Business Growth Case Study by Disruptive Spark®
How Apple Psychological Turned a 20-Year Anniversary into Strategic Growth
Client: Apple Psychological Industry: Group Mental Health Practice with Specialist in families, individuals Milestone: 20-Year Anniversary
Visit Apple Psychological on their website at www.applepsychological or follow them on social media @applepsychological
Why is celebrating a milestone valuable even valuable?
Founder Dr. Staci Weiner wanted to honor two decades of perseverance and impact acknowledging obstacles overcome, changes made, and the practice’s ongoing mission to help people live better lives. She also sought a tangible way to express deep gratitude to the team and create an experience that reinforced purpose and pride.
I really felt that 20 years in business is a valuable and amazing feat. I wanted to share that with my team and honor the practice and our mission.” — Dr. Staci Weiner, Owner Apple Psychological
Dr. Weiner’s Success Tips for Other Small Business Owners
Small is Powerful. You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 to host a meaningful, high-ROI milestone. Even modest experiences unlock connection, clarity, and pride.
Recognition multiplies loyalty. Thoughtful awards and personalized praise produce lasting emotional lifts and stronger bonds.
Capture content. Bringing in video and photography converts a single night into quarters of brand storytelling and recruitment assets.
Hire Experts to Support You! Our event coordinator, Samantha Hammond, and ourretreat leader, Susan Gatti, dramatically reduced stress, kept me focused and ensured I made a great investment.
Dr. Staci Weiner, Owner Apple Psychological
Events can feel like bragging or self-praise, but that’s not true. They simply allow more people to know the good work that you do. Hitting a business milestone, especially 20 years, is a hallmark of being a good business that is to be celebrated.” — Susan Gatti, Business Advisor
Aren’t we “too small to celebrate”: Dr Weiner worried a smaller practice might not warrant a formal event and that attendance could be sparse, but the team proceeded anyway, and the event was “beautiful” and deeply enjoyed by those who came.
Budget and value concerns: Like many small business owners, Staci initially grappled with typical hesitations around making the investment . Framing a celebration as mission-aligned brand visibility and team appreciation initiative helped her to move past hesitation.
Planning complexity: Success does require advanced planning abilities, but making the decision to hire our team at Disruptive Spark reduced the stress and turned her idea into a full brand building and team building event in just 90-days.
Stress of first-time hosting: Dr. Weiner admits her pre-event stress was a 7–8 on a 10-point scale; but after doing she’s gained the confidence that come with experience.
The Services Disruptive Spark Provided.
Event Design & Program Facilitation: We translated Staci’s vision into an experience that clarified mission, reinforced values, introduced professional and business development skills and promoted connection and learning.
Led our Signature “Coworker Game Show” Connection Experience: The surprise hit of the celebration was a simple, low-cost, and high-impact connection activity that helped a diverse, largely remote team discover commonalities and bond in a meaningful and fun way.
Awards Night & Recognition Strategy: Staci selected a personalized recognition memento (engraved crystal apples) and spotlighted each clinician’s strengths creating lasting emotional resonance.
Content Capture & Brand Assets: Step-and-repeat, photography, headshots, and video interviews; planned we captured are now part of on-going brand awareness social media campaign; maximizing ROI from a one-time investment.
Presentation of the "Apple" Awards
The Benefits Realized by the Team: Engagement, Team Cohesion, and Skill Advancement
Stronger Relationships & Trust: In-person bonding for a predominantly virtual team created deeper connection across locations, backgrounds, and career stages.
Recognition-Driven Morale: Personalized accolades (crystal apples) left team members surprised, grateful, and proud that fuels on-going motivation and loyalty.
Business Growth and Professional Development: Therapists are business owners too who benefited from learning advanced sales skills, reducing resistance to the stress of growing a business and they even walked away with new heads shots and a testimonial video.
Benefits Realized by the Company: Brand, Revenue & Loyalty Growth
“When more people know who you are, then you’re going to get more business and grow. Your team feels better, and if your team’s feeling better, you’re going to perform better.” — Dr. Staci Weiner
Increased Visibility & Clearer Messaging: Team videos and new headshots improved the website and clarified the practice’s mission and passion helping more people to be introduced to Apple Psychological.
Pipeline & Revenue Potential: With better brand assets and expanded reach, Staci expects business growth as awareness rises. “When more people know who you are, then you’re going to get more business and grow.”
Longevity of Assets: Headshots, photos, and video footage become reusable content for quarters to come, extending the ROI beyond the event.
Recap: Top 5 Results Achieved at the Apple Psychological, Cheers to 20-Years Celebration Event
Mission-Centered Celebration reinforcing ethical care, excellence, and impact.
High-engagement connection activity (“Coworker Game Show”)—most loved moment.
Recognition that mattered, with engraved awards and personalized remarks for each clinician.
Enhanced brand library—videos, photos, headshots, and on-camera clinician features for marketing and recruitment.
Confidence gains that reduce future planning stress and increase willingness to host recurring team moments.
What Events are Valuable for Companies to Celebrate (and How We Help)
Disruptive Spark designs and facilitates milestone moments tailored to your size, culture, and goals. Popular celebration types include:
Anniversary Celebrations (1, 5, 10, 20+ years) are exceptional reasons to through a recognition ceremony, celebration event, team building day or even a destination trip.
Promote Openings & Launches to expand brand visibility of a new service, location, or product and get noticed by new and previous clients. Grand openings fuel excitement and plan the seed of success to all those who view them live or in the visuals after the event.
Culture & Connection Moments are more than just feel-good moments, they unite teams, build synergies, deepen trust, reduce natural biases, spark innovation, boost collaboration and reinforce a culture of caring.
Recognition & Awards Nights bespoke honors that make people feel seen, valued, and proud
Our Services capabilities include event design, facilitation, connection games, recognition frameworks, photographer/videographer coordination, headshots and interviews, and content reuse plans that maximize post-event ROI.
We promise to build a strategic plan that fits your budget and amplifies your unique growth goals. Our specialty is curating high-impact connection, meaningful recognition, and reusable content that grows your pipeline for months to come. Let’s celebrate your next anniversary, product launch or success story. We’ll turn your vision into an executable plan and partner with you to bring it to life.
Ready to turn your next milestone into measurable brand and performance gains?
Connect with Susan Gatti or any Disruptive Spark® Team Member today.
