Spirit Box Tips & Tricks
We share ongoing updates, ideas and solutions from other Spirit Box school stores.
Transforming School Store Vending
Discover how Camdenton High School turned a single Spirit Box vending machine into a top-ranked, student-led business program! With the help of a CTE-aligned curriculum and hands-on, project-based learning, their DECA team achieved incredible milestones, including earning DECA’s prestigious SBE Gold Certification.
Hear directly from Business & Marketing Teacher Karen Fehrmann and her students about their journey from a small school store to managing three high-performing vending machines. From funding DECA trips to creating leadership opportunities, their story showcases the power of Spirit Box in transforming education.
Rio Rancho’s Vending takeover
Rio Rancho Introduction
Rio Rancho High School in New Mexico averages $50,987 in sales each year with their school store vending program. They’re highest sales in 2022-23 was $111,572. They’ve been the leader in sales since 2019 grossing $280,428 total from 2019 to January 2025. We felt it was time they shared their fundraising secrets!
Located in New Mexico with around 2,200 students, Rio Rancho’s Spirit Box vending activities are managed by the DECA Marketing Class and they’re killin’ it!
My Spirit Box is Not Accepting Cash!
What do you do when your Spirit Box starts refusing to take cash? It's frustrating for sure, but there are a few simple troubleshooting steps you can try yourself. These fixes should get your vending machine up and running again in no time.
How to Create a Personal Vision
We describe a personal vision as a description of success at a particular point in time in the future, described with enough richness and detail it becomes emotionally engaging and meaningful.
Questions to Assess Your Marketing Plan
How do you assess your school store marketing plan? There are many ways you could approach it, but the basic elements include: determining what audiences you’re reaching, assessing the competition, clarifying your positioning and message, and assessing the marketing channels and resources. You can then use this information to create promotions and goals for the upcoming year.
Countdown to the Holiday Season: Your Complete Holiday Sales Checklist
Your school might already be a-buzz about the holidays. The holidays are a special time not only to gather with family and friends but can also be a great sales period for your Spirit Box team! With some time and intention, you can make sure your Spirit Box is good to go when students are on the search for timely and helpful products to finish out the calendar year.
Connecting Your Competitive Advantage to Your Team Vision
Competitive advantage is what sets your business, product, or service apart from the rest. It is a core element of business success, so it must become a focus of your business operations. Read below to learn more about competitive advantage and how it must connect to your Spirit Box team’s overall vision!
Contingency Plans: What They Are & Why Your Spirit Box Team Needs One ASAP
A contingency plan might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to Spirit Box planning for the school year, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t critical. What are contingency plans? Why does your team need one? Keep reading to learn more!
How to Host a Fun and Focused Team Vision Session
A team vision can unite your new Spirit Box team and generate excitement for the work ahead. When your team rallies around the same goal, it turns the everyday tasks into meaningful actions. Refining a team vision takes more than simply sitting around a table and throwing out ideas. Creating a truly motivating vision takes time and intention. If you’re ready to help jump-start your team excitement, take a look at our tips for how to host an effective team planning session below.
Simple Steps to Implement Spirit Box Curriculum in Your Classroom
Spirit Box is a turn-key solution to teach students real-world business skills before they graduate. Each Spirit Box comes with access to a comprehensive curriculum to teach different aspects of business throughout the year. Below you will find a step-by-step guide to implementing this curriculum throughout the year—including how to become a certified Spirit Box team.