Letter from the CEO: A Reflection on 2019
Dear #PashFam,
Wow, does anyone else feel like the year has just zoomed past before their eyes?
As someone who truly believes in the value of reflection, I wanted to take the time to share some highlights and lessons learned in our 6th year of Passion Planner being in business.
What We’ve Been Up To This Past Month
- The launch of Passion Planner Daily, the reintroduction of planners in all three sizes, the release of stickers and monthly tabs, and the snafus that tend to arise during this time of year has made this one of our busiest holiday seasons yet!
- E-mails, e-mails, e-mails! We have been cranking away at these every day and appreciate your patience as we get caught up to speed.
- Our warehouse team has been shipping hundreds (sometimes even thousands) of planners every day. We are so excited for you to break in your new Passion Planners!
- We hosted our annual 12 Days of Giving, a time where we hold giveaways with thousands of dollars in prizes to our community on our Instagram and other social media platforms. Congratulations to all our winners!
2019 Highlights and Accomplishments
- Consistent Growth - Across all our platforms, we’ve gained over 70,000 followers! (A warm welcome to all you new #PashFam out there!)
- Get One, Give One Program - We have officially donated over 400K planners to NPOs, schools and other organizations that are making a positive impact in their communities. That’s $15,000,000 worth of planners!
- Customer Success - We have responded to over 29K emails this year! O_O
- Community Support - We have donated a whopping $133,042 to our nonprofit partners in 2019. That makes our running total of money donated (*drumroll please*) …. $221,841!
- Partnerships - We feel so privileged to have partnered with so many nonprofits that are creating change around the globe.
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More Good Things that Happened
- We won the California Small Business of the Year Award!
- Our team has grown to 30 full-time team members!
- We went to Disneyland for our team retreat in June ^_^
- Conceptualized, iterated, and launched our brand new product, Passion Planner Daily on Kickstarter with the support of 6,547 backers who pledged $405,375
- Launched other new products: Ready, Set, Grow Sticker Pack, Monthly Tabs, and #PashFam Just Start Shirts!
- We were featured on Good Morning America
- Named the #1 gift for millenials by CNBC
Top Lessons Learned
- You can’t please everyone. Surround yourself with a community that gives you grace as you grow.
- Rest and play is so important for your mental health and to perform at your best.
- Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.
- Saying “I believe in you” can be more impactful than any advice you can give.
- You cannot give anything you don’t have to someone else.
What To Look Forward to in 2020
- More new products!
- More community involvement
- Constantly improving customer service
- New colors and designs
- More free content that we believe can make you live a happier and more fulfilling life
What else would you like to see from us? Let us know in the comments below!
Thank You #PashFam
From the team and I, thank you for being a part of our roller coaster of a year and for supporting us as we learn, grow, and change. Business is not linear and it has been such a blessing to have a community that is willing to give us grace and patience through our challenges. We are truly honored to be a part of your journey and will continue to bring both the #PashFam and Passion Planner to new heights!
Wishing you success, love, and play in 2020 and beyond,
Angel and The Passion Planner Team