by Kirby Hasseman
Do you ever wake up stressed in the middle of the night and struggle to fall back asleep? Your mind starts to race about things that happened yesterday or are due tomorrow and you just can’t shut it off. Asking for a friend. I think most of us have had a night like that. Many of us have more than one. But for me, when I wake up and start to work on the problem, my anxiety goes down. The challenge might still exist, but my focus changes from all of what could happen to what I can do about it. I have shifted to my “circle of influence.” Stephen Covey talks about this concept in his amazing book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Covey explains that everyone has a circle of influence where they have direct control. Inside this circle, they can have a big impact on their day, and ultimately, their life. The challenge is, many of us spend a lot of our time focused outside of that circle. We worry and we fret over the economy, the President, other people’s opinions, and even the weather. These (and so many other things) are outside of our circle of influence. They create stress and worry and (most importantly) we can’t do ANYTHING about them. It’s a waste of time and energy. This is the inspiration for today’s VLOG. There are 3 things that I don’t pay any attention to. They are outside of my circle of influence.
That’s why, when people ask me, “what’s the weather supposed to be like tomorrow,” I can honestly say “I have no idea.” I found that the weather forecast was a source of constant frustration for me. That may be silly, but I either didn’t like what was supposed to happen, or it was not what was predicted. Most importantly, I couldn’t do anything about it. So I shut it off. What are those things in your world? What is a source of frustration for you that you can’t do anything about? It might be time to focus on your “circle of influence.” Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up to become a VIP. We send out one email per week to catch you up on all of the content! You can sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Every community has a story. Every community goes through its ups and downs. There are times when things are booming and times when the economy is tough. It’s the nature of things. Things go up and then come down. But with hard work and perseverance…things can go back up again. For many years, Coshocton County had it’s share of downs. A community that had an embarrassment of riches in manufacturing, saw several plants close down or leave. People who wanted to work were forced into different jobs and sometimes had to look for jobs outside of the community. For sure, that was part of the down. The challenge I think, for a community (or even an organization), is when they start to identify with the downs. They make that become a part of their identity. They start to think “that is who we are…and what we deserve.” I think that is what has happened (with a group) in Coshocton County. This group spends a lot of time and energy “celebrating” the negative. They continually look for the challenges and the injustices and hold them up. “See I told you so. This place sucks.” But over the past couple of years, things have been slowly working back up. There is an enthusiastic group in leadership that is working together. If you were looking, you could see the positive shifts happening. There is an improvement to a park here. The streets get paved there. These are subtle, but foundational, changes that improve the community. Now the signs are starting to become more obvious. This week the Mayor of Coshocton announced a healthy investment in the community. A company focusing on digital currency is going to be investing up to $100 million and creating up to 100 jobs on the site of a factory that was closed. In addition, the cry that “there are no jobs” is officially silly. Each and every day there are more and more jobs posted to the OhioMeansJobs site for Coshocton County. Oh…and there are even more just outside of the county. As a matter of fact, most companies are struggling to hire fast enough. And if you are worried that our workforce does not have the training for these new jobs, I give you…COTC. Central Ohio Technical College recently announced a program where they are offering free college for anyone in Coshocton County coming from a household where the income is less than $60,000 per year. It’s free college my friends…check it out. These are just a few obvious (and amazingly positive) signs that things are moving back up in Coshocton County. But as with any organization, the members of the community are the best and most powerful pieces of the marketing team. So what story are you telling? Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here. Each week we send out one email to keep you up on the content!
by Kirby Hasseman
One of my goals with this blog is to provide value to those that read it…and make sure we, as a company, help to keep you informed. Whether we show the latest promotional merchandise, or keep you up to date on trends, we want to help you in your marketing and branded merchandise efforts.
That’s why I want to talk about Tariff’s today. Wait! Don’t click away or fall asleep! I will keep it brief!
As I mentioned in this recent blog, at the PPAI Expo (the largest promotional trade show in our industry) Tariffs were the talk of the show. Everyone is talking about them, worrying about them, and asking questions about them. Why? Because when it comes to branded merchandise, a huge percentage of the items that are sold in the industry are imported from China. This is such a concern that there are suppliers in our industry that have printed their entire catalog without putting in pricing! Why? Even those that have included pricing have included less information or large disclaimers saying that “pricing could change.”
So what does that mean to you?
It means, quite simply, if you use branded merchandise, your budget very likely could be affected. This is not a threat or a political statement. It’s just a fact. If the tariffs continue, the price of your promotional material will go up.
So what can you do?
There are a couple of things I am recommending.
1. Begin to adjust expectations. As you move into 2019, just understand that the pricing for promotional items are in flux. If there are items that you order regularly, you might want to stock up a bit or check in on pricing.
2. Consider domestic options. Though I do not expect to see American manufacturers of promotional items start popping up everywhere, I do expect an uptick for those that already are here. When you are creating a marketing plan, make sure to include something made in North America. This is not the end of the world and the sky is not falling. I just wanted to spend a few moments to put this trend on your radar.
If you have more questions, please feel free to reach out to us and we can discuss it! Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up to become a VIP here.
by Kirby Hasseman
We all have “that voice.” I have talked about it before. We all have that voice that spends time telling us that we are not good enough, or smart enough, or not ready. We hear that voice the loudest when we are about ready to try something new or challenging. That voice is fear. That voice is insecurity. It’s a voice we all have. But what do we DO with it? Seth Godin, in his great book “What to do when it’s your turn (and it’s always your turn)” talks about this when he asks “where do you put the tired?” He points out that when people run a marathon, there will be a time when you get tired. There are no books on how to run a marathon WITHOUT getting tired. When you run 26.2 miles, you will get tired. So what do you do with the tired? The same point is true for fear and insecurity. There is no way to create or challenge yourself or try something new without hearing that voice. So what do you do with it? From what I can tell, people do one of a few things when confronted with “that voice.” Run Away: When faced with something that scares people, sometimes they just completely avoid anything to do with it. They feel if they don’t know about or see it, that opportunity will not exist. The problem with this group is they will never achieve what they could in life. By avoiding their fears, they avoid their potential too. Curl Up: Sometimes the fear just stops them. They don’t leave the area. They just watch others do what they want to do and wish. The challenge here is this leads to a life of jealousy. They will constantly be watching people doing the things they would love to do…but won’t. When you see people who are mean-spirited and judgmental online, I always consider this group. Fake It Till You Make It: You see this group full of bravado. They feel like if they are brash and confident enough on the outside, we won’t know they hear the voice. This has been me many times in my life. Though this is preferred to the first two, because at least they are leaning in, it is hard to sustain. I think the goal for this group is to start here, and then grow to a place where you don’t have to fake it anymore. Ignore the Voice: These people still hear that voice, but they choose to push forward anyway. They know it might not work. They know there is a chance of failure. But they find a place to “put the fear.” This is, generally, the group that creates long term value and content and success. Which one are you? If you are like most of us, you have been all of these in different areas of your life. But now that you recognize it…what will you be today…and tomorrow? Where will you put “that voice?” Make sure you never miss an update! Each week we send out one email with all of the content of the week! It’s our VIP list and you can sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Most of us want to help. In some way, some day, most people like the idea that they can make someone’s life better. But where do you start?
With a world full of people and problems, it’s hard to know what problem to help with? Then, if you have decided about a passion project, it can be hard to decide how to help. Where do you start? Often the best answer is the simple answer. Start with “the next right step.” Take, for example, homelessness. During this brutally cold time of year, it’s easy to see that this is a need. The unfortunate fact is, there are homeless in every community. We think of homelessness as the nameless people that sleep on the street. And sometimes, those of us that are fortunate, wonder what they must have done to get there. But there is also a population of people that are homeless, and stay on couches and floors. There are men, and women, and children. It’s not a new problem. But it’s a problem, nonetheless. It’s a real challenge. So where do you start? With the next right step. From now until February 28th, we will be collecting the items below for the local homeless population. We have already begun the effort and wanted to give you the chance to help. You can drop off goods to our office at 432 Main Street in Coshocton. Don’t have anything to donate (or don’t live nearby) but want to participate and help? Awesome. Send a donation and we will gladly purchase items for you. We will take care of getting the goods to a few wonderful local people that are helping to serve the homeless population in our area. Below are items that are being accepted.
In addition, we recently did some really cool t-shirts that were imprinted with the mission: “Be Kind. Spread Joy. Embrace the hustle” These t-shirts have been a huge hit. They have a great message and they are super comfortable. Want one? You can purchase one for $25 and the proceeds will go toward this cause.
Where do we start? The next right step. Join us in helping. Be Kind. Spread Joy. Embrace the hustle. Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
