Product Managers…Change Shortage…and a Missing Joe…
Oh My!
Happy HUUUUUMMMMPPP DAAAAAAAAAYYY!
I can’t believe it is the middle of the week already. The first two days of my work week went by in a flash. Lots of fun though …. We are working on SO many cool new products. So much fun. Child face masks, washable fabric face masks in child, kid, and adult sizes, UV light wands, hand sanitizer advertising kiosks, and sock puppets (just making sure you’re listening), among other things. I am having so much fun being involved in product development, and I hope you are enjoying / finding value in the things we work on / launch. More to come soon as we get closer to launching some of these new products.
As a leadership team, one of the main strategic things we have been working on over the last several months is building what we call product management and specifically product marketing disciplines and roles. The idea of product management is having someone focused on understanding our customers and their needs, our competitors, and what the market is saying we need to work on including new products and new channels to market. Depending on how many total product lines we have at the time we will have several product managers focused on different customer segments and product groups. Within each product group will be product marketers, who own lists of products and are responsible for the overall sales, profit, and inventory health of that list of products.
In the past we have had exactly zero product managers or product marketers. Now that we have made this a focus we have someone leading the charge of building the team (Rebecca, nicknamed Rerun), and one dedicated product marketer (Joe), who oversees safety supplies. We have been working together weekly to figure out our reporting and the rhythms of the role, and are already working on hiring our next product marketer who will be over fiber cabling. From there we will hire others for Ethernet, Transceivers, Switches, etc. What that means is that as we hire new people to focus on these areas, the products will begin to receive the day to day attention they deserve – and that you deserve as a customer!
I just thought I would share a little about our strategy while it was on my mind. Maybe you find it interesting or useful!
So apparently, we have a change shortage. A CHANGE shortage. Due to a variety of proverbial trains going off the tracks, we are struggling to have enough change … (CHANGE!) to do business. https://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2020/07/20/is-there-really-a-coin-shortage/#4dd4f3e1f0a3
I cannot decide how to feel.
Option A: This is ridiculous. Why would this be a hard problem to solve? Do we have such a well-oiled change supply chain machine in this country that a bump in the night throws the change wagon into a jackknife resulting in a cataclysmic coinage implosion? Seriously? MAKE MORE COINS and step on it. We will use them. Or we will put them in jars. Or lose them on the sidewalk. Even if you are storing them up for the next jackknife it makes sense. Just make them already.
Option B: This is on purpose. Just one more way to shove people into using credit cards and therefore being able to track more of what we do. “Running out of coins” is a believable reason to slow the use of cash. We can throw that in there with “cash is dirty” (it really is) and maybe once more people are forced to use credit cards because they don’t have another choice they will continue to do so afterward. On one hand I think who cares – I almost never use cash unless I am buying something from an individual or giving someone a little money. But on the other hand, I don’t like the types of things that happen when we as citizens have less and less total uniananynyminoninymity (a reference to a Jim Carey quote from a pretty rough but funny movie). Left eyebrow on high alert.
Option C: Is this really news? Is this really a problem? I want to go test the theory by buying 100 packs of gum with cash all around town. But who has time for that? I have to wonder if this is really news worthy. Don’t you sometimes wonder if news people just make stuff up to have something to write about that day? Head scratcher. Whip out your card, pay, and move on with life.
And finally … a little Kramer …. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9H24AXrXRk
Ok I’m done. There is your news and my useless related brain toots.
From Joe, our friendly Safety Supplies Product Marketer:
Joe didn’t send me anything tonight. I don’t understand. I feel rejected and alone. This isn’t like Joe. Joe must be in trouble. Has anyone seen Joe?
I think he must be busy rolling quarters.
Please let me know how I can be of service to you. If you need assistance with something, advice, or even if you just need someone to pray for you, I am here and listening.
Blessings,
Craig – CEO
P.S. Don’t forget to go follow us on Facebook here: CK Facebook Page.
COVID-19 / Business News for Today:
- Over 9,139,000 people worldwide have recovered and over 2,000,000 people in the US have recovered! The death toll stands at 145,000.
- Pfizer and BioNTech are set to distribute a jointly produced vaccine candidate for the novel coronavirus starting in December, once Pfizer manufactures it and the Food and Drug Administration approves it, according to a new deal with the U.S. government.
- United Airlines expanded its face mask requirement on planes to include customer service counters, gates and baggage claims as well.
- A federal moratorium that has protected millions of renters from eviction since late March expires Friday.
- U.S. officials are accusing China of sponsoring hackers who have targeted coronavirus vaccine researchers in an attempt to steal their intellectual property.
- Georgetown University undergraduates who are not invited to live on campus, which includes most upperclassmen, will receive a 10 percent cut in tuition totaling about $2,800, officials said. They noted that undergraduates who return to the campus in Northwest Washington will have access to services that will be unavailable to students living away from the school.
- German researchers plan on holding an indoor concert for 4,000 people next month so they can better understand how viruses spread at large events. Featuring German singer-songwriter Tim Bendzko, the Aug. 22 show in Leipzig will serve as a large-scale science experiment. Attendees will wear contact-tracing devices around their necks to track how many people they come into close contact with and for how long. They also will be told to use fluorescent hand sanitizer that is visible under ultraviolet light, allowing researchers to determine which surfaces are touched most often.
- Home-improvement giant Lowe’s doesn’t plan to have its employees enforce its new mask mandate out of concern for their safety, the Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday. Lowe’s was one of a slew of major retailers — including Target, CVS, Kohl’s, Walmart, Kroger and Home Depot — to announce last week that shoppers would have to wear face coverings inside U.S. stores. But mask requirements have proved difficult to enforce, and low-paid retail and service workers typically bear the brunt of customers’ anger. There have been countless examples of shoppers becoming belligerent when asked to wear a mask, and some workers have even been physically assaulted.
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Safety Supplies Resources:
https://www.cablesandkits.com/c/safety-supplies
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Face Protection:
3-Ply Masks:
Quick Ship 3-Ply Disposable Mask – Buy in 10, 50, 2000
Standard Ship 3-Ply Disposable Mask – Buy in 10, 50, 2000
N95 Masks:
N95 Mask – Both Kimberly Clark and 3M Models available
KN95 Masks:
Quick Ship KN95 Mask – Buy in qtys from 1 to 1200
Standard Ship KN95 Mask – Buy in qtys from 5 to 1200
Face Shields:
Re-usable / Disposable Face Shields – Quantity discounts available. Can be custom printed.
Goggles:
Vented
Non-Vented
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Sanitizers, Dispensers, & Wipes
Hand Sanitizer:
3.3oz Gel | 10oz Gel | 16oz Gel | 1 Liter Gel
4 oz Liquid | 1 Gallon Liquid | 1/2 Gallon Liquid
Disinfectant Wipes:
Single Serve Alcohol Wipes – Back in stock!
Lysol Disinfectant Wipes – – 80 count pouch
Sanitizer Dispensers:
Motion Activated Desktop Dispenser – Use for Liquid or Gel Hand Sanitizer
Motion Activated Floor Dispenser – Available in liquid/Gel and Spray models – Pre-order now!
Wall models coming soon.
Bottles and Pumps:
Bottle Dispenser Pumps – Pump tops for Gallon and Half Gallon Jugs
Empty Fillable Bottles – 8 oz bottles for dispensing liquid or Gel
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Temperature Detection:
Thermometers:
Touchless Infrared Thermometers – Basic and Premium options available
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Body Protection:
Shoe Covers:
Non-Skid protective shoe covers – FDA Approved. Non-FDA version available cheaper soon.
Isolation Gowns:
Disposable arm length Isolation Gowns – FDA Approved
Gloves:
Nitrile and Vinyl Gloves – Back in Stock!
