#1: Now that it’s December most people have begun their countdown to the holidays. To get ready for all of the gift wrapping you’ll be doing in a few weeks wrap any one member of your team from head to toe in toilet paper (or multiple team members if they want to get in on the fun) leaving as few gaps as possible except around their nose/mouth so they can breathe easily. Then take a fun team picture with your newly wrapped co-worker and at some point in the process have each team member tell that person why they are a “gift” to either Hot Dish or to them personally.

#2: When your company is named for a Minnesota comfort food it’s only fair to have an eating challenge. And even though the traditional Upper Midwest variety isn’t spicy, it does have the word “hot” in it. So anywhere around the area, take a video of your team members all at the same time consuming separate spoonfuls of any brand of hot sauce (the hotter the better). Make sure to show the bottle or packet of hot sauce in the video so it can be confirmed that it's actually hot sauce you're consuming. Disclaimer, this will likely not be pleasant, which is exactly the point. Because a team that suffers together, grows together.

#3: To become the Top Franchise Supplier year after year requires everyone at the company to work together and communicate effectively. To test just how cohesive you all are, take a video of your team completing the Group Sit & Stand Challenge. Basically, your team members will all be standing shoulder to shoulder in a tight clump/circle with your backs all facing in and your arms interlocked. Slowly lower the entire interlocked group to the ground until you are in a seated position with your butts on the ground, and then slowly stand all the way back up while remaining interlocked the entire time. To watch a video of a group successfully completing this challenge click HERE.

#4: Get to any clothing or apparel store and find two different items with enough in stock that every team member can be wearing the same two items in their own sizes. Then take a fun team picture with everyone wearing those items. For example it may be a wacky shirt, and a pair of shorts. Or maybe some cozy slippers and a large sun hat. As long as everyone is wearing the same exact two items but in their own sizes.

#5: A huge part of being a successful franchise marketing and branding agency is listening to the people you provide services for and understanding the stories that make them who they are. Take a video of your team and any stranger that has a tattoo while they explain what that tattoo means to them or why they got it. The tattoo must be visible at some point during the video.

#6: Get every team member a large (16 ounces or so) open-top paper, plastic, or foam cup and fill it with water. Then either outside or at an appropriate indoor location, line up shoulder to shoulder and balance a full cup on each team member’s head. Once everyone’s cups are balanced, hold hands with the team members on either side of you and take a video of your team working together to all take 10 steps forward without anyone touching their cup or having it spill. If someone’s cup spills make sure to encourage them and then refill any spilled cups and start again as a team. After your team successfully travels 10 steps together dump the cups to prove they were full if necessary, and celebrate!

#7: This past week marked the 81st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and today is actually the birthday of the US National Guard. Take time to honor those who have protected our country for centuries. Anywhere around the area find an active military person or a veteran. They could be wearing some form of military or veteran attire, have a military ID, or they could simply describe their military background while you’re completing your challenge. Once you’ve found someone, take a video of them watching your entire team doing 10 push-ups or sit-ups at their feet to honor their strength and courage. After you’ve finished recording, spend a few minutes learning more about their time in the service before you depart, as a small gesture of appreciation.

#8: Take a video of your team successfully completing the Whipped Cream Catapult Challenge (click the link at the end of this description to see it performed properly). Divide your team into pairs. Have someone squirt a dollop (small lump) of whipped cream onto the back of their hand. Have the other person stand a few feet away from them ready to catch the whipped cream in their mouth. The person with the whipped cream on their hand will swing their arm back, palm down. When that hand gets back in front of them at about waist height, they’ll strike their wrist with their other free hand, causing the whipped cream to go flying. The second person should successfully catch the whipped cream in their mouth, or at least catch some of it in their mouth and the rest on their face. To complete this challenge at least half your team should make a successful catch in the video. To understand the challenge better and to watch a video of a team successfully completing it click HERE.

#9: The Vikings have started the season as one of the best teams in the NFL. To help them get psyched up for a possible Super Bowl run, find a logo of the Minnesota Vikings anywhere around the area being proudly displayed, worn, flown, etc. Then take a video of your group pretending to spike an imaginary football and immediately breaking into your very best celebratory touchdown dance while the logo is clearly visible in the background. If you need some inspiration for your performance you can click HERE.

#10: Optimizing campaigns and providing your client’s with critical data analytics requires you to be detail-oriented and good with numbers. This challenge will test your ability to notice some of those kinds of details, even while you’re surrounded by lots of distractions. Take a team picture with any parked vehicle that has a license plate which contains numerical digits that add up to 10, no more, no less. So if the plate were "CF2H 5K3" it would be acceptable because those numbers add up to 10 and there aren't any additional numbers.

#11: To raise awareness for, and support the extraordinary men and women firefighters who protect the Wayzata community, take a video of your team completing "Stop, Drop, and Roll" while any regulation/operable fire extinguisher is visible in the background. Be sure to yell each step of the fire safety technique as you all do it together and make sure the fire extinguisher is clearly visible at some point in your video.

#12: Being focused is at the core of what Hot Dish was built to do. Whether that’s FranFocused or BrandFocused, being focused on the client’s needs has helped this company reshape the franchise category. To test your ability to focus have any TWO team members successfully complete the “5 Second Challenge”. On their mobile devices successfully use the stopwatch function to get the timer to stop at exactly 5 seconds. Once they’ve got it, have someone take a picture of both teammates together as they proudly display their devices with 5.00 seconds clearly visible on each. This should be done using the stopwatch function and not the countdown/timer clock. Everyone can be attempting the challenge but only TWO team members need to complete it successfully.

#13: Get to any location where you can make a photocopy. Then use the machine to make a hilarious image of each team member’s face pressed onto (or hovering over) the glass surface. If possible, have two or more people packed in together to one copy, as long as everyone's faces can be captured and the staff on site allows it. When finished, take a fun picture of everyone together, holding/displaying their memorable photocopies.

#14: Clara Barton established the American Red Cross and later this month marks 201 years since her birth. To honor Clara’s efforts on the battlefield as a nurse and the legacy she created with this impactful organization, find any Red Cross emblem around the area. Once you’ve found one, designate one of your teammates as an “injured soldier”. Then take a picture demonstrating the “correct way to carry an injured soldier”, as referenced in the picture found HERE by soldiers from the 1800’s. If you have a lot of people on your team you can divide up and carry multiple “victims” if you want. Or if you have a small team you can recruit strangers to help out if needed. Make sure the Red Cross emblem is visible somewhere in your picture and then gently lower your victim back down after you’re finished, just like Clara would have done.

#15: Over the years, we’ve found that the teams that bond the most are the ones that do something meaningful or impactful together. So here is your chance. Find a postcard that features this area in some way, or a fun greeting card, and purchase it. Then click HERE to go to the Love For Our Elders website and their “12 Days Of Cardmas” project, which is focused on fighting loneliness with love, one letter at a time. As a team, choose someone from their list whose story or background resonates with you. Then on your card include a fun or uplifting message and sign it with your names or your group name. Stamp your card and take a picture with it to show you've completed your Act Of Kindness and then drop it in the mail along the way or after your event ends.