4.5 Ways to Sell Happiness

Dick Olenych / August 21st, 2018

Do you know how hard it is to sell “happy”?

As the owner of “The Happy Printers,” selling “happy” is one of the hardest things I have EVER done. I have climbed mountains, lived with nomadic tribesmen, lost a parent when I was young, and I’ve been married for 32 years. But, believe me when I tell you that trying to sell “Happy” is a bear. It’s so much more difficult than any of those other things (just don’t tell my wife, OK?)

Generally, I’m a pretty happy guy. But for my employees, it can be a totally different story. Employees are human, which means they don’t always come to work with the right attitude. People can sometimes bring their “baggage” to work.

Here are four and a half things that have worked for me to minimize those baggage claim tickets and retain our “Happy.”

1) Engage with as many employees as possible on a daily basis.

Your time is important. But their interaction with you is more important. You’re the big boss, which mean they will naturally gravitate to you. Be sure to always have a kind word available for those around you.

Your company may be your life, but to your employees, it’s their job.

2) Make it a great place to work.

Share the good things. Extend some freebies. Pizza one day every quarter. Sno-Kone Fridays. You don’t need to break the bank to make your company a good place to work.

3) Never lose sight of how your employees will mirror your actions.

Pick up a broom and sweep up a mess without fussing over it. You’ll never look bigger than when you stoop to do the lowest job.

4) Fire the employees that don’t get it.

Some may see this as harsh, but it’s not. Some people just are not the “right” fit. And getting rid of them could be viewed as a cleansing process.

This one took me a long time to discover. I always thought I could change everyone to my way of thinking. It just didn’t work out that way for me with a few people, so I have had to let go of a couple of “unhappy” employees.