Good Morning Friends! Here are my 5 Things to Consider this week!
Culture – A great brand stands for something bigger than itself. Back when we first started our little pizza project, we never dreamed we’d build the brand that we have. It certainly wasn’t our intention. In the beginning, everything we did was just an extension of who we were. We liked eating a certain style of pizza, so that was the pizza we made. We liked watching movies, so we played movies on the wall. We liked to be in on a good joke, so we never took ourselves too seriously. We supported our diverse friends and family, so naturally our business did too. Even early on, we did our best to stand for something bigger than just pizza. Whether it was experience, design, humor or human rights, it has never just been about the pizza. We didn’t know the rules to this pizza game, so we made them up as we went. We didn’t realize it at the time, but we were building a place that helped to defined a culture. Something that was genuine and authentic. We were building our brand. As we continued to grow and mature (a term I use rather loosely) we’ve made standing for something bigger than ourselves a huge part of our culture. It’s all over our Mission, Vision and Values. We do it not because it’s easy, not because it’s “good business.” We do it because it’s who WE are. You, me and all of us. We do it because it’s the RIGHT thing to do. People choose to work for us and spend money at our places because our values align with their values. One Human Family. Pizza for all.
Leadership – You teach people how to treat you. Every time you interact with another human being, you’re establishing the level of treatment you accept from them. You teach people how to treat you by establishing what is acceptable and unacceptable to you. By being self-aware of your values, you’re foundation for the way people treat you is easy to establish. If you constantly allow people to take advantage of you, then you’re reinforcing that behavior and you’ll feel like people are always taking advantage of you. By not correcting someone’s behavior towards you, you’re teaching them that that specific behavior is acceptable. If you respond to mistreatment by making it clear that it’s not okay and that you must be treated with respect, then you’re setting yourself up to be treated with respect. If you don’t say anything, it can be seen as acceptance. You’re action is just as important as your failure to act. What you accept and what you stand up for is a reflection of your values. By knowing your values, you know when someone is contradicting them. Stand up for the way you desire to be treated and accept nothing less. Don’t tolerate someone treating you different than what you desire.
History – Hawt Mess Sauce. We’ve always struggled with our “4th Sauce,” as I’ll call it. Even from the beginning, Hot Ranch, albeit our best sauce (IMHO), was our least “selling” dipping sauce. In an attempt to rebrand it, we came up with “Hawt Mess Sauce” and to be honest, we haven’t seen much better results. I’ve always been puzzled with this because it’s such a good sauce. It’s the perfect accompaniment to pizza, nuggets, fries, subs and whatever else you want to dip in it and it’s even great as a salad dressing! But, I can’t deny that It’s just never taken off. In one last attempt to salvage the 4th sauce, we have one last trick up our sleeves. In a couple weeks, we’ll be debuting a brand new sauce that will hopefully take the pizza world by storm! I can’t wait to show you all of the hard work we’ve been up to! Let me know if you have a great idea for our next sauce!
Motivation – “It’s important for every brand to make a unique emotional connection with those they are targeting. Increasingly, this no longer needs to be limited to the emotional benefits of the product or service alone. Today people expect more. They expect brands to stand for something beyond their own interests, to contribute and do good in the world. Whilst this is evidently true for Millennials, it also applies to others who feel that brands have become self-serving and can no longer be trusted. It’s never been more important for a brand to show that it really understands its customers – to demonstrate what it values and why it believes it’s different from others … Increasingly, there’s an opportunity for what we call ‘culture brands’: brands that take a stance, aiming to challenge and shape culture, rather than simply reflect it. Whether it be confronting stereotyped attitudes towards women or championing workers’ rights, culture brands think big. They demand a different societal approach. Culture brands create a rallying call and use social power to drive cultural and social change. This is the new role for brands, a role that’s important and gaining momentum.” – Quote from Hall & Partners, Vanella Jackson
What I’m Reading or Watching – The Bachelor. Fuck you.
Baby Update – Today, (Sunday) William and I got our first taste of age discrimination…we got kicked out of a bar. I wasn’t all that upset about it at the time, but as I’ve had time to dwell on it, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me. Just as we went to sit down at the bar, the bartender walked up and informed me they don’t allow any kids in the bar. He wasn’t crying. I didn’t walk in with a minivan full of crying toddlers. Just a quite, peaceful, sleeping baby who’s dad wanted to share a beer with a couple of friends. As a bar owner, it made me think about our places and what we want to be. It didn’t take me long…Pizza for all.
Thanks for reading! Like or hate any part of this? Let me know! I really value your feedback.
Have a great week!
5 Things to Consider Archive 