Finally, the last flight has been flown. My work year on the road is over and I've got the miles to prove that it was a long, happy year. Sales are good and it seems as if the holiday season is underway. My reps are working hard on and off the road. The gift shows are a distant memory and fall is here. This year has been a challenging one; growing our rep groups while keeping them motivated, learning how to eat well and run all over the country, and creating new avenues to sell too. The recession is almost over and while we thought our retailers would bounce back earlier - we are now almost to 2011 and there seems to finally be a parting of the seas. Orders are being written and bills are being paid. Some have closed their doors while others expand. It's that yin and yang of business that keeps it exciting for me.This year on the road has also had some great stuff go on too; like our journey to move to Portland, OR, the company continues to create cool, new products, and we've brought in some exciting new people to work with us in creating a synergy across the country. In my personal pursuits; I continue to educate myself in the outdoor and social media industry while marrying up both passions to speak at trade shows and regional events. I look forward to more of that in the upcoming year.Taking time to read, reflect and run are what I'm looking forward to in the coming months while winding down the year. I continue to enjoy meshing all that I love in this wonderful journey that is my life. Lucky me.
Hey there! I've been quite busy and now that I'm off the road a bit and my training is in the taper phase - I'm realizing that balancing being successful on and off the trails is all about time management, rest, and completing your to-do list. I find that running when I'm tired does me no good. But, when I am rested and get out first thing...I find that I am way more productive the rest of the day. If I don't get out in the am than I am less likely to run or get in my work out the rest of the day. I absolutely love running when I am out there - but I think coming to the end of a full business year and the end of this particular training cycle, I am tired. So, my next challenges will be a few shorter races to keep me excited and motivated. Next week is my second 50K and I am a firm believer that it needs to stay fun to keep me goal oriented and keep that desire to continue to push me to that next level.
I will never be a sub 7:00 runner, so my long runs are almost double the time than faster runners. I have to work on speed work through the end of the year to get me running 4 hr marathons and 5 hour 50k's before moving to the 100k - 100m level. That's my first challenge to elevating me to the next phase.
My business continues to thrive and I love where my professional side is going. Teaching seminars at trade shows across the country, managing my reps and working with the coolest products in the gift and outdoor industry is both rewarding and challenging. Keeping these companies at the forefront of my reps and retailers minds takes persistence.
Challenging myself continues to be a daily dose of fun week after week. I hope you are working towards your next goal whether professionally or personally. There is nothing more wonderful than crossing the finish line or closing a sale! They both rock!
Thanks so much for reading.
Finally, the last flight has been flown. My work year on the road is over and I've got the miles to prove that it was a long, happy year. Sales are good and it seems as if the holiday season is underway. My reps are working hard on and off the road. The gift shows are a distant memory and fall is here. This year has been a challenging one; growing our rep groups while keeping them motivated, learning how to eat well and run all over the country, and creating new avenues to sell too. The recession is almost over and while we thought our retailers would bounce back earlier - we are now almost to 2011 and there seems to finally be a parting of the seas. Orders are being written and bills are being paid. Some have closed their doors while others expand. It's that yin and yang of business that keeps it exciting for me.
