My time at Wax has been a very pleasant experience. Going into an internship can be very intimidating and daunting, but at Wax it was much different. From day one the environment has been very welcoming. I always felt comfortable to ask any questions and learn as I go. The design team especially has been incredibly helpful and knowledgeable in their field, and was always ready to answer any question that came their way. They went above and beyond to make me feel welcome and helped me learn.

Learning in an environment that not only has a design team, but a production team, is beneficial. I have spent much time learning about design in my classes, but to get a first look at how all of it is produced makes all of the difference. From the initial design process to the final produced product, Wax Family printing was a great source for me to see how everything is made. The production team was always willing and eager to show me around and teach me every step that they were working on.

Learning the account management side of design was also a crucial, yet surprising. Every morning Wax holds a meeting that I was able to sit in on and learn about working with clients and much more. Working in design has the potential for problems to arise, and I was able to learn first hand how to solve those problems in a timely and professional manner. I’ve always been interested in digital marketing, but after working alongside Shane and Ginger my desire to work in this field has grown tremendously.

Overall my experience at wax has been very pleasant and informational. I’ve learned many design and life lessons that I could not learn in a typical classroom setting. I am very grateful to everyone who took time out of their busy schedule to teach me and help develop my design skills.

Viktoriya Tysyachuk

When we pray at the conclusion of our daily production meeting, my eyes often focus on this hand-written encouragement on our wipe board. As I pray, I ask myself, have I committed my work to the Lord?

But what does committing my work to the Lord actually mean?

First, we recognize that work is a gift, a good gift. We remember from James 1 that every good gift comes down from the Father of Lights. There have been times (2009 comes to mind) when we didn’t have much of this gift. Work was scarce and it was hard to make budget, much less a profit. He owns it all, and He doesn’t have to give us anything, but in His kindness and mercy He continues to give us what we need, when we need it.

Secondly, we recognize we don’t have to commit our work to the Lord. Of course, that failure on our part would be a mistake, but just because we belong to Him…His ownership doesn’t guarantee that everything we do is committed to Him and His purposes. We must make a conscience effort to surrender our will to His and give our work to Him.

Finally, when we do commit our work to the Lord, the principle in Proverbs tells us that our plans will be established. What we dreamed and envisioned can become reality.

What about you? Do you commit your work to the Lord daily? If not, why not?

A good friend of mine often says (publicly) that he struggles with pride. I’ve heard him say it enough that I can almost finish his sentence once he starts it.

Every time he says it, I check myself… “do I struggle with pride?”

If my answer is “yes,” the follow up question to myself is “what in the world do you have to be proud of?” Don’t you know that every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of Lights, in whom there is no shadow of turning? (My rough interpretation of James 1:17).

If my answer is “no,” this follow up warning pops into my heart/mind; BLINDSPOT! To whom much is given, much is required; and I know I’ve been given a lot. Hey, I’ve got 13 grandkids and there’s one on the way…yes, I’ve been given a lot of blessing!

Pride; so dangerous.

Why? Because if you “know” the answer, you stop seeking for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Pride shuts you down when you think you already know something.

In Sunday School last week, our teacher and my friend Rodney Edwards quoted Howard Baker, Jr. Mr. Baker said that he would often remind himself when he sat down to negotiate that “the other guy may be right.” That’s some wisdom there; that’s some humility too.

If you’re convinced you’re right and the other guy’s wrong, why are you sitting down to negotiate? Sounds to me like you might be sitting down to argue.

My birthday just recently passed, 1/26. For all my life, I have wanted to be right. I pride myself on being right. For 59 years I could have learned so much more along the way if I hadn’t been so sure I was right so much of the time. With humility, I commit myself to constantly remind myself that the other guy may be right.

I don’t want pride to rob me of all that wisdom coming from “the other side.”

Practical Application Time; are there ways to actually prevent squids from happening?

Yes.

We are now at the point of why I wrote this book/post for you. If watching for squids and recording squids is all about the past, then what’s the point? If watching for squids and recording squids is just about the past, then there is no point in doing this. It’s just too painful and it’s just not helpful.

No.

We record and learn from squids because we care about the future. I suspect you knew this all along…or at least you were patient enough to hang in there with me all this time, because there would be a payoff.

And the payoff is this; when you develop a culture of looking for and learning from your mistakes, you begin to develop tricks and tactics to help you NOT make that next SQUID.

Just yesterday, at the print shop, we were discussing a squid. A new customer (RED FLAG) had submitted a business card file (RED FLAG) that had been designed by his wife (RED FLAG) for printing. We had printed it even though there were no cut/crop marks on the file (RED FLAG). So, the customer wasn’t happy (Surprise!) with the finished pieces and we are going to reprint them.

So, we had four red flags coming into the first printing of these cards…what would we do differently in fixing the problem? (To a Southerner, “fixing” is what we do to every problem.) The client’s wife did not have the expertise to fix the file, so we are going to make sure the file is right with the cut marks and crop marks before we print it this time. Why didn’t we do this “fixing” the first time.

Good question.

Our past experiences this many red flags before we actually produced the piece should have helped us head off this squid before it bit us. But we forged through, right through those four red flags that should have given us some pause…and should have caused us to slow down and make the necessary changes BEFORE we printed.

By the way, after working in the print/communications industry for over 35 years, I’ve found that the easiest way to actually proofread anything is AFTER it’s printed. It’s easier, but it’s more expensive. It’s easier, but it takes a lot longer to fix it.

You’ve heard of “measure twice; cut once.” For print professionals, it’s “proof twice; print once.” Oh…and it’s always better if the person proofing is not the person who actually did the original composing or typing. A fresh set of eyes on the copy is always a good thing!

Humility will help you admit that you make mistakes.

Tenacity helps you keep documenting your mistakes.

Wisdom teaches you how to avoid making the same mistake over and over.

Let’s hear it for humility, tenacity and wisdom. This is how you stop squids from killing you.

There are at least six things that I do every day:

1. I read one chapter in Proverbs every day. Today is January 22, so this morning, before I read anything else, I read Proverb 22. Why do I do this? Because I want Wisdom to be my sister and I want Insight to be my close relative. And because there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, I will read all the Proverbs every month.

2. I read five chapters in Psalms every day. Since today is the 22^nd of the month, I take 22 x 5 = 110. So I read Psalm 110-114 this morning. Why read the Psalms every day? Because I need it…desperately. As I observe more white and gray north of my face…I find that I need emotional advice from believers who travelled these same painful trails.

3. Scripture Focus. I read the chapter and references that form the basis of my next upcoming sermon. There is absolutely NO better way to prepare for the next Sunday message than this. Over and over…saturating my heart and mind in the text that will serve as both the base and launching point of that next message from the Lord to His people. I am now 3,484 days into consecutive Bible reading now…at least 4 chapters a day; several years I read the Bible through each year; now I’m reading a very specific, targeted menu (see items 1 and 2 above).

4. I’m pretty weak here, but I do pray every day. Not as long as I should, and not as specific as I should, but I do pray. I pray for those who have asked for prayer; I pray for those the Lord has laid on my heart. Some of you know that you’re on my prayer list!

5. I have now journaled 1,133 days in a row. That’s over three consecutive years now. This discipline now comes relatively easy to me, but I was walking barefoot on wicked thorns for the first year or so. I do enjoy typing/writing on my MacBook Pro, but there is simply no greater satisfaction for me than picking up my beautiful blue fountain pen and feeling the ink flow out of my pen as my thoughts flow out of my head. More on this later.

6. Ok, this is the new one. And I don’t think I will commit to writing 7 days a week. I will commit to writing five days a week. *And now you know what I put that asterisk up there in the main headline. Everything else on this list is an everyday commitment; writing is a five day a week commitment.

Here’s my menu of writing topics/categories:

1. Personal
2. Spiritual
3. Communication/Conflict
4. Design
5. Marketing
6. Business Practices
7. Manufacturing
8. Printing
9. Church Planting
10. Travel
11. Something I learned reading
12. Leadership
13. Making Mistakes (Squids)
14. Something I learned listening
15. Signs and Sign-making
16. Relationships

*I reserve the right to add to or subtract from this list; but if I can’t find something to write from on this list, then I’ve been sleeping through my day. I would enjoy hearing/reading your feedback on my list. Have I left something out?

Kevin Wax
General Manager, Wax Family Printing, LLC
Founder, Wax Eloquent
Pastor, Blackman Baptist Church
Cell 615-429-7890

What did you say?

Whenever there seems to be a lack of communication around the office, it might just be a symptom of something else. When people start complaining about no communication, more often something has gone wrong, or people feel that they didn’t have enough information to be successful. “No one said anything.”

The failure to have everyone on the same wavelength is not a true communication issue, but a lack of proper systems or operating procedures. When employees are unclear in their job descriptions or on what they can and cannot do, things slip through the cracks and “communication” gets the blame.

Don’t just call a meeting!

“Let’s all get on the same page” is a common reaction to misunderstanding the problem. If this sounds like what’s happening in your business, don’t send more emails and calendar invites. Instead, take a look at your operating procedures and employee onboarding processes. You may find the missing link right there. Having clear procedures and good employee training about those procedures goes a long way to preventing people from feeling like they’re not getting the information they need to make decisions. It also helps ensure that when steps are missed, the rest of the team can recognize the error before it gets out of control.

If it’s time to improve your employee training manuals, our team of experts can help you design, write and then publish exactly what your team needs. Call us at (615) 893-4290 or email info@waxfamilyprinting.com.

Have you ever stared at a shelf full of items, unsure of which one to choose? According to Columbia Business School professor Sheena Iyengar, who also consults with major brands across the globe, consumers suffer from a “choice overload problem.” Too many choices lead to indecision, and in the retail space there is an overwhelming number of options. Iyengar advises businesses to simply cut the number of products they offer.

In a TED talk given by Iyengar, she cites two examples of how greater profits were reaped by offering less. Procter & Gamble cut their varieties of Head & Shoulders shampoos from 26 to 15 and saw profits go up by 10 percent. The second example Iyengar mentioned was the Golden Cat Corporation. When they chose to cut their 10 worst-selling cat litters, they saw an increase in their profits totaling 87 percent.

Take a cue from the research Iyengar has done. By providing fewer choices, you help make your customers’ decision-making process simpler, allowing them to purchase more.

Have you analyzed your product catalog lately? Which offered products are your worst
performers?

A few industry examples:

• Manufacturing: Cutting the lowest-selling products reduces the costs wasted on labor and the equipment that is dedicated to those products.
• Retail: Removing the products that don’t sell as well will increase your shelf space for products that turn over quickly, increasing your cash flow.
• Service: If you have a service-based business, try packaging some of those unique services into your regular offerings. This reduces the list of choices while at the same time increasing your price point.

At Wax Family Printing, we are happy to offer a wide range of products and services, but we don’t want our customers ever to feel overwhelmed. We are ready to talk customers through every step of the decision-making process, and we won’t overload you with unneeded information or irrelevant solutions.

Contact us to see how we can help simplify your printing and sign decisions. Call us at (615) 893-4290 or email info@waxfamilyprinting.com.