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CEO Daily Update – 10.9.2020

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Who Am I? Part 3 | Self-discovery Tools | Gloves & Hand Sanitizer | Aim for the Terminator | News to Start Your Day

Who Am I? – Part 3 (A personal and CK Story) 

[This is Part 3 of a personal/CK history story. This post can be read on its own. If you’d like full context, feel free to read Part 1 and Part 2 first.] 

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It is Friday, friends! I’m keeping things a little lighter (but not shorter, haha) today.  

After my experience with a deepening faith and letting go of the need to prove myself over and over, I really wanted to understand who I was at my core. What was I made to do? Is a person made to do just one thing?  

I believe there are many ways to take the journey of self discovery, and I see value in employing tools to help along the way. In business and in personal relationships, using the same language to discuss differences and strengths creates alignment. It is one of the reasons tools like Enneagram are so popular. Do you know your Enneagram number? (I am a 5w6, “the Investigator”.) 

A few years into running CK, we began using several different personality tests to help us determine if a candidate is a good fit for a position. We also have done some fun internal team building exercises. I enjoy getting to know more about everyone in that way. I like it when things are organized by like type, even people, ha.  

One of the things I discovered in my testing is WHY I am passionate about helping others understand themselves and find a place to flourish in work and in life. It is one of the things I missed most about work life: interviewing, hiring and building teams that work well together.  

Does your business use any tools for hiring and team building? Have you found them helpful or not useful at all? 

The three main tools that we use at CK are: the DiSC, PIAV assessment, and the CliftonStrengths Assessment.  

If you’ve been around “personality testing” at all in your job or otherwise, you’ve probably heard of the DiSC profile. It gives you letters, D (dominance), I (influence), S (steadiness), C (conscientiousness), associated with behaviors that together describe how you likely react to situations. Useful for team building for sure.  

The PIAV – Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values assessment – gives you insight into the why behind your behaviors. What is motivating you to behave or react the way that you do?  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.9.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.8.2020

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Who Am I? Part 2 | PPE Deals & Bundles  | Cisco Switch 3750-X | Square Peg in a Round Hole | News to Start Your Day

Happy Thursday! It’s Friday Eve!

Who Am I? – Part 2 (A personal and CK Story) 

[This is Part 2 of a personal story/some CK history. I strongly suggest you read Part 1 first if you haven’t already. This part of my story is deeply personal, and I share it today from a place of vulnerability but also hope.] 

When I first stepped out of CK, I really had no idea what to do with my days. No email, no accounting, no meetings; it felt like I had no purpose. I spent a solid month “unwinding” from the tightly wound mess I had myself in. Unwinding practically looked like sitting on my couch watching pointless television while crying off and on all day. It wasn’t pretty at all. Around that same time, Craig’s life had also changed. He had gone from being “a Christian” to a fully surrendered follower of Christ. Perhaps that makes sense to some of you and for others I am sure it is as clear as mud. I guess a simple way to say it is that he’d gone all in on his faith, all in for the life Jesus had for him. That is his story to tell, and perhaps he will share it with you all at some point. For me I can say that such a drastic change in the life of a husband or a wife most certainly will affect their spouse, and I was not immune to the change in Craig’s life.  

After crying all the tears, being angry and sad, struggling through all the things that came as I fought to hold on to what I had, I finally reached a place of letting it all go. When I let the pieces of me that I knew sift through my fingers like grains of sand, I was left with what felt like nothing and felt nearly empty. One of the last things I let go was the notion that I needed success to be me, and that I, by my own hands, could control the outcome of my life or of our business. I hope I always remember that moment, alone in my car, praying and crying, letting it all go. “I give it all to You. Whatever You want to do with my life, I’m all in. I’m following. If you want to shut down our business, if we lose everything, it is okay.” Surrender. Freedom.  

I was really shocked by the freedom I felt after that day. The shackles of needing to be the best, to achieve and be successful, were gone. I was free to be me, whoever that was. 

Within the next year, Craig and I were invited to attend a Christian business leadership course that kicked off with a weekend retreat. I felt like an imposter from the beginning since I wasn’t technically working in the business, then it became even more uncomfortable showing up and being literally half the age and the opposite sex of the average attendee, but I was confident that I had been told to be there. The Lord used that weekend I spent there listening to some amazing speakers, being with seasoned business leaders who desired to serve Him in business, and my quiet time with Him in the Bible and journaling to teach me truths that I live by today:  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.8.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.6.2020

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Free Shipping + Free Stuff | Aironet Products | PPE Bundles | Repetition is the Gold Standard

Happy Tuesday! 

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

FREE SHIPPING
I wanted to draw your attention to the free shipping coupon we shared yesterday for safety supplies/PPE. Now that the market has caught up to demand on most of these items, we’re working to get focused on our core products once again. Many of our most popular safety products are now being offered at or below cost! Use code PPESHIP for free standard/UPS Ground shipping on safety supply orders. Rebecca has more info about other discounts in her update below.
 
Hey, do you know any businesses, schools, or purchasing agents for government agencies who may still need larger quantities of masks, disinfecting wipes, gloves, or dispenser stands? We would love for you to connect us. I’m happy to discuss a referral fee for larger orders, let’s say orders >$1k. Throughout spring and summer we were selling wipes in canisters and packs by the pallets or case to businesses who needed them. We’d love to connect with those who still have a need.
 
FREE STUFF
When we helped our friends clean out their house recently, we figured out that traditional garage sale methods have largely been replaced or are heavily supplemented by online marketplaces, specifically Facebook marketplace. We sold many of the larger items for our friends that way. (That’s your tip of the day, story style.)
 
Now that Craig is on sabbatical, he’s been working on some projects around the house, including organizing and cleaning out our barn. Earlier today he told me he posted a heavy, non-working item for free. You know, “come get it and fix it or scrap it, whatever you want to do with it” type post. I am always amazed at the questions you get about items on FB marketplace (“will this fit in my Jeep Cherokee?” “do you have the manual for the 1972 manual can opener you just listed?” “do all the light bulbs in the $20 light fixture work?”), and apparently even when an item is free, people still have questions. Someone wanted to know how old is this item? Certainly there are valid reasons for this question, but by this point Craig had over 20 people who had messaged and wanted to come get it. No more effort required to get it gone. His response: “How old is it? It is free years old.“
 
I thought you all who enjoy Craig’s humor may enjoy the laugh. I cracked up. Several of our friends saw the response and cracked up as well. A “negative Nancy” made sure to point out how rude he was. Supply and demand, it even applies to items that are free of charge.
 
Christin

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca (our Product Manager):

Today’s spotlight is all about the AIR-CAP3702I-A-K9 Cisco Aironet 3700 Series Access Point! This ready-to-install, easy-to-manage access point offers high capacity, high security, enterprise-class features to deliver wireless LAN access with a low total cost of ownership. Designed for coverage in offices and similar RF environments, this unobtrusive access point features integrated antennas and dual IEEE 802.11a/g/n/ac radios for comprehensive and predictable coverage, providing a combined capacity of 450 Mbps!  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.6.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.5.2020

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Pumpkin Adventures | PPE – Free Shipping Coupon | New Fiber Marketer | Goals vs Good Effort

Happy Monday! Make it a great one!

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

Happy Monday to you all! We enjoyed such beautiful weather here in Georgia this weekend, and we ventured out to a pumpkin patch with some friends. The kids enjoyed the play areas, bounce houses and petting zoo, and we all got a laugh at the pig races. “Piggies start your engines!” Our kids picked out two big pumpkins that we’ve decided to paint instead of carve, so that’s an adventure for this week.
 
I didn’t read a book this weekend, but I did cook a couple of new things. I have some recipes saved to Pinterest and choose new ones to try when I’m in a dinner rut. This chicken tortellini soup was pretty good, though I would leave the bell pepper out next time {personal preference}. I also enjoyed making a new recipe for Craig, a curry with roast, onion, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes. He put it over some roasted cauliflower. I love fall cooking.
 
I hope you all had a good weekend as well. We are looking forward to a hopefully busy week at CK. Is there anything we can do for you?
 
Don’t forget to check out updates below from some of our leaders. We’ll have some PPE/Safety Supplies announcements coming up this week.
 
Christin

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca (our “Rock Star” Product manager):

Today is an exciting day here at CK as our brand new Fiber Product Marketer, Sania, is starting her CK journey today! I figured there’s no better occasion than this to feature our incredible fiber cables!  

We have a Fiber Quick Order Tool on our website that makes it beyond easy to find exactly the cable you are looking for! We offer nearly every kind of connector, cable type, and length that you could imagine!  

If you are new to the Fiber game and don’t even know where to start, we have an entire hub in our Learning Center dedicated to Fiber Optic Cables! You may remember our eCommerce Leader, Jason Gazaway, writing about his passion for making our website a true resource for anyone looking to learn more about networking and his hard work on our Learning Center shines here!  

I encourage you to take a look at the articles and our product offering. Place your next Fiber Cables order with CK and I can promise you won’t be disappointed! Competitive prices, lots of inventory, shipping ‘til 8PM EST, and a Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty… you just can’t beat it!  

PPE / Safety Supplies Update:

Happy Monday! So excited about our newly rolled out FREE SHIPPING for PPE products (only) using coupon code PPESHIP!! (This is for Standard/UPS Ground shipping only.) We still have Blue Nitrile Gloves in stock and on sale!  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.5.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.2.2020

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Hobbies + Mental Break | Cisco Catalyst WS-C3750X-48P-S | PPE Specials | News to Start Your Day

It’s Friday!! You’ve made it!

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

TGIF, friends!

This week has been fast and furious for me, and I am looking forward to a slower paced weekend. Since I began working in CK again this summer, the change of pace from weekday to weekend has become more dramatic and completely flip flopped from what it was before. Pre-Covid we typically reserved weekends for more going and doing, hanging out with Craig (because he was gone to the office so much during the week) and seeing friends. Mondays were restful, a reset back to “mom’s pace” for the girls and me. In our new routine it feels like we run from Monday to Friday, so by the weekend I’m in need of a mental rest. Since this season of life with littles doesn’t offer much physical rest, I try to do things that help my brain take a break or at least do things that offer a change in mental activity. Two of my favorite things to fill that space are reading and working on mood boards for redecorating rooms in our home.

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. As a pre-teen I had a subscription to The Babysitter’s Club book club. Each month I received a package with three books plus Babysitter’s Club themed merchandise. It was one of my favorite days of the month, and I usually read the books in just a few days. As I grew older and eventually came into the business world, I tried to translate my love of reading to more how to, business, and learning books, but I honestly still struggle to spend my reading time in these type of books. Reading is an escape for me, like watching a good movie, usually of the chick flick, comedy or drama variety. For some reason I used to find it embarrassing in business circles to admit this or talk about it, perhaps because so many good learning type books are referenced in business conversation. Here I am now “confessing” it to all of you.

Last weekend I read The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin. I hope it’s eventually made into a movie like one of her other books has been. It was a great escape/mental rest for me. Tomorrow is library day for me and the girls, so I’ll be looking for my next reads. What are some of your favorite books?

Besides reading and digital mood boards for décor, I also like to cook and do photography. Craig bought a watercolor art kit for me last Christmas that I have yet to try, but I expect it’ll be a good mental break type activity as well.

What are your hobbies? How do you change the pace of your days to have a physical or mental rest?

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.2.2020

CEO Daily Update – 9.30.2020

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Christin’s Intro | Cisco Catalyst 3750G Series Switch | Disinfectant Sprays |  Rivers & Swamps | News to Start Your Day

Happy Wednesday! 

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

When the idea of a sabbatical came up for Craig, I mentioned to him that I’d be willing to be “the voice” of his CEO Daily for the time he would be off. A day or two ago, I threw together some ideas for points-of-view to Jason, our E-commerce Manager (you met him yesterday), and next thing I know, I’m being introduced to you guys. So, here I am, saying hello and hoping to get to know you all over the next few weeks.  

I’m Christin, Craig’s wife and the co-founder of CK. We’ve been married for 16 years, together for 21 years and have worked together in various capacities for 19 years. (How all of that math works is a story for another day.)  When we started in this business, I was 19 years old. I was a junior at the University of Georgia, pursuing a degree in chemistry, and I left to go “all in” on this life we’ve built.  

As with the choices each of us have made about our family and careers, there were no guarantees about where we would end up. Between here and there are lots of stories and lessons learned. I hope to share some of those (and more) with you over the next few weeks.  

So.. hi, new friends! If you’re inclined to help us improve this email, I would love to know what you enjoy most about the things we share. What “inside information” about CK or information about our products would you like for me or others to share?

Christin

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca (our “Rock Star” Product manager):

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 9.30.2020