March Comes In Like a Sock Monkey and Goes Out Like a Cuddly Kitten

1 About National Sock Monkey Day, Stacy Busch-Heisserer of Busch Pet Products in Cape Girardeau, MO, has this to suggest: “There are some super cute sock monkey dog toys out there now. Set the monkeys up on a fun display or place them all over the store, in some unusual places, with signage attached, announcing the holiday.”

3 If there were a better occasion for encouraging memes on social media than If Pets Had Thumbs Day, we can’t think of one. Start with your own, and ask followers to contribute. A quick search reveals people have already given this some serious thought.

8 Ethel or Elmer, Hortense or Horatio, Wilhemina or Egbert. Whatever your middle name is, you are duty-bound to share it with the world on Middle Name Pride Day. Fun idea: Make T-shirts with every team member’s middle name printed on them. Gather in the office, and have everybody take off his coat one by one for the big reveal.

10 Lack of sleep can cause weight gain, moodiness and outright stupidity. Neuroscientist Russell Foster calls sleep our most important behavior, noting that while we sleep our brain consolidates our daily experiences in the form of memories and uses that information to come up with novel solutions to problems. During National Sleep Awareness Week, commit to going to bed early enough so that you wake up without an alarm clock.

10 Benjamin Franklin is credited with first proposing the idea of Daylight Saving Time in 1784. He hoped to save on candles. Invite your customers for special daylight “savings” for one extra hour on the first day of the sale.

14 Albert Einstein — big brain, big heart, big lover of animals. On the 140th Anniversary of his Birthday, hold — what else? — a brainstorming session with staff or mentors. Use something he actually said as a starting point: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

15 Julius Caesar never saw it coming. Honorable, trusted, popular Brutus was a member of his inner circle. Is there someone on your team who has the potential to do damage to your business? On Brutus Day, take note: It’s the Ides of March, so remember the three Ts when it comes to underperforming staff: Tolerate, Train or Terminate.

17 Banish snakes? Perish the thought, especially if you sell reptiles. Here’s a much better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: Banish the winter blues. It’s the perfect date to raise a toast and bid the cold months farewell. Lay out some green drinks (kombucha, green tea, anything but beer), green edibles and give prominent display to any environmentally friendly pet food and treats. Everyone loves a party … and it’s really not so hard being green.

23 Hope you had a good night’s sleep: National Puppy Day, World Turtle Day and Cuddly Kitten Day all fall on the same day. You’ve got your work cut out for you.