• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

CablesAndKits Blog

adding value to your IT infrastructure

  • Blog Categories
    • Product Guides & FAQ’s
    • Technology
    • CablesAndKits News
    • Press
  • Shop CablesAndKits
    • Network Equipment
    • Network Accessories
    • Servers
    • Ethernet
    • Fiber
    • Data Center Racks & Cabinets
    • Power Products
    • CK Deals
  • CK Learning Center

Coronavirus

CEO Daily Update – 10.7.2020

October 7, 2020 by Jason Gazaway

Who am I? | Face Masks Update | 10G Transceivers | Challenging the Consensus | News to Start Your Day


Who Am I? – Part 1 (A personal and CK Story) 

I mentioned to you in my introduction email that, before this year, I had been away from the day-to-day operations of our business for many years. It was a huge lifestyle change and honestly a really hard transition for me when I stepped away. Achievement and what I did was quite literally who I was up to that point in my life. I didn’t know myself outside of school or work.  

I started college my junior year of high school through a dual enrollment program that was available here in Georgia. Credits for the college classes I was taking also counted towards my high school credits to graduate. I decided to take my entire course load at college my senior year of high school, graduated high school as my class valedictorian (a goal I set for myself in the 6th grade), took a full load at college that summer semester, then finished my associate’s degree in Chemistry (with extra credits beyond what I needed for the degree) that next year. I was 18 years old, ready to begin at the University of Georgia as a second semester junior, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Math and science came easy to me. Achievement was who I was. Surely I could figure the rest of it out.  

I ended up leaving UGA after one semester because I was burnt out (shocker, right?) and lacked direction. Playing in the bigger pond of a major university, entering as a junior, and generally not knowing what was next in life created an environment that left me anxious and lacking in fulfillment. The business that is now CK began in October of that year, Craig and I were engaged in November and in December I left school to begin working with him to build what was then just an opportunity into a business. Looking back it is easy enough to see that I was running from something rather than running with purpose towards something new. But I was 19, in love, and excited about making a change. It felt right, surely that meant it was right. 

I poured my achievement mindset into the life and business we were building. We became that young, successful couple with the cool story. We worked side by side (literally, desks side by side) for 5 years, mostly working 3-6 hours a day during that time, making more money than my never-to-be chemistry degree would’ve dared to offer. We ate out and went to movies in the middle of the day, found fun hobbies, and took vacations whenever we wanted. Achievement was still who I was, but this time I had a partner in it and it was a lot more fun.  

Fast forward 10 years and I found myself burnt out once again. We were married, hadn’t had any luck starting a family, had both matured but in a weird bubble with each other nearby through the whole thing (we needed some space), and the business had grown to that awkward teenager phase. It needed to be led differently, and we had different ideas about what that looked liked. There was tension. I stepped out of the business then, not realizing that I was stepping right into the mess I had left behind by running for all those years. 

[Confession: This story went in a different direction than I intended when I sat down to write. I have decided to go with it, but I will need to break it up into shorter pieces for better deliverability. Part 2 coming tomorrow. I hope you’ll stick with me.] 

Christin 


Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.7.2020

Filed Under: CEO Daily Updates Tagged With: Apollo, CEO, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Face Masks, Transceivers

CEO Daily Update – 9.4.2020

September 4, 2020 by Craig Haynie

On the Road Again | Cisco Switches | New Safety Products | Tech News


Happy Friday!  

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO Update email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom. 

I made it home! I was nearing the house around 7pm I texted the wife before I got to the driveway and her and the girls (4 and 7) were waiting in the yard. I got parked and the girls ran over. I knelt down to give them hugs and kisses … BARELY got any, and they about knocked me down to get in the door of the RV!  

They loved the thing and were about to pass out of excitement over their bunk beds – each with a shelf and it’s own TV/DVD player. We had to nearly pry them out of them to go eat dinner. All they could talk about was “can we sleep in it??”. I think there is no way around a front yard camping trip this weekend, haha!  

As I mentioned before, we already have a camping trip planned in a couple weeks, and we have another set of friends we are already starting a conversation with about going somewhere too.  

In addition to that, while this Motorhome is in near perfect shape to be 10 years old, I have a handful of things I would like to do to it like replacing the radio and speakers, some maintenance items, and minor repairs. I look forward to the projects.  

Now that I am home, I cannot wait to get on the road again! Let the fun begin!  

I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard …  

There is a town in Nebraska called Monowi with a population of one. The only resident is a woman who is the Mayor, Bartender and Librarian. 

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 9.4.2020

Filed Under: CEO Daily Updates Tagged With: 3M Masks, CEO, cisco switches, Coronavirus, RV Adventures, Safety Products, Tech News

CEO Daily Update – 9.2.2020

September 2, 2020 by Craig Haynie

CP-7841-K9 |Clorox | Beliefs, behaviors, and branding | the RV journey home


Happy Wednesday!  

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom. 

The RV Journey home: I decided to drive from Orlando to Tampa Sunday night at 1:30am. The sellers told me that Lazy Days had a camp ground on-site that was amazing. (They are the largest RV dealer in the world, according to themselves). It is a mighty impressive place! I wanted to get the RV washed and waxed and also behold this RV super dealer as well as look at their service offerings in case I need work done in the future and can come to this area.  

When I got there I had to disconnect the CRV in the main parking lot before going to the camp site. They have a guard shack 24 hours and they were super helpful to get me a space and even helped me with the car when I discovered the battery had died en route (face palm). There were no jumper cables to be found so we pushed it into a parking spot and I dealt with it the next day.  

It is a really cool experience to have an RV at a camp ground and also have a car so you can go exploring, out to eat, etc. I’m digging it!  

Today I set out toward home. It’s 8 hours in a car so prob 10+ hours in the RV since you can’t go quite as fast. The plan is to stop somewhere along the way and stay a night and drive the rest of the way the next day. 

My girls are beside themselves and I cannot wait to get home and then see their bunks, which is about all they care about lol.  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 9.2.2020

Filed Under: CEO Daily Updates Tagged With: Behaviors, Beliefs, Branding, CEO, Clorox, Coronavirus, RV Adventures, Tech News

CEO Daily Update – 8.31.2020

August 31, 2020 by Craig Haynie

Hand Sanitizer Blowout | The RV adventure continues | Cisco RCKMNT-1RU Rack Kit


Happy Monday!  

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom. 

Well I’ve had quite an adventure in the last few days, and particularly Sunday. I’ve continued my hunt of a motorhome and settled on a couple brands and models within a certain age and miles range. I found what seemed to be the perfect unit at a fantastic price that was a few hours away. I called and had a great conversation with the owner and ended up going to look at it last Wednesday. While I expected to need to do some repairs, the quantity of them really started to pile up fast. It was a good bit below market value – way more than the repairs would cost, so I kept pondering on it.  

I was nearly willing to pull the trigger when I saw the exact same unit on RVTrader for a tad more money but without all the issues. It had a little wrong here and there but it was being offered by a dealer and they were going to make the repairs. Great! It was in Utah though, which is a 28 hour drive in a normal car, so quite a long trip in an RV but I thought ”hey, a person buying a motorhome had better be willing to drive distances!” Ha.  

I haggled a deal by phone, and got them to agree to let me sleep in the RV for a night when I arrived. They said they’d never had anyone ask that before and that I’d be locked in the fence with the guard dog. Sounded cool to me!  

I booked my flight on Sat afternoon for Sunday evening. I planned to fly out at 8pm, arrive at 10pm with the time change, grab a hotel, and then head over Monday to begin my inspection and overnight stay.  

My wife had been resistant to this whole plan until I made an executive family decision to get one, and said that if we hated it we could sell. After that she started pondering the whole thing and next thing I know she is showing me yet another unit on RVTrader late Sat night. It was even BETTER than the one in UT. It was even more than the previous one but was worth the difference hands down. Trouble is I’d already put down a $1000 non-refundable deposit and bought a plane ticket to Utah.  

Nevertheless, it was better enough that it was worth exploring. And, it was in Florida – much closer! I spoke with the owner Sun afternoon and told him I had a one way ticket to UT that NIGHT. He told me everything I needed to know, described all the updates that had been done, and even had a pull behind SUV for sale as well, which we also wanted. The fact that it was already setup and ready to go was a huge bonus. 

We started haggling price via text and there were long delays between responses. I figured he was pondering or talking to his wife but it turned out he was on business calls (on a Sunday?). We still were not talking the same language on price and I was already driving to the airport. I texted that I would change my flight from Salt Lake to Orlando if we could agree. We were close on price so I went ahead and asked if he’d mind if I diverted my flight to Orlando.  

He didn’t reply quickly, but I was half way to the airport and needed to make a decision. I decided to take a chance and change my flight to Orlando. I’d deal with the deposit / Salt Lake unit later. I pulled up the delta app to look for a change flight option. “Your upcoming flight will allow check in 24 hours prior to departure”. Wait, what? I HAD BOOKED THE FLIGHT IN OCT!!  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 8.31.2020

Filed Under: CEO Daily Updates Tagged With: CEO, Cisco, Coronavirus, Hand sanitizer, Rack Mount Kit, RV, Tech News

CEO Daily Update – 8.24.2020

August 24, 2020 by Craig Haynie

New Wipes | Face Mask Sale | Consequences of a Lack of Self-Control


Happy Monday!  

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom. 

This weekend I got a nice long walk that I didn’t expect, didn’t want, but that was my decision. My wife and I were driving down the road, and as couples sometimes do, we started arguing about something … I don’t even remember what. I said something to the effect of “I feel the overwhelming urge to pull over and get out” which was a way to say “I can’t take any more”, to which she responded, “whatever you feel you need to do”. Out the car I went (after stopping of course).  

That’ll show her!  

Just how far from home am I anyway? 8 Miles! Well whatever… it’s exercise. How long does it take an out of shape cripple to walk 8 miles up and down hills in the burning afternoon sun? Four. Four hours is what it takes. The last time I intentionally walked on the treadmill was for 20 minutes and I tore my Achilles’ tendon. No joke. What’s wrong with me?  

I’m very strong willed. Like you’ve probably not met anyone quite as strong willed as me strong willed. When I decide I am going to do something I almost always do it, now, and with high speed and high energy. So the moment I opened that car door I had just committed to walking 8 miles in the heat. I had two people attempt to pick me up pretty early and I politely declined. I felt that I’d committed to walking home and by golly that’s what I was going to do.  

At almost an hour in I thought this is tough, maybe I’ll Uber. None available .. ever. Fine, never mind, I need to walk this anyway. Another hour in I thought ok, if someone stops again I guess I’ll take the ride. There’s no way I’m going to hold up this long with my bum leg, bad back, being out of shape, the heat, no water, etc. No one ever stopped again.  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 8.24.2020

Filed Under: CEO Daily Updates Tagged With: CEO, Coronavirus, Face Masks, Self-Control, Wipes

CEO Daily Update – 8.14.2020

August 14, 2020 by Craig Haynie

3M N95 Masks back in stock | NIB CP-8831-K9 DEAL | Touching Customer Feedback  


Happy Friday!  

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom. 

OMG … Super short but so hilarious … check this prank video out. LOL 

I don’t know about you, but I plan to have a good weekend. How can you have one if you don’t plan it? I suppose there are accidental good weekends – I’ve had some of those but not as often as when I was intentional. And this weekend we are at “Mimi’s and G’s house” and the kids (and us) love visiting.  

Our surprise visit with friends yesterday was awesome, and we even ate lunch with them at an airport restaurant nearby! Planes would taxi right up to the restaurant and the kids loved it. Then on the road to Mimi and G’s, and driving the motorhome was pretty awesome. The wife took a nap, and I pulled over a few times to walk back to the bathroom (I have been drinking a ton of water the last few months)  – both things we could have never done in the car. (I am trying to convince the wife that we need to buy one!)  

We will spend time with the parental units in law hanging out and such, and the kids will also get to play with their cousins which are just a little younger than them. They always love that and we don’t get to do it very often.  

It’s SO easy to find 100 reasons not to “take that vacation”.  But, 30 years from now you/we won’t wish we worked a few extra days, but we will certainly be glad we made memories. Ponder those ponderables in your ponderer (I am learning as I go!)  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 8.14.2020

Filed Under: CEO Daily Updates Tagged With: 3M N95 Masks, CEO, Coronavirus, COVID-19, CP-8831-K9, Customer Feedback

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 9
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Blog Search

Recent Posts

  • CK Daily – 12.10.2021
  • CK Daily – 12.09.2021
  • CK Daily – 12.08.2021
  • CK Daily – 12.07.2021
  • CK Daily – 12.06.2021

Categories

  • Accelerate Your Network
  • Awesome Week in Review
  • CablesAndKits.com News
  • CEO Daily Updates
  • CK Daily Updates
  • Get More. Spend Less.
  • Inside CablesAndKits
  • Press
  • Product Guides & FAQ's
  • Technology
  • Technology Explained
  • Uncategorized
  • Value Offerings

Archives

CK on YouTube

https://youtu.be/KorUg6l38O4?list=PLLoVIpEM8zpPVUeoIKrWyEC1vsM8YCTYy

Blog Cloud

Apollo 13 Awesome Birthday Business Business News cablesandkits cablesandkits.com cat6 CEO Christmas Cisco Cisco Accessories CIsco Equipment Cisco Switch Clorox Wipes Core Values Coronavirus COVID-19 Dell Ethernet Face Masks Fiber Hand sanitizer HP Inventory Reduction IT Lifetime Warranty Million Dollar Sale N95 Masks networking Networking Equipment Nitrile Gloves Office OM4 PPE RV Adventures Safety Products Safety Supplies sales Servers Service technology thermometers VOIP Webcams

Subscribe


 

  • Blog Categories
  • Shop CablesAndKits
  • CK Learning Center