Finding Your Super Bowl

Every entrepreneur is told to “find their niche,” but the real art isn’t in endlessly asking why something won’t stick, it’s in discovering what actually does stick and then doubling down on it. Few companies embody this principle better than Crayola, the hall-of-fame seasonal business you probably grew up with.

Crayola is privately held and pulls in more than $600 million a year. But here’s the twist: nearly half of that revenue comes from just two months…July and August. Back-to-school season is its Super Bowl. In fact, that’s what CEO Pete Ruggiero actually calls it.

During those summer weeks, Crayola’s Easton, Pennsylvania factory runs like a finely tuned orchestra, 24/7, producing 12 to 13 million crayons every single day. That adds up to nearly 3 billion crayons a year, most of them poured into eager little hands right as school starts. The formula hasn’t changed much since day one: a simple mix of paraffin wax and pigment. But what’s remarkable isn’t the crayon, it’s the company’s focus.

Crayola doesn’t obsess over “why crayons aren’t hot in February.” They don’t try to spread demand evenly across twelve months. Instead, they orient their entire operation around their moment, the summer crunch and win it decisively, year after year. The company thrives not because it eliminates seasonality, but because it masters it.

And that’s the lesson for founders: stop chasing the why-nots. Instead, measure, notice, and build systems around the spikes, the surges, the sticky moments where demand is undeniable. Don’t waste your time explaining away lulls spend your energy preparing to dominate the peaks.

Plenty of other businesses take this seasonal or surge-driven approach and do it brilliantly:

• Bath & Body Works, with massive spikes around fall scents and holiday launches.

• The Christmas Tree Farm economy, where most revenue happens in a six-week sprint.

• Camp box subscription services, booming during summer and winter breaks.

• Holiday-driven pop-up shops and food carts, built to shine in festivals and markets.

• Halloween retailers like Spirit Halloween, which vanish the rest of the year but dominate in Q4.

Crayola shows us that success isn’t about smoothing out every bump in the road, it’s about recognizing your “Super Bowl” and preparing to win it. For founders, the call is clear: identify where your business already resonates most, and then go all in. Outcomes, not obstacles. Peaks, not plateaus.

Because in the end, what matters isn’t the months when nothing sticks, it’s the months when everything does.

The Great KFC Comeback: A Lesson in Authenticity and Ownership

February 2018, the streets of the United Kingdom buzzed with an unusual crisis. The iconic fast-food chain KFC, known for its finger-licking chicken, found itself in an unimaginable predicament: it had run out of chicken. This wasn’t a minor hiccup in a single store but a nationwide supply chain failure that forced 750 out of 900 KFC branches to shut their doors. Over 26,000 employees were left stranded, and millions of hungry customers faced disappointment. The cause? A botched transition from their previous logistics provider, Bidvest, to a new partner, DHL, which struggled to manage the complex delivery of fresh chicken from a single warehouse. The public’s reaction was swift and unforgiving, with social media ablaze and even the UK police forced to issue a public plea to stop receiving calls about the "#KFCCrisis."At first glance, this seemed like a PR disaster that could tarnish KFC’s reputation for years. But what unfolded next transformed this crisis into one of the most remarkable comebacks in food industry history, a story that holds profound lessons for founders on authenticity and ownership.

The Turning Point: Embracing Humility, Humor, and Honesty

Rather than retreating behind a wall of corporate jargon or deflecting blame, KFC’s marketing team made a bold move. They partnered with their ad agency, Mother London, to launch a full-page newspaper campaign that broke all traditional crisis management rules. The centerpiece was an empty KFC bucket with the brand’s iconic letters rearranged to spell "FCK."

Below this cheeky headline, the ad delivered a raw, unpolished apology: “A chicken restaurant without any chicken. It’s not ideal. Huge apologies to our customers, especially those who travelled out of their way to find we were closed. And endless thanks to our KFC team members and our franchise partners for working tirelessly to improve the situation. It’s been a hell of a week.”This wasn’t a polished press release, it was a human confession.

The campaign, dubbed the "three Hs"humility, humor, and honesty struck a chord. The playful "FCK" nod acknowledged the absurdity of the situation, while the candid admission of the chaos showed a willingness to own the mistake. The result? The campaign reached 797 million people through traditional media and another 219 million on social platforms, with over 700 press articles amplifying the message. KFC’s positive attention score soared from 7% to 29%, turning a potential brand killer into a moment of admiration.

Outcomes: Lessons for Founders

For entrepreneurs, the KFC story offers actionable insights into navigating crises with authenticity and ownership, ensuring your brand emerges stronger. Here are the key takeaways:

1. Authenticity Trumps Perfection: In an era where consumers crave real stories over polished facades, KFC’s decision to ditch corporate spin for raw honesty was a game-changer. Founders must recognize that admitting mistakes—when done with sincerity builds trust. Your audience doesn’t expect you to be flawless; they want to see the human behind the brand. Whether it’s a product delay or a service hiccup, owning the narrative with humility can turn skeptics into supporters.

2. Humor as a Bridge: The "FCK" campaign’s lighthearted approach disarmed public frustration. For founders, this suggests that a well-timed dose of humor can humanize your brand during tough times, provided it aligns with your identity. It’s not about trivializing the issue but about showing resilience and relatability. Consider how a playful response could soften the blow of your next challenge.

3. Ownership Drives Recovery: KFC didn’t point fingers at DHL or hide behind excuses. They took responsibility and thanked their team for their efforts, reinforcing a sense of unity. Founders must lead by example, owning setbacks and rallying their teams to address them. This not only repairs damage but also strengthens internal morale and external perception.

4. Strategic Communication is Key: The decision to use full-page ads ensured KFC controlled the narrative, while social media amplified engagement. For entrepreneurs, this highlights the power of a strategic mix of owned and earned media. When crisis strikes, craft a clear, authentic message and distribute it across platforms where your audience lives.

5. Crisis as Opportunity: KFC didn’t just recover, they enhanced their brand equity. This shift underscores a critical lesson: every challenge is a chance to redefine your story. By leaning into authenticity, founders can transform setbacks into opportunities, attracting loyal customers and unexpected partnerships.

The Lasting Impact

Today, as we reflect on this event , the KFC comeback remains a masterclass in crisis management. The brand didn’t just survive; it thrived by embracing its imperfections and owning its journey. For founders, the message is clear: in a world that values authenticity, your story, flaws and all can be your greatest asset. So, the next time you face a crisis, ask yourself: How can I be human, own it, and turn this into my own "FCK" moment?

Betty Crocker, the supposed author of the #1 best-selling cookbook of all time "Betty Crocker's Cookbook", is not a real person and is in fact a mascot created by General Mills.

In the world of culinary icons, Betty Crocker stands out as a unique figure, a name synonymous with home cooking and a brand that has graced millions of kitchens worldwide. Yet, unlike the chefs and authors whose faces appear on book jackets, Betty Crocker is not a real person.

She is a carefully crafted mascot, born from the ingenuity of the Washburn-Crosby Company (later General Mills), designed to connect with American homemakers on a personal level.

The Birth of a Persona:

1921The origin of Betty Crocker traces back to 1921, when the Washburn-Crosby Company, a Minneapolis-based flour milling firm, launched a promotional campaign to engage its customers. The initiative began with a simple jigsaw puzzle advertisement in the Saturday Evening Post, inviting readers to solve the puzzle and mail it to the company for a prize. Alongside this, the company received a flood of letters from consumers seeking baking advice, a common occurrence as home cooking relied heavily on the expertise of flour brands.

To respond to these inquiries with a personal touch, company executives, led by home economist Marjorie Husted, created the fictional character of Betty Crocker.The name "Betty" was chosen for its friendly, approachable feel, while "Crocker" honored William G. Crocker, a recently retired director of the company, adding a nod to its heritage. This persona allowed Washburn-Crosby to provide tailored responses to customer queries, establishing Betty as a trusted kitchen confidante.

Her signature, a flowing script developed by a company secretary, became a symbol of reliability and care, appearing on correspondence and, later, product packaging.Evolution and Radio Stardom: The 1920s and 1930sBetty Crocker’s presence grew with the advent of radio. In 1924, the "Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air" debuted on a Minneapolis station, marking the country’s first radio cooking program. Hosted by Husted and other home economists, the show brought Betty’s voice into homes across the region, offering recipes and tips that cemented her authority. This move was groundbreaking, blending education with entertainment and expanding her reach beyond written correspondence.

By 1929, the brand introduced Betty Crocker coupons, tucked into bags of Gold Medal flour. These coupons could be redeemed for Oneida Limited flatware, with the popular "Friendship" pattern (later renamed "Medality"). The program’s success led General Millsformed in 1928 when Washburn-Crosby merged with other milling companies, to offer entire flatware sets, further embedding Betty in the daily lives of American families.

The Face of Betty: A Composite Icon

While Betty’s voice and signature were established, her visual identity took shape later. In 1936, General Mills sought to give her a face, commissioning artist Neysa McMein to create a portrait. McMein blended features from several female employees to craft a composite image of a kind, middle-aged woman with a warm smile. embodying the ideal homemaker of the era. This portrait, updated periodically to reflect changing styles (e.g., in 1955 and 1986), became a fixture on cookbooks, packaging, and advertisements, evolving with the times while retaining her approachable essence.

The Cookbook Legacy: A Cultural Milestone

Betty Crocker’s most enduring legacy came with the publication of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook in 1950. Marketed as a comprehensive guide for novice and experienced cooks alike, it quickly became the #1 best-selling cookbook of all time, with over 75 million copies sold across various editions by 2025. The book’s success was no accidentit leveraged Betty’s established trustworthiness, offering recipes tested by General Mills’ home economists and presented under her name. This blend of fictional authority and practical content made it a kitchen staple, reinforcing her status as a cultural icon.

Kindness scales. This is the best technique you can learn that is boring but pays dividends in outcomes you cant imagine today.

America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys" Just pure drive to win. Epic in more ways than one. On Netflix. A must watch.

Monetize Your Time: Upgrade Your Personality ROI

The charts are rough: young adults (16–39) are crashing in conscientiousness and agreeableness, while neuroticism is spiking. Translation? More chaos, less discipline, harder teamwork. Not a great recipe for building companies.

But here’s the upside: personality isn’t destiny. It’s trainable. You can invest time to flip these sliders back in your favor:

• Conscientiousness (falling hard): This is the “get stuff done” muscle. Don’t rely on raw willpower ,buy structure. Block time on your calendar, automate reminders, use accountability partners. Every system you put in place is like outsourcing your discipline to technology.

• Agreeableness: Being agreeable isn’t about saying yes,it’s about being easier to work with. Train it. Do a quick empathy rep daily: journal from someone else’s perspective, or end meetings by asking, “What’s one thing I could have done better here?” Tiny investments that yield smoother partnerships and fewer wasted battles.

• Neuroticism (rising fast): Stress eats entrepreneurs alive. Fight back with “mental hedges”: 10 minutes of meditation, a reframing habit, or a walk outside. These cost almost nothing, but protect the quality of your decisions when it matters most.

• Extroversion (sliding): You don’t need to be the loudest in the room, but you do need to generate social energy. Hack it: schedule one high energy call a week with a mentor, peer, or customer. Research shows even acting more extroverted boosts mood and performance.

Think of it this way: your personality traits are like startup equity. Neglect them and they erode. Invest in them, and they compound. The entrepreneurs who deliberately upgrade their character are the ones who’ll outpace everyone else in the long run.

Once You Cross the No-Return Threshold, the Old World Is Dead

Think back to the first time you used Uber.

You tapped a button, saw a little car on the map move toward you, and when you got out at your destination, you didn’t reach for your wallet. No cash, no card, no awkward pause. Just done.

The next time you were standing on a rainy street corner trying to wave down a yellow cab, it felt absurd. Primitive, even. Like watching someone rewind a VHS tape.

That moment ,when the new way is so much better you can’t imagine going back is what I call the No-Return Threshold.

How Expectations Break

Before the iPhone, Blackberry owned the mobile world. Everyone thought you needed a keyboard to type fast. Apple ripped it off and gave us a touchscreen that could morph into whatever we needed: a map, a web browser, a music player, a camera. And then came the App Store, which turned the phone into a million different tools in your pocket.

Once you swiped through apps and pinched to zoom, going back to those tiny keyboards felt like chiseling on stone tablets.

Or take Google. Remember Yahoo’s homepage in the early 2000s? Links everywhere. Ads everywhere. Noise everywhere. Then Google appeared: one box, one button, instant answers. Once you saw the difference in speed and quality, Yahoo wasn’t just worse, it felt broken.

And Netflix? After your first weekend of streaming entire seasons without leaving the couch, the idea of driving to Blockbuster, hoping your movie wasn’t out of stock, and dodging late fees became laughable.

Why This Happens

These shifts aren’t about being “a little better.” They’re about resetting the baseline of what customers expect.

• Uber didn’t just compete with taxis; it made taxis feel like an outdated ritual.

• The iPhone didn’t just beat Blackberry; it redefined what a phone even was.

• Google didn’t just improve search; it made everything else feel unusable.

• Netflix didn’t just add convenience; it rewired how we consume entertainment.

Once people experience that kind of leap, the old way isn’t merely less attractive it’s intolerable.

The Entrepreneur’s Test

This is the bar for entrepreneurs: are you building something that nudges customers a bit, or something that pushes them past the No-Return Threshold?

Because once they cross it, your competitors aren’t just losing, they’re finished. Customers won’t choose between you and the old world anymore. To them, the old world no longer exists.

That’s when you know you’re building something big.

Bonus! Thought of the week

What ever you do next, if its not on Youtube its not going to scale. Choose your industry, any industry, but make sure you can build distribution via Youtube.

Contrarian Take: 

At first glance, you’d think they’re disorganized. But I don’t think that’s it. My contrarian take is that they’ve already figured out the tools don’t matter. They don’t waste cycles optimizing workflows because they know the leverage is in their ability to think, execute, and make good decisions , not in finding the perfect note-taking system.

The fancy apps are often a distraction. Simplicity wins.