How The Printable Pair Was Born from Virtual Happy Hour

 

Mark Twain quote printable wall art framed next to a computer keyboard and houseplant.
If you told me a few months ago that I’d launch an Etsy shop and a blog this year (or ever!) I’d have said you were crazy. I’ve never felt particularly entrepreneurial, and I certainly wouldn’t have thought I was creative enough to sell anything worth buying on Etsy! But a lot has changed over these past few months, hasn’t it? I suppose my perspective has changed along with everything else.

 

 

 

Please note: this post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. I only recommend products that I use myself and truly recommend. Please read my disclaimer for full info.

Virtual Happy Hour

Like everyone else, I’ve spent more time on video calls this year than I ever could have expected. Everything from family gatherings, to friend meetups, to work trainings, and beyond has gone virtual. Including happy hour. In fact, virtual happy hour became a new ritual for my team this spring. Once our team went remote in March, we had to figure out a way to stay in touch. We no longer had that time in the morning when everyone was turning on their computers to settle in and chat about our favorite shows, or long lunches to catch up on what we did over the weekend. Although we were busier than ever handling all the changes the pandemic threw our way, we still needed to put time aside to talk.

 

 

 

Enter the virtual happy hour. Once every other week or so, we put time aside for the team to gather via Zoom and just have fun. At first, the hour went by in seemingly no time at all. We had so much to catch up on. Who binged Tiger King? What kinds of bread have you baked? How did you make your Dalgona Coffee so perfect? But once we exhausted all the typical topics of quarantine pastimes, we started looking for ways to kill time. Party games seemed like the perfect idea. But there was one problem: nothing was appropriate for work.

 

 

 

Sure, our happy hours were fun. Work talk was strictly forbidden, and the atmosphere was lighthearted. But it was still work. We didn’t want to cross any lines with risque content that could potentially offend someone. And the last thing anyone needed was to check their email on Monday morning and see a meeting request from HR. 

 

 

 

The Etsy Idea

Apparently, my teammates and I weren’t the only ones facing this dilemma. It turned out my sister’s team was running into a similar issue. There’s only so much fun to be had by changing your Zoom background to increasingly ridiculous things. So we looked for games. But nothing really fit. There was only one thing we could do: make them!

 

 

 

In retrospect, I suppose this wasn’t such a crazy idea after all. A good part of my day job involves creating content for my company’s blog and social media. Why couldn’t I create games for our team to play over Zoom? And when we finally get back to the office, we’d have something to spice up the 5th coworker birthday party of the month. (Because let’s face it, those parties are little more than an excuse to leave your desk and eat supermarket sheet cake.) So I set to work.

 

 

 

Virtual Happy Hour Game "Over or Under" powerpoint for zoom

Even though I had created the games for my team, it wasn’t until a couple months later that I thought of selling them. We held a Zoom Bridal Shower for one of my coworkers, and the party host mentioned that she bought the games we played on Etsy. 

 

 

 

Wait.

 

 

 

People pay money for these? I had looked for games to buy back at the start of quarantine, but somehow it didn’t click. If we had such a difficult time finding ways to entertain ourselves on team calls, surely other people did, too! And thus, the idea for The Printable Pair was born. We hope these games give you something to do on some of your endless team calls. Or if you’re lucky enough to be working safely from an office, to provide some entertainment for a quarterly departmental meeting or office birthday party. And we’ll work to keep coming up with new products to make your work life more fun and productive. Whether that’s with ice breakers for company trainings or thank you notes you can send to your team. Of course, if there’s something missing, let us know!

 

 

 

Related Posts

Fun Activities to Fill Time On Thanksgiving

Fun Activities to Fill Time On Thanksgiving

Avoid Awkward Conversations—And Arguments—With These Entertaining Games and Activities For All Ages Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love getting together with family and eating until I can barely walk. But there’s no doubt it’s also a stressful holiday...

Unique Advent Calendars: Getting Creative with Countdowns

Unique Advent Calendars: Getting Creative with Countdowns

Advent calendars are one of the most cherished Christmas traditions for many families. But many of today’s Advent calendars bear little resemblance to the supermarket chocolate boxes of our childhood. Now, you can buy fancy gourmet chocolate Advent calendars....

Why Printable Coupon Books Are the Perfect Last-Minute Gift

Why Printable Coupon Books Are the Perfect Last-Minute Gift

We’ve all been there. It’s the day before your mom’s birthday, and you realize you forgot to buy her a gift. Sure, you can get her flowers and a gift card, but you know what she really appreciates is something from the heart.  Please note: this post may contain...

Comments

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *