😎 Happy National Boss Babe Day!
✅ Today’s checklist:
- Boost team morale with simple, effective rituals
- How Joanna decided to pursue TA full-time
- TA Reader Rachel shares a fave recipe
🤔 Trivia: Which historical figure, born in 1820 and considered the founder of modern nursing, established the first secular nursing school in the world in 1860? Find out.
QUICK LINKS
💰 Finances: How much should you be saving for retirement?
❤️ Love: 11 strategies for dating as a single parent.
📚 Growth: The 25 top self-help books for personal growth.
👩🏼⚕️ Health: Why Alzheimer’s is a women’s issue.
🧶 Hobbies: I got 99 problems but a hobby ain’t one.
TEAM MORALE
Boost Team Morale with Simple, Effective Rituals
Boosting team morale doesn’t always require grand gestures or large investments.
Often, small, regular activities can significantly impact the team’s overall mood and productivity.
Here are some simple, effective rituals to consider implementing:
1. Regular Shoutouts and Recognition 👏
Acknowledging team members for their hard work and contributions is a powerful morale booster.
Whether it’s a weekly shoutout during a team meeting or a dedicated channel in your communication tool for recognizing achievements, regular recognition fosters a positive environment.
Employees who receive regular recognition are more engaged and productive.
2. Personal and Work Check-Ins ✅
Scheduling regular check-ins, both personal and professional, helps team members feel valued and heard.
These check-ins can be quick one-on-one meetings or casual team chats where everyone shares updates.
This practice ensures that everyone feels connected and supported, which is especially crucial in remote or hybrid work environments.
3. Fun Team Activities 🌎
Incorporate fun activities into your team’s routine to break up the monotony of work.
This could be as simple as a weekly trivia quiz (psstt…use ours!), virtual coffee breaks, or themed dress-up days.
These activities not only boost morale but also help team members bond.
💡 TA Team Rec: Our team loves playing Geoguessr before lunch on Fridays. We hop on a Google Meet, with one person as the “navigator” sharing their screen while everyone else helps guess the US city. We have a calendar invite for those who can join. It’s free, quick, and always a blast.
4. Feedback Sessions 🗣️
Creating a culture where feedback is regularly given and received helps improve team dynamics and individual performance.
Schedule periodic feedback sessions where team members can share constructive feedback in a structured manner.
This openness can lead to a more collaborative and supportive team environment.
5. Celebrating Milestones 🎉
Celebrate both small and big milestones, whether it’s completing a challenging project or a team member’s work anniversary.
These celebrations can be simple, like a congratulatory email or a virtual celebration event.
Acknowledging these moments helps in building a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie.
6. Wellness Initiatives 🍵
Promoting wellness activities, such as mindfulness sessions, virtual fitness classes, or encouraging regular breaks, can greatly enhance team morale.
By incorporating these simple rituals into your team’s routine, you can create a more positive and engaged work environment.
Small, consistent efforts to boost morale can lead to significant improvements in team dynamics and productivity.
COMPANY CULTURE
Connect Your Team Even When They’re Miles Apart
Candor helps remote teams connect authentically.
Through async exercises like shoutouts, check-ins, feedback, and polls, managers can create a culture of connection and good work vibes — regardless of location.
It’s culture building made simple. 🙌
Power your team with Candor⚡️ Start your free trial today.
JOANNA’S JOURNAL
How I Decided To Do TA Full-Time
I’ve seen a lot of write-ins from subscribers recently about not knowing when to leave a job, or when to go all-in with their side hustles, so I wanted to share how I got into producing The Assist full-time.
I launched The Assist with my co-founders after I was furloughed due to the pandemic, and it took a LOT of coaxing from my husband for me to finally do TA full-time. (I am generally a risk-averse person when it comes to anything financial.)
Here are 7 reasons that drove me to finally go for it:
1. I felt financially and mentally secure enough to pursue it.
After careful consideration and planning with my husband, I felt financially and mentally secure enough to take the plunge into producing The Assist full-time.
The financial aspect of it is obvious, but mentally—it’s scary!
You have no idea how it’s going to pan out, and you just have to believe in yourself.
2. I believed in my co-founders.
I had confidence in my co-founders and their abilities.
Two of them had experience launching other companies and proved to be great mentors.
Knowing I had reliable and talented partners by my side made the leap into full-time entrepreneurship feel much more achievable and promising.
3. It was an opportunity to learn new skills.
Before I was furloughed, my supervisor asked me what skills I wanted to develop further.
I told her I was really interested in learning more about digital marketing since I spent most of my marketing career focused on events as a lead-generation channel.
Launching TA not only gave me the opportunity to explore a growing niche business, but it also fast-tracked my learnings in many aspects of digital marketing—from funnel building to email marketing, SEO to marketing automation, etc.
4. I wanted to build something meaningful and impactful.
Feeling a lack of purpose or passion at work is one of the worst feelings, and even though I enjoyed my last role immensely, it is nothing compared to the joy I feel when I read positive feedback from our audience—you!
Knowing that our work was making a difference motivated me to commit full-time, and I wanted to see how we could scale that impact.
5. The flexibility and control over my schedule.
If COVID taught companies anything, it’s that most people can still get sh*t done without having to be in the office.
I’m from LA, and the traffic here is just as bad as people make it out to be (or worse)—I’ve wasted hours of my life commuting to work.
So the idea of owning my time more and more was incredibly appealing.
6. The potential for financial growth and independence.
I recognized the long-term potential for financial growth with The Assist.
I was heavily inspired by other heavy-hitter newsletters (like TheSkimm, The Hustle, Morning Brew, etc.) that were taking newsletter businesses to the next level.
In TA, I saw the possibility of creating a sustainable business that could eventually offer more financial security than my previous job.
I also appreciated that my hard work and dedication directly influenced our success, rather than just contributing to someone else’s profit.
7. The timing felt right.
Sometimes, the timing aligns perfectly with opportunity and readiness.
After the pandemic, I felt it was the right moment to take a calculated risk.
I had gained momentum from doing TA part-time and had the team and resources I needed to turn it into something more.
Plus, I knew that regular full-time jobs would still be there if I wanted to return to being an employee.
Joanna (Co-Founder of TA)
TEAM APPRECIATION
Swag They’ll Brag About
Ditch the boring corporate gifts — it’s bad for morale and the environment.
Swag.com offers high-quality, customizable products that your team will be proud to show off.
You can customize your own swag box here, or you can steal our swag box ideas below:
🧘♀️ For The Zen Master:
☕ For The Coffee Addict:
✈️ For The World Traveler:
SUBSCRIBER RECIPE
Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese
I love making this simple and easy recipe.
It’s only 4 ingredients and I like to save time by buying already roasted or pickled beets.
I like to eat it as a snack, but you can also add it to a bed of greens with berries and walnuts for a scrumptious salad.
Ingredients:
- 4 medium beets, roasted
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions:
Roast the Beets:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Wash the beets thoroughly and wrap each one in aluminum foil.
- Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet and roast for about 45-60 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Allow the beets to cool, then peel and slice them into rounds or wedges.
Assemble:
- Arrange the beet slices on a plate.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the beets.
- Sprinkle sea salt to taste.
- Top with crumbled goat cheese.
Enjoy!
TA Reader, Rachel Essenfeld (Sr. Manager, Partnerships)
Want to be featured? Share your recipes here.
STAFF PICKS
Stuff We’re Loving This Week
🏊♀️ Hit the water without a wardrobe malfunction with this worry-free swimsuit top.
💄 These quilted makeup bags are the perfect way to transport essentials.
📓 Bright colored journals make writing fun with this Spiral Lined Notebook.
📅 Keep commitments in one place with this super sleek acrylic wall calendar.
JUST FOR FUN
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
🚨 Job Alerts
- Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar is hiring for an E-Commerce Coordinator, Copywriter (Seattle, WA).
- Adecco is hiring for a Senior Human Resources Business Partner (City of Industry, CA).
- Hexa | Custom is hiring for a Marketing Manager / Graphic Director (Boulder, CO/Hybrid).
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer is hiring for a Senior Product Marketing Manager (Washington, D.C./Hybrid).
