Downhill Skiing and the Power of Fresh Powdered Snow

Downhill skiing isn't for the faint of heart and requires a little practice to master. Some of us have grown up on ski hills while others learned over time. Whether you enjoy downhill skiing or snowboarding you gain a new level of respect for outdoor sports and the accommodations of a warm lodge. Local ski hills attract locals and tourists and provide a good opportunity for outdoor recreation.

I grew up on a ski hill and enjoyed the beauty of taking off from my father's yard into the side of the hill. It wasn't a big hill but it provided lots of childhood fun. At one point I considered getting on a team and skiing competitively. Never happened, but I have always enjoyed the sport and the life around skiing.

This morning I took off to Pine Mountain Resort for the $12 all you can eat buffet and the fresh blizzard snow. Puffy white powder is what you want before it is packed by the rush of skiers and snowboarders who create slick spots. In this case I was within the first wave of sportsmen to hit the hill.

I enjoy the fitness activities that improve leg strength as well as the cardio benefits of slaloms.  Of course who doesn't enjoy the great outdoors or the lodgings? Sitting by the fireplace after a few hours of extreme weather and more extreme sporting and you get why people come here.

Small establishments like Pine Mountain Golf and Ski Resort encourage new local tourism. People come from 100s of miles around to ski, golf, lodge, and dine in the area; something the local economy really needs. While the ski resort may be seasonal the golf resort offers opportunities for year round recreation. Put on your warmest gloves and ski pants and head for the lift.

Following Up for Business Reputation

Businesses often succeed and fail based on their market reputation. When that reputation is strong the business will continue growing on word-of-mouth marketing, strong brand image and repeat customers. However, when its reputation is poor it looses customer and fails to gain new ones as competitors brand image wins out.

Once I hired a contractor that nearly finished the job and was paid appropriately. He said he would drop off the elbows to the downspouts on a building in a few days. He didn't show up. Thinking he forgot, I inquired again and he apologized. Again he didn't show up! After a three more tries I gave up.

Darn contractors!!!!

What impression did the contractor give me? I had more work for him to do but now he will likely never see that additional work because he gave the impression he is not trustworthy. If he cannot spend the few minutes to drop off a couple of pieces worth a whopping $40 out of the $700 I paid him then he cannot be trusted to do more expensive work.

Particularly, he is teaching customers that he should not be paid until he puts the last bolt in because he won't show up again to finish the job. No care, no concern, he made selfish choices that will follow him. His future reputation and income will suffer because he has lost additional work and will have fewer future referrals.

It is important to remember that reputation is one of the most important assets a business can develop. Small towns and small businesses are even more subject to the overall the powerful impact of reputation. The contractor could follow up and ensure all of the work is completed and therefore save his reputation...yet he chose an approach which will lose a future potential customer and tarnish his image.

The Rugged Cold-Hiking in the Tundra

Ok maybe its not really the "tundra" where tree growth is hindered but you can get the feeling when it is 2 degrees with a -20 windchill factor. Whether you engage in hunting, hiking, photography or just like to be out in nature realize there are places in this world that are relatively untouched by human hands. You get that eerie feeling when your cell phone no longer works, you haven't seen cottages in a long while and no more cars pass you on the snow covered road.

Out there is there is a truth to life. A place we all began in the nature. Not a soul around and the only sounds are the trees cracking in the wind or that of a wood pecker or other creature of the forest. Your breath pushes puffs steam and your mustache accumulates ice. No matter how many layers of deep cold gloves you wear your fingers are still cold.

Despite its downside and the nipping air you can also feel as though you can clear your mind and enjoy just the state of being in nature. If you are a hunter you can track your next catch and if you enjoy photography you can get a few pics off the beaten paths. You are free to just live and walk much like your ancestors did before modern cities and conveniences.

Making it Through Chaotic Times-One Step at a Time

We all run into those times when we have so much to do, so many different things going on, that we have to adjust our normal patterns to get the things done. Before you get too excited it is beneficial to stop for a moment and get your bearings by putting things in perspective. After that, you can move forward by putting one foot in front of the other.

Much of our life is subjective and what we feel is important today may not be important a few months or years from now. Therefore, it is beneficial to evaluate what is truly important now and then prioritize that work. When you prioritize the work you will find that much of the lesser important things will not matter and they will put put in proper perspective and not clutter your mind.

Once you have your bearings then you can move toward figuring out how you will get those critical things done that are necessary. You may wish to combine projects, ask others for help, or pay someone to help you do some of the work. Putting together a plan that is efficient without wasted steps will help you save time.

Then you will want to put one foot in front of the other. Don't get bogged down in worry because the frustrating time will soon be over. Just move from necessary action to the next and by the end of the day, week, or month you will find out that you accomplish what you needed. Keeping your cool and taking a few extra moments to prioritize, plan and then act will make a big difference and save you aggravation.

Should Business Take a Specialized or Diverse Approach to the Market

Businesses have opportunities to provide a narrow range of products  through specialization or to offer a broader range of products through diversity. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand when it is beneficial for them to take one approach over the other. This can be determined by current revenue as well as the market itself.

If the market is saturated and future growth of sales is likely to be limited then it makes more sense to diversify your offerings into more lucrative markets. The business will need to explore these new options or they will slowly be squeezed by competition into a declining market.

The other option is to diversify and do something better than anyone else. This should occur if your business is too small to be all to everyone or if you are a large business offering something unique. For example, a patented product might lead to similar patented products that are unique and have market appeal.

It isn't always easy to know when to diversify and when to specialize. Much of it depends on the competition in the market. If your competitors cannot offer something as unique as your business and not at the same quality level then it makes sense to get better at it because you build your own market.

However, if the prospects for growth are low and your company doesn't have superior strength in one area they may need to diversify to ensure they have multiple revenue streams. Large companies invest in other areas because they have the capacity to manage multiple product lines at once and the resources to move to the top of the market through economies of scale.

Cost of Business Transactions

Cost of transactions internally and externally have a determined impact on corporate profits through lowering general internal and external operating costs. When organizations improve upon their internal transactions by updating of processes and procedures, as well as the technology they use to conduct such transactions, they can improve overall performance. It is important to consider the benefits of internal transactions cost and external cluster costs when encouraging business growth.

All activities within an organization have transaction costs. Whether these are phone calls, emails, documents, movement of information, energy transfers, product movement, etc... it makes no difference. Each of these transactions can cost the company money and slow their productivity.

A common internal infrastructure improvement that lowers transaction costs and improves upon internal activity is IT systems. A large amount of money has been poured into this approach over the past few decades with great success. This include hiring, training, and updating technology infrastructure (Banerjee & Kumar, 2002).

Companies also exist within geographic infrastructure that exists both as a cluster and part of a larger regional hub. When regional infrastructure is weak then it will cost more to make transactions across companies. In turn, it will be more expensive to run a business in one city over another.

It is important to determine the internal costs of completing transactions as well as the external cost of completing business in that particular region. Businesses that develop their internal infrastructure should also consider pushing for external infrastructure changes in order to improve the region as well. Viewing transaction costs from internal and external vantage points can help improve positive adjustments.

Banerjee, S. & Kumar, R. (2002). Managing electronic interchange of business documents. Communications of the ACM, 45 (7).

Justify Your Numbers When Creating Budgets

Budgets are not something to be created in jest or in the last minute. Sketchy numbers and quick fix cramming is not the way to go when it comes to putting forward a financial plan. I have seen managers fail to justify their budgets and this leads to embarrassment and/or lay offs. Start your budgeting project early and come up with itemized numbers that can be supported.

I once worked with someone in training and they asked me how they could justify their department. My answer was they would have to show how they are contributing value and that their budget was justified in order to continue to bring that value.

The person was not well schooled in common business practices and wasn't able to use metrics to support the value of her department and wasn't able to justify her budget. At the end of the day, she and her employees were laid off to allocate resources to other pressing areas.

Likewise, I have seen managers put forward budgets with sketchy numbers that are not supported. When they were probed, as most certainly will happen, they were hard pressed to find justification for their numbers making them look less than professional.

The best advice I can offer on budgets is to start early, justify the numbers, make sure that your budget actually supports your goals. They should be in alignment with your strategic plan and take into consideration the necessary research needed to create a sound and supported position that can be discussed in detail. Don't wait until the last minute to complete your work because someone will go over it with a fine tooth comb.