Build then Bless®
Philosophy

Disrupt corporate philanthropy with us! If you're looking for better ways to serve your community and grow your business, we're sharing every strategy that's helped us get more sales, have happier employees, and impact lives beyond a vague corporate donation.

Abby Haralson
Abby Haralson |
Lemonade Stand team

How Build Then Bless Turns Company Culture Into Real Business Growth

(A Lemonade Stand Case Study) On a scale from one to “please, please make it stop,” how tired are you of hearing that “great culture” is the secret to success—with zero practical advice on how to build it? You can feel when a company culture is good and you can definitely sense when it’s bad,…

Abby Haralson
Abby Haralson |
Two volunteers serving others by putting food in bags

Why We Consider Serving Others a KPI

At most companies, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are hard numbers: revenue growth, retention rates, profit margins, or customer acquisition cost. At Lemonade Stand, we measure those too, but we add something else to the list: serving others. When we say “serving others,” we mean making service a measurable part of our culture. It’s not just…

Camila Roldan
Camila Roldan |
Box of donuts with someone holding a donut in front of the camera

A Sweet Twist of Events

To me, the most impactful moment of this story is not the 30 seconds it took to hand the man the most delicious mochi donuts ever—it was the last-minute opportunity to serve. Our friends were moving soon, so we planned one of our last dinners together. This was a chance to catch up, laugh too…

Abby Haralson
Abby Haralson |
Employees smiling at a screen together because of gratitude

Why Gratitude Is the Most Underrated Productivity Tool

To me, productivity looks like this: time management tools, the goal-tracking note in my phone, and a 50-item to-do list. I write things I’ve already accomplished on my to-do list just for the satisfaction of crossing them off (and I know you probably do that too). In fact, this blog has been sitting on my…

Alohilani Jacob
Alohilani Jacob |
Lemonade Stand employee using build then bless software

Why Build Then Bless Is the Best Employee Engagement Software on the Market

When I accepted a fully remote job offer at Lemonade Stand, I expected to treat work as just that—work. I thought I wouldn’t find anything more meaningful than a paycheck, especially working from home. Yeah, that mindset was quickly thrown out the window the moment I was introduced to Build Then Bless (our company philosophy,…

Alohilani Jacob
Alohilani Jacob |
young man with a knee brace holding a care package of pies

How to Create a Positive Work Environment Through Employee Gifting

Are your employees happy to be at work—or do they watch the clock and wait for the day to be over? While it’s true that everyone has good and bad days at work, as a manager or business owner, it’s up to you to cultivate your company’s culture. However, only three in ten U.S. employees…

Build Then Bless
Build Then Bless |
Coworkers sitting around a table smiling, and one is giving a fist bump to someone standing up

How to Build a High-Trust Organization

Do your employees trust you? A recent survey from Gallop revealed that only 20% of employees confidently trust their company’s leadership. That’s right—only one-fifth of employees believe their organization’s leadership has their best interests at heart. But this statistic can’t impact your bottom line, right? Think again! Trust is the secret ingredient of any successful…

Alohilani Jacob
Alohilani Jacob |
A young woman smiling

The Power of a Smile: Small Gestures That Make a Big Difference

The Power of a Smile: Small Gestures That Make a Big Difference Have you ever caught yourself smiling back at a stranger who was smiling at you? Or reflexively grinning when you hear someone laugh? As humans, we are hard-wired to mirror the emotions of those around us. It’s why smiling and laughter are so…

Alohilani Jacob
Alohilani Jacob |
Coworkers standing around a fellow worker and clapping and smiling

Why and How Peer-to-Peer Recognition Strengthens Company Culture

What is it about your job that makes you want to stay? Is it your super flexible schedule, rollover PTO hours, and amazing insurance coverage? Maybe. But even with amazing benefits, there’s one thing that can make or break an employee’s experience at a company: the people you work with. As Maya Angelou said, “People…

Adrienne Patton
Adrienne Patton |
Adrie, the author of the blog, posing with a taller man and a short young woman

How Build Then Bless Has Helped Me Make Work Friends

I joined Lemonade Stand three and a half years ago. At the time I interviewed, I had no idea what Build Then Bless was—the company mission statement and culture operating software that attracted most of our talent and retained them. Almost four years later and I can’t look back on my work experience without noticing…