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?

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.

In a previous blog post, I quoted Bob Newhart, “Stop it!” Sometimes we need to realize what we are doing and adjust some behaviors.

For small-business start-ups, it can be hard to imagine growth when you don’t have time to get everything done. It’s also hard to imagine taking on the expense of people to do the tedious things that eat up your day.

Growth can only happen if the vision of the company can be realized in the day-to- day operations. When all of the decision making and task completing fall to one person, chances are that sales will stagnate.

If you want to grow, it is wise to hire people to do the tasks you don’t want to do or are not very good at doing. The executive director of Homeward Animal Shelter took a year to convince the board to let her hire a full-time marketing person. This freed her and her staff to raise more money, care for more animals, and forward their mission.

Prosthetics, a 3-D printing company focused on printing inexpensive prosthetics for children, was founded by college engineering seniors who gained a wide following through social media. After two years, they realized they weren’t very good at sales. They brought on a sales director, which allowed the founders to do what they do best.

A great idea and a lot of passion can only take you so far. Surrounding yourself with competent people that understand the mission and vision of your company may provide the right catalyst for growth and success.

Tips

» If you don’t have the budget to hire a new employee, start with a consultant or service company to take those duties. Wax Eloquent can operate as your marketing department.

The average adult will make about 35,000 decisions every day, from unconscious to very deliberate choices. According to Marcel Schwantes with Inc. magazine, there are a few “smart” choices that successful business people make every day.

1. Make the choice to stop feeling sorry for yourself.
2. Don’t overanalyze each decision with an endless list of “what if” scenarios. Once you’ve made a decision, you have made a choice, and you must choose to be OK with it. No looking back and wishing for a different choice. Move forward always.
3. Choose to surround yourself with positive people. Whether it’s in the workplace or your social life, people around you also influence you. The more you can stay with people who are thinking on the bright side, the more you will look ahead with a positive attitude.
4. Choose to take the initiative. Initiative is both an empowering action and a forward-thinking behavior. But initiative is not barreling over other people. It must be a positive action that is best for others as well as you.
5. Choose to experience joy in every possible opportunity. Joy is contagious, and when you’re working with a team overcoming a fierce obstacle, it instills inspiration in others. This is why we admire many successful people—not because of their success, but subconsciously we see the joy of their success, and that’s what we’re attracted to. Positivity is an integral part of both success and leadership.

So choose to be positive today!

Meetings get a bad rap. Ask a coworker to attend a meeting; sometimes you will see their shoulders droop. What gives?

As it turns out, meetings aren’t the problem. We are. Most of us don’t really know what a meeting is. Why are we gathering 20 people in a room just to listen to one or two managers talk and then calling it a meeting? It’s time to redefine our terminology. Meeting: a small gathering whose purpose is to solve a problem in a short time frame.