CEO Daily Updates

CEO Daily Update – 10.1.2020

October 1, 2020 by Jason Gazaway

Thoughts on Balance | Cisco 8500 Series Switch + Sale | Nitrile Gloves | News to Start Your Day

Happy Thursday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

Faith. Family. Work. Friendships. Hobbies. There are so many things that can take up our time each day. Often I hear people throw around words like balance and multitask, question how they’re going to juggle all the things, or perhaps wonder how does that person “do it all”?
Balance.

How we express our Core Values at CK has morphed over time, so we say this a little differently now, but in 2014 we would’ve expressed our desire for time well spent with the core value “Balance Life and Enjoy the Journey”. Those words are still thrown around between our team from time to time, usually in an encouraging way when someone is taking some time off for vacation or to do something fun with their family. I believe it is still a good sentiment, we should strive to balance our life and we should enjoy the journey. From where I sit right now though, as business owner, wife, homeschool mom, and more, I can’t help but wonder if the balance we seek is more of a fluid situation, a pouring of resources from one cup to another at the appropriate time rather than the more traditional, measured picture of a scale balanced and waiting for just one thing to be added or taken away that will cause it to tip one way or the other.

A couple of days ago a friend asked if I could come help her finish taking some things out of the house she is selling so that photographs could be taken for the real estate listing. I struggled to find time in my calendar to give to her, but I knew I needed to make it happen. This friend and her husband had been slowly moving to a new home in what was supposed to be a months long situation that had turned into years … yes, years … and now, he has cancer. Just like that the weight of this moving and cleaning out project came crashing down. I listened as she struggled with what to do next and I prayed for them, and eventually I told them that we wanted to help. In fact, we nearly insisted on it. So a few weeks ago we started the final phase of this moving project, helping them get ready for a huge garage sale, working the sale, cleaning things out, and listing items online to get them sold. Today we moved the last of the items out of the house and into the garage, photographs were taken and listing documents were signed. Whew! It was a great day.

… but you know what I didn’t do today? Full homeschool lessons with my kids. We listened to our book we’re reading in the car, we talked about bugs and the pilgrims as we drove, we served our friends in need. And it will all be ok. Life lessons. Balance.

[Earlier this week I saw a Twitter screenshot from an author floating around on social media. The sentiment reminded me of these thoughts from today. Here is a blog post about the viral tweet of the words of author and mom, Nora Roberts.]

May each of us be able to recognize today which of our balls are plastic and which ones are glass.

Christin

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca (our “Rock Star” Product manager):

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CEO Daily Update – 9.30.2020

September 30, 2020 by Jason Gazaway

Christin’s Intro | Cisco Catalyst 3750G Series Switch | Disinfectant Sprays | Rivers & Swamps | News to Start Your Day

Happy Wednesday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

When the idea of a sabbatical came up for Craig, I mentioned to him that I’d be willing to be “the voice” of his CEO Daily for the time he would be off. A day or two ago, I threw together some ideas for points-of-view to Jason, our E-commerce Manager (you met him yesterday), and next thing I know, I’m being introduced to you guys. So, here I am, saying hello and hoping to get to know you all over the next few weeks.

I’m Christin, Craig’s wife and the co-founder of CK. We’ve been married for 16 years, together for 21 years and have worked together in various capacities for 19 years. (How all of that math works is a story for another day.) When we started in this business, I was 19 years old. I was a junior at the University of Georgia, pursuing a degree in chemistry, and I left to go “all in” on this life we’ve built.

As with the choices each of us have made about our family and careers, there were no guarantees about where we would end up. Between here and there are lots of stories and lessons learned. I hope to share some of those (and more) with you over the next few weeks.

So.. hi, new friends! If you’re inclined to help us improve this email, I would love to know what you enjoy most about the things we share. What “inside information” about CK or information about our products would you like for me or others to share?

Christin

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca (our “Rock Star” Product manager):

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CEO Daily Update – 9.29.2020

September 29, 2020 by Jason Gazaway

Change is Constant | Learning Center | CP-PWR-CUBE-4′ S | Growing as a Leader

Happy Tuesday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

I hope you had a great start to your week yesterday and that your Tuesday is starting off strong.

As you guessed, I am not Craig. There is only one Craig, and no one can replace him. Haha! Craig is still lurking around but I am filling in for him today on the CEO email and will be off and on for the next month or so. (If you missed yesterday’s email, please take a look at it.) There will be a few people stepping in to fill Craig’s shoes while he is out. One of the ones you will hear from a good bit will be his lovely wife, Christin. Besides being the wife to Craig, which will probably inspire plenty of entertaining discussions in and of itself, she is also the Co-Founder/Co-CEO, Chief Advisor, our CK “Mama Bear”, a Homeschool Mom / Working Mom, and just an all-round cool woman. You will def want to join us daily to get her insights and perspective on things. (Probably along with a funny story or two about Craig.)

Real quick intro for me…my name is Jason and I am the eCommerce Manager here at CK. I oversee the website and content for the business. I like long walks on the beach, Italian food, and…oh sorry…wrong intro…

This is my second stint here at CK, but I have been here for almost 8 years in total. I love interacting with people and really digging into what “helps” a person out, personally and professionally. I mean, any website can sell a product, but I want us (CK) to do more than just sell a product, I want us to HELP people. All of this was the big idea behind creating the CK Learning Center. I wanted a place to provide helpful information to the public that will help them make educated decisions, answer questions, and just be better at their jobs. This is our vision for the whole website – the product pages, homepage, or really any page on the site is beneficial to anyone who ends up there.

All that being said, if you have any ideas for our site or topics you would like for us to write about or provide info on, please let me know. (You can respond to this email…Craig is still reading responses, so feel free to say hello to him as well) I would appreciate the feedback and ideas!

Thanks for reading today,
Jason

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca (our “Rock Star” Product manager):

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CEO Daily Update – 9.28.2020

September 28, 2020 by Jason Gazaway

Craig’s Sabbatical | GLC-LH-SMD | Cleaning Wipes | Did you Know?

Happy Monday! – I have a special message for everyone today.

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email.

I had an MRI on my knee last week. It still hurts pretty bad, even though I’ve had the steroid shot. The results came back as Bursitis which is:

…a painful condition that affects the small, fluid-filled sacs — called bursae (bur-SEE) — that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near your joints. Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed.

Apparently, the treatment is RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), and it can take up to a couple of MONTHS to clear up! Life is definitely more challenging when walking, or bending your leg, is painful.

In the meantime, I still struggle with the Crohn’s every day. I’ve gotta focus on getting that under control. It’s prob going to take some very intentional effort with food, supplements, doc visits, etc. I’m also tired more than I should be (likely Crohn’s related) and my brain also doesn’t seem to be fully in gear.

I tend to ignore my health issues expecting them to go away and focus on work or getting things done instead. When I was younger, they usually did go away but not so much anymore! Focusing on work while constantly dealing with the health issues has really worn me down and I have a hard time staying as motivated as usual.

So, I came to the conclusion that I’m going to take some time off. I don’t know how much yet. Probably a month, and more if needed. I’ve got a great team that can keep on keeping on without me just fine. I just need to get off the treadmill for a little while and do a reset. I am hopeful that I could make some significant progress with healing and come back as good as new.

I may still do a couple things CK related, but for the most part I am parking everything for a while. I need to. I’m sure I’ll be mentally processing strategy which always happens when I take time off, and that’s a good thing anyway. Many leaders take a sabbatical at some interval. Perhaps that’s what this is.

This email will carry on, but without me for a little while. I have a handful of people who want to contribute to it in my absence and I’m sure you’ll enjoy what they have to say. Replies to this or other emails will be seen so don’t be shy if you need something!

Pray for my health …. And I’ll see you again soon.

– Craig

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca (our “Rock Star” Product Manager):

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CEO Daily Update – 9.23.2020

September 24, 2020 by Craig Haynie

PPE Coupon | Cisco Conference Phones | 15 Inspiring Acts of Leadership

Happy Thursday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

A little birdie told me that we just sent an email out with discount coupons on safety supplies. Did you get it?

I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard …

The national animal of Scotland is the Unicorn.

Today’s Product Spotlight from Rerun (AKA Rebecca):

We are currently offering one of our favorite conference phones, the CP-8831-K9 “NEW IN BOX” for just $350!! This VoIP conference phone features high-definition voice performance as well as 360° coverage and a full-duplex two-way wideband audio hands free speaker. We love the Cisco 8800 series of phones for their advanced features and scalability and we believe they are a sound investment for anyone looking to future-proof their space! With this phone, you get superior wideband acoustics with a two-element speaker for maximum voice bandwidth to give you enhanced speech quality and speaker recognition.

In addition, this phone can be scaled to meet the needs of rooms of any size as it features a detached control panel and optional wired or wireless extension microphones.

The Rerun & Joe Show! (Updates about Safety Supplies Product Line):

The Safety Supply deals just keep getting better! Craig hinted that we sent out an email with a coupon for Safety Supplies yesterday… It was originally going to be for 1 day only, but we are extending it out further! Use code PPESALE to get $10 OFF your order of $50+ (Safety Supplies only)!

Here are a few incredible deals that we have going on right now!

3M 8200 N95 Protective Face Mask, 20 Pack – $120.00

Medical Grade N95 Protective Face Mask, 20 Pack – $59.00

8 oz Gel Hand Sanitizer – $1.50

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Flex Pack, 75 Count – $14.75

15 Inspiring Acts of Leadership – by Gary Epp, Chief Administrative Steward

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CEO Daily Update – 9.23.2020

September 23, 2020 by Craig Haynie

Knee Shots | Chocolate Milk | PPE Sale | Inspiration vs Motivation, pt 1

Happy Wednesday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

My knee – Haiyaa. It’s worse, but I went to the ortho doc today. Fortunately they were able to fit me in. When the doctors are too busy they try to fit you in with the physician’s assistant. He was busy too so they got me in with the janitor. No real training but he’s overheard a few conversations that seemed useful.

They ordered an MRI because my pain level (an 11 on a scale of 1-10 when I try to bend it) was not normal based on his exam. They also gave me a steroid shot. Let me tell you something …. He walked in the room and said “are you ready for this?” Well, I WAS BEFORE YOU SAID THAT. Shots don’t bother me but when you’re asked if you’re ready it perks you up a little. He sprayed the area with a numbing spray and in the needle went. You know it’s going in there for sure. Then, oh boy …. then, in comes the injection of 37 gallons of liquid into a space the size of a pecan. GOOD LORD!! “Do I get a sucker??” I said gasping and wincing.

Speaking of needing a sucker, if you haven’t had a COVID test yet take a sucker with you if you go, you’ll want it when it’s over and unless they took my advice they don’t give them out. Since I sorta screamed it while honking the horn I doubt they took it to heart.

Something else noteworthy was the fact that the entire time I was going into the doctor’s office, getting X-rays, and getting examined (all but a small part) I had my Bluetooth headset in and was listening to, and sometimes participating in our weekly management meeting. WHAT A WORLD we live in that we have the technology to make this possible. Also, since our whole team works from home it’s not odd to be dialed in like that if necessary. Back when we met in person at the office having one person dial in would be strange. This new way of working certainly has some benefits.

I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard …

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