4 Business and Life Lessons Learned from Marshmallow Peeps

If you know me you know my favorite candy:

And while at times I think I am the only person in the world who loves these little darlings there are great lessons that I have learned from this love affair. Today I  offer them to you.

1. There are two types of people in the world. People who love Marshmallow Peeps and the rest of you.  There are people who love you/your business and people who don’t. There are people who accept and want to play with the brand Rich DiGirolamo and there are those who don’t. I’m okay with that. A long time ago I was not. I was excited when Fortune 10 companies hired me to speak. And the meeting planner was always happy with what I delivered. But truthfully, these were not the people I wanted to play with – and it was clear that too many of those folks (who were forced to attend the meeting) felt the same way. They were so jaded about change, stuck in old processes, or overwhelmed with work and deadlines that they couldn’t listen and absorb new concepts for an hour.

The sad thing is we often spend too much time trying to gain the respect/trust/business of people who don’t like Peeps; who don’t like us. Isn’t it more important to focus your efforts on the people who do; the ones who are interested in you and what you can bring to the table? How you can make their lives better? Easier? Impact their bottom line? Get them from fear to results? Aren’t you excited for a client, friend or coworker when they come to you and share a breakthrough or success based on an idea you offered?

2. There are only a handful of people who really have your back.  Every time I open a package of Peeps I think of the 5 people who I know have my back. They’re cheering me on. They want me to succeed. They are there to help me with my personal life and professional life when things get a little crazy. They know who they are. I tell them what they mean to me often. They stick to and with me just like those little chickies are stuck together in that package.

Sometimes we forget about those people. We might even take them for granted – unintentionally. Today, I think I’ll go buy a 5-pack of Peeps (hopefully purple). I think I’ll put those 5 names on the package. Good thing Peeps have a never ending shelf-life. Oh wait, I just had a better idea.

In my keynote, Permission to Speed, I talk about who is cheering you on. Do you know? Who are your 5 Peeps?

3. Perfect before you Expand: There’s a time and a place for new ideas; after you perfect the old idea. Peeps were once only an Easter Candy. That’s right. You only saw them at Easter. And then the people spoke. They wanted more. Now we see them at Christmas, Valentines Day, and Halloween. They have flavors and colors. They are dipped and covered. Heck, the makers even jumped on the “Dark Chocolate is good for you” craze. I do remember a brief period of 4th of July Peeps. I guess that didn’t work so well and the company retreated? I saw them one season.

I remember when I founded Recess At Work Day. It was designed as a day of fun; as part of a regular commitment to engagement and morale. Clients started telling me they used it as a team building moment. Others told me they wanted to do this regularly but needed ideas. So I designed the Recess At Work Manual and the RECESSitation Pack. Recess at Work Day began in 2004 and more and new ideas are coming. I also shifted the focus of Recess At Work Day from a “day of fun” to a “day of fun with the purpose of learning, recharging and celebrating.”

Perfect then expand. What do you need to perfect before you expand?

4. Have Fun.
How can you not think of anything but fun when you see a Marshmallow Peep? If your business is about fun, be and act fun. If your business is about health, look and act healthy. If your business is about technology, it’s time to upgrade to a smart phone. If your business is about creativity or innovation, create. Innovate. If you are a salesperson you better be using the product you sell.

Well that’s it. It’s time for a marshmallow chickie Recess.

Peeps can be sent to:

Rich DiGirolamo
POB 584
Marion CT 06444

You don’t even have to stick them in an envelope. Just put a label and postage on the package. Trust me. It works.

And if anyone has an “in” @ Just Born, the makers of Peeps. I want a factory tour!!

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Rich DiGirolamo works with organizations to turn fun employee experiences into fun customer experiences. He is the Founder of Recess at Work Day and the recently released book Dairy of the Happiest Employee on Earth: 52 Provoking Thoughts for Creating a Great Workplace.