CablesAndKits Blog

Adding value to your IT infrastructure

Archives for October 2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.22.2020

by

2020 Lessons Learned  | Thermometers Update | Best Rack Mount Kit | Change Your Thoughts | News to Start Your Day

Happy Thursday!

(October 22nd is National Make a Dog’s Day! So go treat your furry, four-legged canine friend to a special treat or buy them a new toy!)

As most businesses probably are this time of year, we are looking forward to 2021 and starting to make plans. What do we want to focus on? Where can we improve? Where do we want to be at the end of 2021? It has been an unusual year for us all, so this year’s planning discussions feel quite a bit different than they have in the past.  

Besides the obvious market disruption that COVID was and is for nearly every business, some things that were different for us this year have been our product mix, marketing methods we’ve tried, and how we communicate with our customers (like this email). When we began selling safety supplies in March, we did it to serve a need, to attempt to be profitable through a yet-to-be defined season, and if I’m being honest maybe a little bit because we were bored. We had no idea adding a new and vastly different product line would change our business so much.  

When Craig and I started selling pre-owned networking equipment out of our garage in the earliest days, it was in an environment where customers were plentiful. The business really thrived in those days because of Craig’s ability to BUY well. The selling part was easy. When the CK webstore took off and we were selling more accessories, customers just came to us. At least a hundred new customers a day placed orders on the site back then. We did not have to hunt them down; they just needed what we had. Then we entered our awkward teenage years as a company, making our way through by pivoting rapidly from opportunity to opportunity. By the time we reached 2018/19 we had somewhat matured and had leaders over most critical areas, Craig had a vision for where he wanted to go, but the how was still a bit fuzzy. 2020 was supposed to be a year of reaping the rewards of hard work that had been put in during 2019 to really define the roadmap of where we wanted to go. Enter COVID. 

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.22.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.21.2020

by

Lessons from Homeschool  | Most Popular PPE | 7965G VoIP Phone | Set Clear Expectations | News to Start Your Day

We’re halfway there! It’s Hump Day!

(October 21st is National Reptile Awareness Day…with Halloween close by, I guess this applies to Slytherin House as well.)

This year for homeschool I am walking through a United States history curriculum with my girls. We started in 1000AD with Leif Erikson coming to North America, and we’ve worked our way up to the early 1700s. Last week our lessons were about Benjamin Franklin. We talked about his Poor Richard’s Almanac, and the girls had a project to cut out and assemble an elementary version of it. Inside there were several pre-printed words of wisdom:

  • Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
  • Haste makes waste.
  • A penny saved is a penny earned.
  • Half the truth is often a great lie.
  • Honesty is the best policy.
  • The rotten apple spoils his companions.
  • Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.
  • Well done is better than well said.

Timeless wisdom. In some ways these things seem to be reminiscent of a time past, but in reality I believe they are just as relevant today as they were when Mr. Franklin printed them. I think we (all humans) often make things more complicated than they have to be. I seek to intentionally speak and live more simply than my detail orientated brain would like because I believe there is wisdom in it.

King Solomon was given “wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore” (1 Kings 4:29) and said in Ecclesiastes 1:9:

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Timeless wisdom. 

—-

I am thankful today for being able to homeschool my children and learn lessons with them all over again from an older (and hopefully wiser) point of view.

What is something you are thankful for today? What wisdom do you have that you can share with others?

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.21.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.20.2020

by

Confessions | Gloves Everywhere | 3850 Series Switches | What’s My Role? | News to Start Your Day

Happy Tuesday!

October 19th is Office Chocolate Day & National Suspenders Day…so wear your suspenders while eating chocolate today! (whether you are in the office or not)

Ok, you guys. Can I confess something to you? Some days it is hard to write these emails. On the hard days I either feel stuck in a “what in the world do I have to say that is interesting?” mode, or other days anything I may want to share feels vulnerable. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to overcome or push through those things (don’t worry I don’t picture you all in your underwear). But then there are days like today where we receive really impactful and meaningful emails from customers and … wow! Knowing we’re making an impact in someone’s everyday life, bringing a smile to their face or meeting a need they have by what we’re doing and how we do it, is real motivation.
 
One of our core values is Make it About Relationship, and the emails we receive with wonderful stories of how our team has impacted someone’s life helps me know that they are really living that out. I am a proud “mama bear” in those moments, and it makes me want to find more ways we can positively impact lives.
 
Some of you receiving this email came to us because you needed safety supplies, and we had them in stock. Others of you are a customer because of our core business, which is technology products. When COVID hit and PPE was difficult to find, we had customers ask us if we could source it for them. That began our journey into PPE, and it has been great for us. We strived to offer products at great prices, found products that others weren’t able to offer though they did come at a premium cost (I’m looking at you Clorox wipes), and will always seek to ship products quickly and provide exceptional (and unexpectedly positive) service. I think we always knew that selling PPE was a season for us, as masks and gloves and other safety supplies would at some point (and are now) more widely available. That leads me to confession #2: a couple of weeks ago we made the decision to begin exiting our safety supplies season.
 
Letting customers in on “inside information” probably isn’t considered a best business practice. To be fully transparent about it, we are hoping you will help us exit this season gracefully. As of right now we still have great stock levels on many products, but as we sell out of them, we do not currently plan to re-stock the shelves. We have learned SO much through this journey (I hope to be able to write about some of those lessons soon), and we are looking forward to being able to take those lessons and apply them to our core group of technology products. I hope you’ll continue to buy your masks, gloves and other safety supplies from us as long as we have it (and feel free to share the great deals coming your way with your friends). We would also love to serve you with any technology needs that you have now or in the future.
 
With much appreciation for each of you,
 
Christin

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.20.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.19.2020

by

Donations + S’mores | 3-Ply Mask Deals | SFP-10G-SR | Confronting the Brutal Facts | News to Start Your Day

Happy Monday! Make it Great! 

(October 19th is National Chocolate Cupcake Day & National No Beard Day….what a weird combo.)

I’m back! Thanks to Jason for filling in for me on Friday. I usually try to do something more on the fun side with the girls on Fridays, but this week I was inspired by Craig’s recent cleaning out shenanigans to knock some items off my personal to-do list.
 
When we moved into our house about a year ago, I cleaned out my closet and donated much of it. I held onto a few things and sold them, but I still had a small pile of things that was becominig a nuisance. Since his Crohn’s diagnosis and subsequent diet changes, Craig has lost about 60 lbs, so he had almost an entire closet full of clothes to donate, sell or give away. Our usual outlet for donating hasn’t been available since COVID, but I was able to find a local clothes closet that takes in new or like new clothes, sorts them and then allows foster children to shop there. (Apparently many children in foster care come into their new homes with very little in the way of clothes.) They also help families who need it for whatever reason, mothers and children coming out of domestic violence situations, and house fire victims. Thankfully they had an appointment for drop-off available on Friday, so we filled the back of my SUV with what we had and gave it all away! I’m so glad we found a place that is blessing those in need in our community.
 
The rest of our weekend was good as well. We enjoyed a movie with friends in our outdoor “theater” (speakers + outdoor movie screen) with the fire pits going and marshmallows roasting. The girls loved it!
 
I have lots of different things on my plate this week, so I am praying for energy, stamina and clarity of mind around each thing I need to tackle. The right things at the right time, please Lord. I hope each of you has a productive and fulfilling week ahead.
 
Until tomorrow,
 
Christin

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:

Happy Monday! We are continuing to offer unbeatable deals on PPE!  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.19.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.16.2020

by

Word for The Year | Gloves Back in Stock | Don’t Be A Know-It-All | News to Start Your Day

It’s Friday!! 

(October 16th is National Boss’s Day. National Sports Day, and Global Cat Day…so take your pick on which to celebrate today.)

—— 

Well, it’s Friday and I’m not Christin. lol! She asked if I could fill in for her today and I always enjoy getting to talk to all of you.

If you are like me, then you are probably just as surprised as I am that we are already in mid-October. It is crazy how quickly this month has flown by, even how fast this year has gone by at times. I was joking with a buddy the other day about the craziness of this year and told him it felt like the year went like, “January, February, March, March, March, April, April, April, Ma-Ju-Jul-Aug-Sept-Oct.” I imagine the rest of the year will fly by just as fast, which means after Halloween next week, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be right around the corner before we know it.

Every year, I end it by reflecting on the past year and then nailing down what I need to focus on for the next year. I usually try and narrow it down to one word or a short phrase. For 2020, my phrase for the year was “Focus on the things that REALLY matter.” At the core of it was to be intentional about my relationships, my time, my energy, my health, and my spiritual walk. Little did I know how different 2020 would be than what I thought it would be at the start of the year and that phrase and the meaning behind it took on a whole new intensity during the year. I realized some things weren’t worth my time, effort, and energy and were just a distraction. Other things became more important, like my relationships and health, and gained more energy and time. The shift in focus has been very impactful for me both personally and professionally. 

So, I have started the process already of looking towards 2021 (I think everyone has and just wants to move on from 2020, haha!). Right now, the concept for my word/phrase revolves around “Restore”. Not sure how it will evolve and what insights I will gain about it between now and the end of the year, but I am looking forward to continuing the process.

Have you ever done something like this? Do you usually have a focus for the year or do you just go with the flow? I don’t think either way is right or wrong, I think it is just different for each person depending on their personality. Just curious.

Hope you have a great Friday and weekend! It’s going to be chilly here in the South. I am ready for some real Fall weather!

Jason

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.16.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.14.2020

by

Update on Craig |  Thermometers | 4-Post Rack Rails | Overcoming Adversity | News to Start Your Day

Happy Wednesday!

(October 14th is National Dessert Day! What’s your favorite dessert?)

It’s Hump Day, friends! I hope your week has been productive. This time of year it seems like the days fly by around here. I guess that comes naturally with more activities, less daylight and a push to end the year well.  

Many of you have asked for an update on Craig. He’s doing well! His knee is completely healed now, no more limping or brace. He’s working with a friend on some clean out, organization and other projects around our place. So far they spent a week cleaning and organizing our barn, and it looks awesome! He’s always been good at big clean up projects. They even mopped the concrete floors and pulled the RV into its home. The kids are loving riding their bikes in the big open space now.  

This week he is working on some wifi improvements in our home, has a tree company coming to remove some dead trees, and is working on little handy things like adjusting doors that don’t catch just right. Rest for him rarely involves sitting and relaxing. He is enjoying the mental break for sure. We appreciate you all asking about him!  

Make sure you check out our product updates below. Rebecca, Jason and team are working hard to bring you good content each and every day. Besides the new product, bundle and pricing updates, I especially love the fact section that Jason curates for us.  

See you on the other side of the hump… 

Christin 

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.14.2020