Takin' Care of Business

Dear Friend,  It Snowed! Most of you experienced a bit of your first snow this weekend, some more than others. I woke up this morning and still have a significant "dusting" on the ground. Well, I always tell folks when they ask me how long our winters are; make sure your Halloween Costume fits over your parka and that your Easter Bonnet is fleece lined. But, then again, I like winter.

Getting Ready Each change of season causes us to pause and take an inventory to make sure we are ready for the upcoming challenges. All of the summer deck furniture is put away, the pool is closed, the boat out of the water, cars are scheduled to go in and have their winter tires put on and I'm back in the gym getting in shape for the ski season. I still need to tape up a few windows and doors but for the most part we have been taking care of the business of getting ready for a new season.     Holiday Seasons  As November and December approach we start to understand that the days are getting shorter. Not just the amount of sunlight but also the fact that for many this is a busy time of the year. There don't seem to be as many hours in the day as we see in the rest of the year. A lot goes on and we need to be taking care of business to get us through these final few months.       Business Matters We need to make the same adjustments for our businesses as well. Are we prepared for the end of year rush? Are we prepared to move into 2016 with a new sense of hope and excitement? Are we in good physical and mental shape to take on the extra hours, extra calories and extra, you know, stress that goes with the territory? Are we taking care of our employees and customers and managing our businesses with the day to day joy and passion that got us to where we are today? Stop for a minute, stand tall and ask yourself, am I taking care of business?  Did You Know? Randy Bachman first wrote a song inspired by a hard working recording technician who actually took the 8:15 train into the city each day and wore a white collared shirt. Originally titled, White Collar Worker, Bachman later heard a local radio DJ exclaim; 'We're takin' care of business' and before you know it Bachman-Turner Overdrive has a smash hit on their hands becoming one of BTO's most enduring and well known songs.

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Dave Southwick