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CEO Daily Update – 10.5.2020

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Pumpkin Adventures | PPE – Free Shipping Coupon | New Fiber Marketer | Goals vs Good Effort

Happy Monday! Make it a great one!

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

Happy Monday to you all! We enjoyed such beautiful weather here in Georgia this weekend, and we ventured out to a pumpkin patch with some friends. The kids enjoyed the play areas, bounce houses and petting zoo, and we all got a laugh at the pig races. “Piggies start your engines!” Our kids picked out two big pumpkins that we’ve decided to paint instead of carve, so that’s an adventure for this week.
 
I didn’t read a book this weekend, but I did cook a couple of new things. I have some recipes saved to Pinterest and choose new ones to try when I’m in a dinner rut. This chicken tortellini soup was pretty good, though I would leave the bell pepper out next time {personal preference}. I also enjoyed making a new recipe for Craig, a curry with roast, onion, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes. He put it over some roasted cauliflower. I love fall cooking.
 
I hope you all had a good weekend as well. We are looking forward to a hopefully busy week at CK. Is there anything we can do for you?
 
Don’t forget to check out updates below from some of our leaders. We’ll have some PPE/Safety Supplies announcements coming up this week.
 
Christin

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

Today is an exciting day here at CK as our brand new Fiber Product Marketer, Sania, is starting her CK journey today! I figured there’s no better occasion than this to feature our incredible fiber cables!  

We have a Fiber Quick Order Tool on our website that makes it beyond easy to find exactly the cable you are looking for! We offer nearly every kind of connector, cable type, and length that you could imagine!  

If you are new to the Fiber game and don’t even know where to start, we have an entire hub in our Learning Center dedicated to Fiber Optic Cables! You may remember our eCommerce Leader, Jason Gazaway, writing about his passion for making our website a true resource for anyone looking to learn more about networking and his hard work on our Learning Center shines here!  

I encourage you to take a look at the articles and our product offering. Place your next Fiber Cables order with CK and I can promise you won’t be disappointed! Competitive prices, lots of inventory, shipping ‘til 8PM EST, and a Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty… you just can’t beat it!  

PPE / Safety Supplies Update:

Happy Monday! So excited about our newly rolled out FREE SHIPPING for PPE products (only) using coupon code PPESHIP!! (This is for Standard/UPS Ground shipping only.) We still have Blue Nitrile Gloves in stock and on sale!  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.5.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.2.2020

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Hobbies + Mental Break | Cisco Catalyst WS-C3750X-48P-S | PPE Specials | News to Start Your Day

It’s Friday!! You’ve made it!

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

TGIF, friends!

This week has been fast and furious for me, and I am looking forward to a slower paced weekend. Since I began working in CK again this summer, the change of pace from weekday to weekend has become more dramatic and completely flip flopped from what it was before. Pre-Covid we typically reserved weekends for more going and doing, hanging out with Craig (because he was gone to the office so much during the week) and seeing friends. Mondays were restful, a reset back to “mom’s pace” for the girls and me. In our new routine it feels like we run from Monday to Friday, so by the weekend I’m in need of a mental rest. Since this season of life with littles doesn’t offer much physical rest, I try to do things that help my brain take a break or at least do things that offer a change in mental activity. Two of my favorite things to fill that space are reading and working on mood boards for redecorating rooms in our home.

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. As a pre-teen I had a subscription to The Babysitter’s Club book club. Each month I received a package with three books plus Babysitter’s Club themed merchandise. It was one of my favorite days of the month, and I usually read the books in just a few days. As I grew older and eventually came into the business world, I tried to translate my love of reading to more how to, business, and learning books, but I honestly still struggle to spend my reading time in these type of books. Reading is an escape for me, like watching a good movie, usually of the chick flick, comedy or drama variety. For some reason I used to find it embarrassing in business circles to admit this or talk about it, perhaps because so many good learning type books are referenced in business conversation. Here I am now “confessing” it to all of you.

Last weekend I read The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin. I hope it’s eventually made into a movie like one of her other books has been. It was a great escape/mental rest for me. Tomorrow is library day for me and the girls, so I’ll be looking for my next reads. What are some of your favorite books?

Besides reading and digital mood boards for décor, I also like to cook and do photography. Craig bought a watercolor art kit for me last Christmas that I have yet to try, but I expect it’ll be a good mental break type activity as well.

What are your hobbies? How do you change the pace of your days to have a physical or mental rest?

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.2.2020

CEO Daily Update – 10.1.2020

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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):

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 10.1.2020

CEO Daily Update – 9.30.2020

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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):

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 9.30.2020

CEO Daily Update – 9.29.2020

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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):

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 9.29.2020

CEO Daily Update – 9.28.2020

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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):

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 9.28.2020