Jason Gazaway

Today’s Topics: Looking Ahead in 2021 | Yealink VP59 Smart Phones | Right Ethernet for the Right Network | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Monday!

February 1st is National Freedom Day AND G.I. Joe Day!! Coincidence, I think not! Knowing is half the battle!

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First week of a new month, friends. Are you ready to make it a good one? January found us wrapping up plans for 2021, and we feel like we have a good baseline strategy for CK heading into this month. We’re looking forward to picking up the pace and creating some good momentum now that the planning is done. Our method is to always leave room for change if needed, but having an idea of where we want to go has been critical for us. I think the primary superpower of knowing where you are headed is keeping the team aligned and focused. When everyone is rowing in the same direction, it is less work and more enjoyable for everyone on the team.

One of the big things we have planned for this year is several new product launches. We are excited to be bringing either a brand new or expanded product line your way about once per month. As always please let us know if we can help you with any projects or specific products.

Looking forward to serving you,

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

Happy Monday! On Friday we took a broad look at the Yealink T5 Series of VoIP phones, and today I wanted to dive in a little deeper on the Yealink VP59 Smart Media Phone. This incredible phone was designed for those who want to get the most out of their desk phone! It features a vibrant 8” color touch screen that provides a smartphone-like user experience. It comes with a built-in 2 Mega-pixel 1080p Full-HD adjustable camera to make video conferences easy and clear! In addition to the HD video, this phone boasts HD audio with Yealink’s Noise Proof and Acoustic Shield technologies. This incredible technology eliminates background and ambient noise so that you hear what you need to and are not distracted by what you don’t need to hear! The VP59 also features built-in 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi connectivity plus built-in Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity to make connection and collaboration easier than ever!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update — 2.1.2021

Today’s Topics: We All Need Connection | Cisco 2911 Routers | GameStopification of the Market | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Thursday! We’re almost there!

January 28th is International Lego Day! (This should be a holiday…at least I think it should be!) Check out these crazy Lego creations! They are nuts!

Yesterday I wrote about how we attempt to maintain good relationships and personal connections with those on our team. In that same vein, I was thinking about how thankful I am for the special friendships in my life. You know these types right? The ones where you just click, it doesn’t matter how often you see each other or what happens between you, there’s a bond that somehow knitted you together. I also shared that I was struggling to feel myself the past few weeks. This week I had one of “those” friends reach out for a chat. We are in different stages of our life, yet we discovered we are struggling with some of the same challenges. (Nothing new under the sun and all that.) It’d been months since we last spoke, but I was on her mind and she was on mine. I’m so thankful she sent that text to ask if I could chat.

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 1:9

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(Disclaimer: the next part of this writing speaks of death, including death by suicide.)

Several years ago I had one of the most loss-filled weeks of my life. A great friend of mine took her own life, a day before her 39th birthday. It was devastating for so many. I knew she was struggling, and we had been in touch about what was going on with her. However, the day before she passed away, I ignored a prompting to go see her. I had the opportunity, and I chose to do something else with that time. I will always regret not seeing her again. Two days after she passed away, another dear friend lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Two weekends before this friend passed we were going to see her when I suddenly realized I didn’t feel 100%. I took my temperature and had a low-grade fever. She was weak and I didn’t want to give her anything else to struggle through. We most definitely thought she had weeks longer to live and that we’d have another opportunity to see her, but we didn’t.

That week of loss taught me many things, but one of the biggest lessons is to leave margin in your life for friendship, for connection. Pray for your friends, think about them, and when you feel prompted to reach out, do it. I haven’t let the regret and disappointing circumstance from that time fester into something unhealthy, but I hope I always remember to lean into those who mean something in my life.

We all need connection with others, whether it be friendship, love, companionship, or something else. Certainly, in these socially distanced, high-stress days we live in, we won’t regret sending that text or making that phone call. I cannot think of a time when I have regretted spending quality time with those I love.

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update — 1.28.2021

Today’s Topics: Roundtable-Style Good News | 3850 Switches | 5 Quick Tips for Motivating Others | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Wednesday!

January 27th is National Chocolate Cake Day…this is def a holiday we can get behind and support! This might be the one day of the year it is acceptable to have cake for breakfast. (well, if you are over 5 years old…haha!)

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It’s Wednesday, friends. The last Wednesday of January – so hard to believe. January is such a mixed bag for me. There is excitement because it is a brand new year of course. But I have to admit, after the activities at the end of the year get me out of my groove, I find it really difficult to get my routine rolling again. The more dreary weather and the abrupt change in pace from all the activity from December can leave me feeling a little down. It usually takes me until the beginning of February to start feeling like I’m back in the game. Anyone else there with me?

I was thinking through what to write about today, scanning mentally through recent events for inspiration, and I thought about a habit we have here at CK that helps us stay connected. We begin our weekly meetings with a roundtable-style good news and prayer requests time. To be honest with you, we probably take this time of connection for granted some days. I know there are times I struggle to come up with something to share, yet I know that sharing and listening to what is happening to others really does help me feel connected to the individual people here. Topics can range from things such as a new hobby or getting to have dinner with a loved one to news that a new baby is on the way (we heard this one this week). We also share more difficult things with one another by leaving room for prayer requests. What is shared can be more personal or can relate to work, and it takes about 1-3 minutes per person to share. So, if you’re not doing something like this in your business already, consider giving it a try. I highly recommend it, especially with how the new WFH environment makes relational interaction less frequent.

Until tomorrow,

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

Today we’re taking a look at the Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series WS-C3850-48U-S! This incredible switch is equipped with Cisco’s popular StackPower technology which allows for power-sharing and redundancy. This 1RU switch features (48) 10/100/1000 UPoE ports, a 176 Gbps switching capacity, IP Base software, and a 480 Gbps stacking bandwidth. We currently have this switch on sale, so snag yours now!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update — 1.27.2021

Today’s Topics: Enjoying the Moment | Economical GLC’s | All About 100G Transceivers | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Tuesday!

January 26th is National Plan for Vacation Day…on the last Tuesday in January, reminds us to plan our vacation at the start of the year for the rest of the year. The early bird gets to pack their bags and fly away to a little fun and relaxation!

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Wow! Where has this month gone? I mean it’s already at the end of January. This year is already flying by!

It seems as we get busier and busier time goes by faster and faster. Maybe it’s just that we are so focused on getting stuff done and we do not take the time to slow down and enjoy the moment or rest and relax that we “lose” that time and it seems to go by fast. I am not sure, it may be a combination of both.

I know for me, life has been non-stop already this year. Between all the items that I need to do here at CK daily, trying to wrap up selling a house, trying to pack up everything, trying to build a house, family health issues, my God-sons moving to Germany for two years, and everything else that goes on day to day, I am not sure of the last time I just sat down and relaxed or “enjoyed the moment”. I imagine a lot of it revolves around the house stuff, but I remember being “too” busy before I started trying to sell or build a house.

What are some of the ways or things you do to “slow down” or “enjoy the moment”? Cause obviously what I am doing is not working. Haha!

Jason

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

The Cisco GLC-T is a convenient and economical solution to achieve Gigabit Ethernet speeds using your existing infrastructure as this SFP provides full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet over Cat5e copper wire! Additionally, these 1000Base-T transceivers are hot-swappable and utilize an RJ45 interface. GLC-T modules are IEEE 802.3:2000 compliant and can operate at lengths up to 100m (328 ft)! Check out our options of New In Box, Refurbished, or CK Branded!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update — 1.26.2021

Today’s Topics: Childhood Birthday Celebrations | Powering WFH | Cable Management Best Practices | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Monday!

January 25th is National Opposite Day…does that mean instead of Monday it’s Friday?

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Let’s talk childhood birthday celebrations. Our youngest daughter is turning 5 (“a whole hand!”) soon, and we’re planning to take a few days to go camping. I’ve found winter birthday celebrations to be difficult to plan. We usually end up doing a trip for this child’s birthday. It is easier than trying to plan something indoors for kiddos under 5 and then worrying about who may be sick (and that was before our current conditions). Craig, myself, and our older daughter all have summer birthdays. The weather and more relaxed schedules make for easier planning in summer.

I’ve heard some neat solutions to non-ideal days of birth celebration times. Our old neighbors did a big costume party birthday celebration at Halloween, because the mom and daughter both had birthdays within days of Christmas. The mom’s parents had started it, so it was also tradition for their family.

What is your favorite childhood birthday celebration memory?

Christin

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

As many of us have transitioned from working in the office to working from home, we’ve had to find ways to power our devices so that there is no interruption to business! This is where products like the CP-PWR-CUBE-4 come in clutch! This power cube is a replacement power supply for Cisco CP-88XX, CP-89XX, and CP-99XX VoIP Phones. Check out our product page to see all compatible models. As usual, we have you covered whether you need Cisco original Factory Sealed or Refurbished. We even offer our very own CK Branded model as well!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update — 1.25.2021

Today’s Topics: Prayer for our Leaders | 1080P Webcams | Top 5 Reasons You Need a Firewall | News to Start Your Day

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Happy Thursday!

January 21st is “Get to Know Your Customer” Day, but it is also National Hugging Day (I guess that is gone with social distancing now) and National Squirrel Appreciation Day. Who knew?!?

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I thought we would pause our usual content this morning and take a minute to just be in the moment. I’m praying for our country and our leaders, and I would love for you to join me.

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Product Spotlights & Updates:

Today I am bringing back up a product we talked about last week, our brand new 1080P HD Webcam! This webcam was recently added to our product catalog and it has been a hit! This is perfect for all of your video conferencing needs! It works seamlessly with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Facetime, Skype, YouTube and more! It seriously has it all!

• 1080P Full HD quality for a clear, crisp, lifelike picture
• Built-in Noise Reducing Microphone to cut out the unwanted distractions from background noise
• 90° Wide View Angle to give you the wide view you’re looking for
• Plug & Play to make it easy to use! Ready to go in less than 1 minute!

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update — 1.21.2021