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Safety Supplies

CEO Daily Update – 9.10.2020

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Back to School Bundles | In the Movies | Microsoft Teams

Happy Thursday!  

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

What a strange day yesterday. It turns out the car I bought with the motorhome had a salvage / rebuilt title. The seller didn’t tell me that, and later said he didn’t know. I could swear I ran a carfax on the car. I absolutely ran one on the motorhome. Anyway, whatever, I got a good enough deal that it doesn’t really matter.  When I went to transfer the title and get a tag that’s when it came up and they won’t do it unless you have it inspected. So, this morning was inspection day. You’re to show up at a particular body shop at 8am and get a number. They take you one at a time and do the inspection. Never having done this before I had no idea what to expect. When I got there, there was hardly anywhere to park. When I got my number I was number 18.  

My expectation was to be in and out of there in an hour. Wrong. I was there till 2pm and most of that was sitting or standing outside a fence waiting my turn to be let in. It’s a darn good thing we work remote and I had my laptop and can tether to my cell for WiFi. I was able to do all my work as usual, just from a different place.  

I still haven’t determined what was supposedly wrong with the car for it to have a salvage title but they found nothing wrong in the inspection and no sign of previous damage. I’ll try to see if someone can tell me but who knows. I have the paperwork I need to get my title and tag and that’s all that matters at this point.  

Act 2: Our house is on a small lake with great views and when we moved in I decided to list it on a site for movie / film locations. Basically, if someone were filming a movie or show and needed a lake view in a private setting they might find and want to rent my house for a few days or weeks. It might be cool and you make a little money doing it.   

Well today I got an inquiry but not for the house – but for the driveway. They want to shoot a music video and there is a scene with a wrecked car and someone being rescued. How cool. I met the director at my house in the evening and then took him to some acreage we still own that’s for sale. On that property there is a driveway even longer than what’s at my house that is perfect for what he wants to do. They want to shoot next week! I’ll keep you updated!  

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

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 9.10.2020

CEO Daily Update – 9.3.2020

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Working From The Road | Woodchucks? | Hand Sanitizer Blowout | Egalitarian Time

Happy Thursday!  

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

I am still on the journey home. I left Tampa yesterday and got to Tifton, GA last night around 8pm. I got setup, took the car loose and went to get something to eat (so cool!), and got back and to bed! I have an all day CK strategy meeting today that I will do from the camper. Then I’ll make the final leg home where the wife and girls can see the motorhome. I am excited to see what they think!  

Check out the Safety Supply deals Joe mentions below. The hand sanitizer is especially of note – we are blowing it out and starting over. Our sanitizer is not from any factory that had methanol issues by the way! Now that people can get sanitizer in every familiar store it’s time for us to clear the shelves and regroup. Oh, and he now has Lysol spray!  

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

A wildlife technician, Richard Thomas, took the famous tongue twister, “how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood” and calculated a rough estimate of what the answer would actually be. It came out to be around 700 pounds. 

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

SFP-10G-LR 

Today’s product spotlight features a 10G transceiver that we love! The SFP-10G-LR transceiver module was designed for long-range transmission. It supports 10 Gbps data transfer rates over a distance of 10 kilometers (that’s 6.2 miles!) using singlemode fiber. This hot-swappable SFP+ transceiver is a fantastic option for satisfying connectivity needs in large data centers, enterprise wiring closets, large campuses, and more!    

We offer 3 versions of this module: 

From Joe, our friendly Safety Supplies Product Marketer:

It’s Joe, I’m back! I know I missed a day, but I have enough good news for you guys to make up for it! First, we have another new product on the site! For a while now the only disinfectant spray’s we’ve had are Clorox. Well, we finally have a Lysol option available for you guys! This new Lysol All Purpose Cleaner is perfect for all you’re common household surfaces that require frequent cleaning and disinfecting! When it comes to the size and price this is very comparable to our Clorox Cleanup Spray except it doesn’t contain bleach which I know can be an issue in some situations! 

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 9.3.2020

CEO Daily Update – 8.11.2020

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Craig’s Birthday | Wipes are back! | Its time to go camping!

Happy Tuesday!  

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

Happy Birthday to me … happy birthday to me … happy BIIIIIIRRRRRTHHHHHHDAAAAAYYY dear MEEEEEEEE, Happy Birthday to MEEEEEE.  

I get the idea that today might be my birthday. To be honest, almost every year I forget about it until the day of or maybe the day before. This year I actually remembered a few times last week. Odd! More below …  

From Joe, our friendly Safety Supplies Product Marketer:

WIPES!!! We have a very limited supply of Progressive WipesPlus Disinfecting Wipes! With school starting and requesting parents to bring in wipes for the classroom this is a perfect product for you. More serious environments such as a classroom full of young children require a trustworthy disinfecting wipe. These are bleach-free and EPA registered ensuring maximum disinfecting power safely. Whether they’re used for a classroom, kitchen, or office they’re the perfect disinfecting wipe and comparable to big name brands like Clorox. 

More 3M N95’s are live on the site as well! Like in the past, these are also in a very limited supply. It’s crazy how much has changed in these past few months. You used to be able to find masks like this in most everyday stores you walked into and now it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. These seem to be the next Clorox and Lysol wipes… Impossible to find! Act fast before they’re gone! 

Some thoughts from Craig:

So, I turn 42 today, and let me tell you – time really does fly. On one hand it seems like just yesterday when I started this business. On the other, it seems like an eternity ago. I was 23. The other day my wife and I were going to look at Campers (See below) and we went to a place in Tucker, which is part of the Atlanta burbs. When I first moved here, I lived in the Tucker/Norcross area and worked nearby at a computer component distributor as a sales guy, but that’s another story. Anyway, we drove by the apartment complex I lived in back then and it was like “wow, that was like a lifetime ago!”. It’s funny how some things seem like yesterday and some things seem like eons ago.  

Getting older sucks. In the last few years I have had more health issues than ever before. I had a hernia and surgery for it, major back issues (which are now mostly under control, for now, thank the Lord), tendon issues that resulted in weeks on a scooter to stay off my right foot, and of course bowel issues that resulted in a Crohn’s diagnosis that I still deal with daily. The point is that I can personally attest to the fact that getting older causes all sorts of issues! I don’t recommend it. …. Well wait, compared to the alternative I guess I do recommend it.  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 8.11.2020

CEO Daily Update – 8.6.2020

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Super Savings on SFP-10G-SR | We want your Cisco hardware | Leadership

Happy Thursday!  

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

A customer replied to my email yesterday and said …  

OK Craig, I truly thought you were writing these emails simply for your health!!!!  

YOU: “because let’s face it, I don’t write this every day purely for my health!” 

…and here I thought you were the healthiest guy I know….haha 

I replied and said “You know … I DID lose 50lbs and I HAVE been writing these emails. Causation or correlation? Hmmmm”.  

Today’s Product Spotlight:  

SFP-10G-SR – You won’t find a better deal on such a staple networking item. You may be buying these by the box full, and you are probably paying way too much. CDW has these listed for $716 each. You can buy them BRAND NEW from us for $128 each, or pre-owned for $32!!  

How? Because we buy unused IT from companies like YOURS and resell it. We get great deals and pass those savings on. We get plenty of pre-owned hardware of course but we occasionally get NEW in the box hardware? Companies buy what ends up being more than they need, and of course you cannot return it to Cisco so it ends up being sold to people like us.  

And don’t worry – for pre-owned we fully test everything and include a LIFETIME warranty with advance replacement. You also have a full month to return your purchase for a refund!! (A few exceptions apply) 

We have way more available than what you see on the site (both qty and models) so reach out if you need something you don’t see. 

Can you name one good reason not to buy from us and save? If you think of one, email me.  

From Joe, our friendly Safety Supplies Product Marketer: 

Crickets. That’s all I hear. Joe is living it up somewhere and we don’t get so much as a card or a text. I hope he is enjoying himself but I am not ruling out the abduction angle.  

Let’s see … what shall I talk about today … Ooh I know …  

2 oz Sanitizer Spray Bottles – So you bought a big giant jug of liquid hand sanitizer and now what? Carry it around with you? (How would you do that anyway? I guess you could run your belt through the handle and wear it on your side for easy access?). Anyway, here is another option. We sourced these little spray bottles that you can fill and spritz as needed! Great for the car so you can spray surfaces, or for your purse (or pocketbook as I call it).  

Shoe Covers – Just an update – we have 150,000 shoe covers on the way. If you need them, let’s get an order booked so we can tie up some inventory for you. If you have an ongoing need, let’s talk!  

Desktop Sanitizer (or soap) dispenser – I almost forgot about this little guy. It was one of the first things I sourced overseas when all this mess started! You can use liquid or gel sanitizer (or even soap) and put it on the counter in the kitchen, on your desk, in the bathroom, or strap it to your arm for quick and easy access. ACTUALLY, you could strap it to your back side (using the belt again) so people BEHIND you have quick access to hand sanitizer. Do your part. And, with the gallon jug hanging from your belt you’ll be ready to refill at a moment’s notice.  

SPEAKING of how we buy hardware, we want to buy your unused hardware!  

Feel free to send us lists of anything you would like to get rid of, but here is a list of a few items we are consistently buying (which as you might have guessed, are top sellers). There are a LOT more items we purchase from customers like you regularly, but this is a good list to get your thinker thinking. Do you have any of these models laying around in your server room?  

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 8.6.2020

CEO Daily Update – 7.23.2020

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I’m Gonna Make a Change | We Found Joe! | Guest Post with Important SEO News

Happy Day AFTER HUUUUUMMMMPPP DAAAAAAAAAYYY!

First and foremost, people really got a kick out of my coincidental coinage carnage commentary. I laughed pretty hard when Sue, our accounting manager, sent me a meme that was a picture of a fountain overflowing with coins and the caption “Coin shortage was from people wishing 2020 was over”. Hahaha!

Speaking of change, I can’t help but think of Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror …. “I’m gonna make a change”. I think the lyric of this song is great for where we are as a country right now. It’s easy to get all flustrated (as our warehouse manager Chad says) due to our circumstances and try to find someone else to blame for our problems. Maybe you can, maybe you can’t, but you can always start with the man in the mirror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqe5NP86OCc

And while SOMEONE is on a Michael Jackson kick ..… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQY_QL_wvQU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E2r2vOlqvA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfrV_6yWbEg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skkISI06YN4

I never saw him live (wish I had) and I am not even joking … I cried when he died. 

From Joe, our friendly Safety Supplies Product Marketer:

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 7.23.2020

CEO Daily Update – 7.22.2020

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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.

[Read more…] about CEO Daily Update – 7.22.2020