (Atlanta) delivery — arrives on the doorstep of your customer’s home or office.

Why We Love It:

Atlanta-based, woman-owned, and THEY KNOW WINE. Every wine recommendation I’ve had from Starbright has been perfect.

3. Sustainably-Sourced Gift Boxes from Sunroot Gifting Company

• Curated sustainably-sourced gift boxes.
• Unique goods sourced from female-owned small businesses.
• End-to-end services from gift ideation through production and fulfillment.

Why We Love It:

Woman-owned and “they are a DREAM to work with!” from a founder who used the service.

Great value alignment for companies with sustainability or do-good missions. (Um, which is hopefully all of us…)

4. Bulk Swag from Custom Ink

• T-shirts, mugs, pens, notebooks, whatever bulk item your heart desires.
• Can handle orders of all sizes including 5 or less.
• Tons of inventory and options.
• Test with a small batch first if you have time. (But you probably won’t. LOLZ.)

Why We Love It:

Customer service and experience is incredible. On par with Zappos or Stitch Fix.

Robust product reviews help you decide on items. I’ve been happy with 4.5 stars or higher.

5. Cupcakes from Baked By Melissa  

• Mini cupcakes in packs of 25, 50, or 100.
• Delicious, adorable, and easy to ship anywhere in the U.S.
• Branded corporate gifting options.
• Vegan, gluten free, nut free options.

Why We Love It:

Great for teams. Send to the executive sponsor who will share with everyone in the office.

Can be sent quickly with minimal lead time. Good for birthdays, thank yous, and other celebratory items too.

6. Reusable Ziplocks from Ziparoos

• Practical, fun, low cost, frequently used.
• Think: charging cords, snacks, toiletries, leftovers to freeze.
• Too many reusable ziplocks? NO SUCH THING.

Why We Love It:

Atlanta-based company that can do branded orders. Every day item that’s not your typical pen or tech t-shirt.

I have a 4 pack at home and would use at least 100 more.

7. Pick-A-Gift from Thnks.com

• Send something custom to every customer
• -OR- let them pick their own favorite item from a selection of several things
• No mailing address needed. Can be sent via email or text.
• I got a Thnks gift, loved the picking-what-I-want process, and still have the item.

Why We Love It:

High touch and custom. It’s a total flex if you know a customer well enough to send them something unique and personal.

Bonus: use in the sales process or for employee recognition too!

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Have you received or given a customer gift that was amazing? Other great customer gift brands or vendors to share?

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We try not to be alarmist here on the O’Daily. Startup life has enough fire drills without adding to it.

But here’s the reality.

If you haven’t started planning holiday gifts for customers, you’re behind.

But it’s the first week in November??? How could I be behind???

Yep, it snuck up on me too. It always does.

What I like to do is make an abbreviated plan for this year and then implement the “ideal” plan next year when I’ll have more time and be better prepared.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I really always think that though.

Luckily, it’s not too late to get a great customer gift plan in place!

Today, we’ll cover timelines, questions to consider, and how-tos of customer gift giving.

Next week, we’ll share suggestions on the type of gifts to give with specific recommendations and unexpected lessons learned from real customer gifts.

Let’s get to it. These gifts aren’t going to plan themselves!

Customer Gift Timeline (Starting Now!)

Let’s work backwards.

Dec 12 - Dec 16: Gifts arrive!

You want gifts to arrive before everyone is out for holiday break. Out of town, out of the office, out of touch. You don’t want your $50 cookie box getting moldy during the 2 week ghost town between Christmas and New Year’s.

Nov 28 - Dec 2: Gifts ship.

Some items take 5-10 days to arrive. Especially for the standard (read: most affordable), non-rush shipping option.

If you’re delivering to an office, there can also be a lag between mailroom arrival and when it gets into the hands of your customer.

Nov 14 - Nov 25: Gift prep. Collect addresses.

Getting branded swag made takes time. So does putting together gift boxes, signing cards, coordinating a team photo, or whatever other prep items you do.

If you’re mailing a physical item, you’ll also need to confirm addresses which is extra fun in this work-from-anywhere world. 😁

Note: Businesses (including yours!) may be closed for 2-3 days over Thanksgiving.

Nov 7 - Nov 11: Finalize gift strategy, budget, and plan.

Things to do next week: gift ideation, research, rough draft customer list, budget, get quotes (total cost + timeline), get final approval, place order.

No big deal though. Just another Tuesday in the fast paced world of startups! 😉

Your Gifting Strategy: Questions To Ask

1. Why?

Take a few moments to identify the purpose of your holiday gift. It will help clarify your target audience, budget, and gift item.

Holiday gifts are an opportunity to:

• Stay top of mind
• Show appreciation for customers
• Highlight your thought leadership
• Further solidify a contract renewal or upgrade
• Help close a new deal
• “Wow” your most loyal, vocal, and effective champions
• Reinforce your brand promise

2. Who?

Which users or customers should receive a gift? This can get complicated…

Gift recipient considerations:

• All customers?
• Largest customers?
• Reference customers? (Customers who love you and talk you up to others.)
• Case study customers?
• One gift for the whole company or gifts for individual users?
• All users, power users, or the executive sponsors? (Decision makers may not be the main users.)
• Non-customers to include?
• Employees
• Investors
• Advisors
• Friends of the company
• Prospects

#PROTIP

Once you have a “who” plan, circulate a tentative spreadsheet of gift recipients. Other teammates, especially in sales or leadership, may have specific customers to add. Do it upfront to prevent leaving off someone important or not having enough gift supplies!

3. How Much?

What’s your budget for this project?

Take into account:

• Cost per gift
• Shipping costs
• Packaging, gift wrap, notecards, stickers
• Your “why” and the total number for “who” – are you doing many, smaller gifts or fewer but nicer ones?
• What your company can afford (duh.)

#PROTIP

Order a few extra of everything. Typos, water spills, last minute additions, package malfunctions, internal requests – wiggle room comes in handy.

4. What?

What kind of gift should it be?

Gift brainstorming:

• What do your users like and use?
• Any gift ideas that align to your product or problem you solve?
• What have you received that you liked, kept, or used frequently?
• Food? Swag? Both? Neither?
• Do you have company values or mission to uphold through your gift?
• Are you including a card?
• Holiday specific or neutral (to be used again)?
• Handwritten note? Hand signed?
• Printed message inside?
• Company logo/branded or generic?
• Branded with your logo or company colors?
• Include company logo stickers? (Tech startup requirement. 😂)

#PROTIP

DIY is less expensive but takes (significantly) more time. There’s no right or wrong but be aware and intentional about the tradeoffs.

5. Where?

Where should this project live? Who handles the execution?

It’s 100% dependent on your company size and structure.

I’ve seen customer gifts handled by:

• Founder/CEO
• Virtual assistant
• Executive/in-person assistant
• Customer Success
• Marketing
• Chief of Staff

Feeling overwhelmed?

Corporate gifting is a $258 billion market for a reason.

A few easy options to get you started:

• Outsource to a gift company.
• Do something fully digital like a gift card. No shipping or addresses to collect!
• Send a fun email.
• Make it a New Year’s gift.

(^^I have done all of these before. 🤪)

#PROTIP
We’ll have specific gift suggestions next week including some surprising learnings on what customers love. Spoiler Alert: it’s NOT the most expensive gift we sent.

Holiday gifts are a great way to stay in touch with customers and spread goodwill.

Start planning now so you can be thoughtful, thorough, and creative!

Other advice for customer holiday gifts? Any gifts or strategies that worked well?

Gratitude is important to cultivate in our lives and companies. It fosters happiness, clarity, abundance, and resilience.

Like attracts like so when you are appreciative and positive, more good things come your way.

(Or you see the good things already there?!?)

Gratitude at Startups

At a startup, each stage is special and hard.

It's easy to focus on what's wrong or look ahead to what's next.

Only to realize afterwards how much fun it was at the previous stage!

(Also true for parenting, sports, learning new things, life in general...)

At startups, a genuine “thank you” can earn more goodwill than all the free snacks or company perks combined.

Gratitude can also be a source of strength through the low lows (that inevitably come with the high highs) of entrepreneurship.

Even on the hardest day, can you be grateful that you control your own destiny, don't work your old corporate job, or are working to make the world better?

How To Be More Grateful

You know you should. But how do you ACTUALLY capture more gratitude and appreciation in the moment?

It's a work in progress, but something that's worked well for me is a daily gratitude habit.

I make a list of 10-20 things that I'm grateful for every day.

I started doing it after taking The Science of Happiness, an amazing online course from Laurie Santos, professor at Yale.

Research shows exercise, sleep, gratitude, and social connection are more important for happiness than money, fame, or promotions.

Even though we think — and act like — it's the opposite…

Some items on my daily list are heartfelt and big. Some are silly and small. Some are things only appreciated when they're missing (health, air conditioning, a good night's sleep!!) so I try to recognize them proactively.

But that's the point, isn't it?

10 Things I'm Grateful For This Week

1. Spending time with my family. Kids are only little once.💙💙
2. State parks!
3. Atlanta Innovation Week. So energizing and fun to see Atlanta collaborating and getting bigger and bigger on the tech scene.
4. Amazing co-workers that are kind, brilliant, and good at so many things that I'm not.
5. Gorgeous fall weather.
6. Heat and air conditioning. I'm less cranky. Possible to visit and live in more places.
7. A potty-trained 2 year old.
8. Sharing behind-the-back compliments.🥰
9. Getting a run in. Bonus: no aches and pains!
10. Short blog posts.😉

A Multitude of Gratitude

Once I get started, I realize I could go on and on. Husband, parents, neighbors, friends, housing, healthy food, bike paths, comfy shoes, hilarious squirrels, libraries, puzzles, modern medicine, eating outside, paying customers, smart engineers, a mentor to learn from, talented interns, a well-designed product, financial stability, a cup of coffee…to infinity.

What are you grateful for this week, this moment, this year, this life?