Talk to any great entrepreneur in any business, and you’ll find that behind the business is a personal story that relates to the business. In my case, my fascination with Groundhog Day was somewhat of an inspiration for Punchbowl. Allow me to explain…
For as long as I can remember, my favorite holiday has been Groundhog Day. I think it all began because I wanted to be a weatherman. I studied weather during a daytime summer camp at Garvies Point in Long Island when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I loved the idea that meteorologists stood in front of a green screen and didn’t even see the weather maps! But I’ve never been strong in math, so my interest waned as I learned how many computations are involved in predicting the weather. My interest in weather was piqued again when I learned that there was a furry rodent who predicted the weather (without math!) each year who lived in a town called Punxsutawney. I was hooked.
My love for Groundhog Day reached new heights when the movie Groundhog Day came out in 1993. As a student at the University of Rochester, I had a new way to share the revelry with my classmates. So I dressed up in a suit, and wished everybody a happy Groundhog Day.
Fast forward to 1997, and I made my (infamous) solo trip to Punxsutawney, PA to meet the Seer of Seers. The night before I left for the twelve hour trip, we had a small party with a few friends. That was the first annual party, and this year will be party #14. Each year has been more elaborate than the last, and fun has been had by many. I’ve written about Groundhog Day in years past. Here’s my blog post after the party from 2008.
For 2010, I wanted to do something special for Groundhog Day — so on a whim, I picked up the phone and called the folks who developed Groundhog.org. I told them that I wanted to partner with the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and create an eCards site. After a little negotiation, we signed an agreement with Groundhog.org to become the exclusive provider of Groundhog Day eCards. This morning, we made the official Groundhog Day press announcement.
When I started Punchbowl, I had a few dreams that I wanted to fulfill. Today I can cross one of them off of the list. Punchbowl is an official partner of the Groundhog Day festivities and close partners with the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Awesome. Happy Groundhog Day!
