Today is my oldest son's 4th birthday. At 6:00 AM this morning I was out the door to our local Dunkin' Donuts(R) to buy him a big jelly donut, which we ultimately stuck a large "4" candle in for him to blow out at breakfast. What a super way to start out your birthday, right?? This tradition originally started out as an "oops" because I hadn't gotten a cake or cupcakes made for his birthday and I needed something quick to put a candle in. He loves DD jelly donuts so off I went. And here we are now continuing that "oops tradition, treasuring those memories made with Dunkin' Donuts.
It seems like franchising sometimes get a bad rap, mostly by folks who may not truly understand the importance of the franchisor/franchisee relationship, but as I was cruising to DD this morning I reflected on how many wonderful traditions and memories my family has built at franchised businesses. In addition to Dunkin' Donuts for your birthday: 1) Each kids' 1st birthday was celebrated with just them, me and their dad at McDonald's(R). Their first Happy Meal(R) was a big occasion for us since my husband was a McDonald's "Employee of the Year" back in his youth. 2)We had a wonderful party at Chuck E. Cheese's(R) this past weekend. Andrew and his cousin, Izy (who was celebrating her 5th birthday), smiled the whole time. They had a blast, and so did we. The Chuck E. Cheese's staff was so accomodating and cheerful and truly made the party relaxed and enjoyable instead of chaotic. I will never forget acting like a kid for a few minutes myself and challenging my dad to a couple of games of Ski-ball. Not that it's important, but I won. I am sure this will be the first of many Chuck E. Cheese's parties. 3)Me, and lots of kids, treasure the memory of washing the family vehicle at a Super Wash(R) car wash with dad on the weekend. To this day, thirty some years after I started hangin' out at the car wash with my mom and dad, when I am in a self-serve bay at a Super Wash I am totally at ease. It's just me, the water and the dirt. It feels so good when I am done washing my car and I can see what I accomplished. Thanks mom and dad.
Franchises: where traditions and memories are made. Thank you to all of the men and women out there who reached for the dream of owning your own business and did so through franchising. My family and I will do our best to keep making traditions and memories at your businesses - I'm sure many other families will to!
Happy Birthday, Andrew! You are my heart.
Until next week, have a SUPER weekend!!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Business of Basketball
What a wonderful time of year! The snow is finally just about permanently gone here in the midwest, we will have a smattering of 60 and 70 degree days, the flowers are starting to burst through the soil, we get to be silly and celebrate St. Patrick's Day and we get to be very serious and watch basketball!! Starting tomorrow afternoon, there will be anywhere from 3 - 10 (at most times) grown men lounging around our living room soaking in basketball on three t.v.'s. Yes, that's right, it's a mini-version of Buffalo Wild Wings right here at home! If only we could have a flat-screen installed above the toilet in the first floor bathroom I think we would be golden!! I absolutely love that my husband and his buddies get together every year to watch these games. It's a wonderful opportunity for comraderie, stress-release and just good old fashioned conversation. By "conversation" I mean, "DRIVE TO THE HOOP!" "You Idiots, you won't win if you can't score!" That sort of good old fashioned conversation. One of my favorite stand-up comedians, Rob Riggle, does a whole bit about how he can spend 45 minutes on the phone with his best friend and not find out a single thing about his friend's life - not how his kid is doing, if his mom's still sick, nothing. I am quite certain that is happening all around the country this week as friends gather to take in the basketball action. I say, "Cheers! Go to it!"
The NCAA tourney is for all intents and purposes, survival of the fittest. A lot like life, and a whole lot like business. Isn't it true that in business the weak don't often survive? You have to want to win, and you have to want to win more than the other team (competition) does. You have to be willing to scrap, throw yourself into the bleachers and sprint when you are out of breath. There will be times of upset where a "Cinderella" team makes a run for the title, but ultimately, they will have to have flawless execution and determination in spades in order to pull off the victory.
When it all gets a little overwhelming, ask yourself: Do I want it? Do I want it more than everyone else? Am I willing to take the game-winning three and shoulder the responsibility of victory and defeat? If the answer is yes, then trench in and be the fittest Cinderella out there.
Until next time, have a super week!
Susan
The NCAA tourney is for all intents and purposes, survival of the fittest. A lot like life, and a whole lot like business. Isn't it true that in business the weak don't often survive? You have to want to win, and you have to want to win more than the other team (competition) does. You have to be willing to scrap, throw yourself into the bleachers and sprint when you are out of breath. There will be times of upset where a "Cinderella" team makes a run for the title, but ultimately, they will have to have flawless execution and determination in spades in order to pull off the victory.
When it all gets a little overwhelming, ask yourself: Do I want it? Do I want it more than everyone else? Am I willing to take the game-winning three and shoulder the responsibility of victory and defeat? If the answer is yes, then trench in and be the fittest Cinderella out there.
Until next time, have a super week!
Susan
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Advantage of an "Athlete's Mentality"
I've been out of the loop for a couple of weeks because I had to have some surgery. I have Crohn's Disease and after about ten years of battling it out, the disease finally won this round resulting in my having to have part of my small intestine removed. The surgery was a success, with no complications, but the side effects of the surgery were really challenging for me. I am home recovering now, and am glad to be out of the morphine haze I was living in at the hospital!
I've learned lots of things over the last six weeks, including the absolute importance of wonderful, supportive friends, but also the tremendous advantage having an athlete's mentality offers. I will never try to pass myself off as a true athlete, but I certainly have participated in my fair share of sports over the years. These days I enjoy the challenges of mini-triathlons and will always love playing, and watching, most all of the "standard" sports. Hey, back in the day, I even loved a good Jarts! match, before they outlawed them, of course!! What has really been emphasized to me lately is how having that driven athlete's mentality can really proper you forward. Let me give an example. I was told I would be in the hospital for about five days after the surgery. There would be many incremental targets that would need to be hit for me to get sprung on day five. Well, I am married to a wonderful guy and have two super sweet little boys at home - there was no way I was staying in that hospital one day longer than absolutely necessary, I was going home regardless of what it took. With abdominal surgeries, one of the most important, and crucial, things you have to do is get up and get moving. Trust me, it often hurts like hell to get up and get moving, but if you wanna bust outta there on time, you gotta do it. So, I did it. I started logging laps around my hospital floor. The first couple of laps were REALLY slow while holding on to my IV pole and my constant steadying force, my husband. From those first laps, the length of time I spent cirlcing that floor just increased. On day three, I logged over 2 1/2 hours of laps, all in an effort to get better and get outta there.
There was a young lady on my floor, twenty-eight years old and she had just had the Whipple surgery. This is a very complicated and involved surgery where they remove part of your pancreas and other parts of your digestive track. For her, this surgery was necessitated by chronic pancreatitis and was her last option for a good quality of life. Well, I picked her out of the crowd on the floor, because she was pretty much the only one remotely close to my age. If I saw her out walking the hall, I got out and walked the halls - she was NOT going to log more laps than me. I'm not sure I motivated her the same way she motivated me, but on Day 4 we ended up doing rounds together. I don't know her name, but I do know I wish her all the best in her recovery, and thank her for being the "competition" she never knew she was.
There is an instinct inside of most really good athlete's that does not allow for accepting failure or being beaten. No one is going to "one up" them. They will shoot hundreds of free throws a day; catch pass after pass; hit bucket after bucket of balls; run mile upon mile all in an effort to attain their goals, be the best and not let the competition get the better of them. Doesn't the same apply in business? Don't many of the really outstanding business leaders you admire have that athlete's mentality where they will dig in and do whatever necessary to prevail? Both of my parents have a "never say die" attitude and in my opinion, that has been as instrumental as any other factor in their going from where they were in 1976 to where they are today.
So, the next time the chips seem like their down, there's no way out, no way to win, take a deep breath, visualize where you want to go, strategize the plan for getting there, and then, most importantly, get back out in the hallways and do a few hundred laps. You will recover and be on the path to good personal, and business health, before you know it!
Until next time, have a SUPER weekend.
I've learned lots of things over the last six weeks, including the absolute importance of wonderful, supportive friends, but also the tremendous advantage having an athlete's mentality offers. I will never try to pass myself off as a true athlete, but I certainly have participated in my fair share of sports over the years. These days I enjoy the challenges of mini-triathlons and will always love playing, and watching, most all of the "standard" sports. Hey, back in the day, I even loved a good Jarts! match, before they outlawed them, of course!! What has really been emphasized to me lately is how having that driven athlete's mentality can really proper you forward. Let me give an example. I was told I would be in the hospital for about five days after the surgery. There would be many incremental targets that would need to be hit for me to get sprung on day five. Well, I am married to a wonderful guy and have two super sweet little boys at home - there was no way I was staying in that hospital one day longer than absolutely necessary, I was going home regardless of what it took. With abdominal surgeries, one of the most important, and crucial, things you have to do is get up and get moving. Trust me, it often hurts like hell to get up and get moving, but if you wanna bust outta there on time, you gotta do it. So, I did it. I started logging laps around my hospital floor. The first couple of laps were REALLY slow while holding on to my IV pole and my constant steadying force, my husband. From those first laps, the length of time I spent cirlcing that floor just increased. On day three, I logged over 2 1/2 hours of laps, all in an effort to get better and get outta there.
There was a young lady on my floor, twenty-eight years old and she had just had the Whipple surgery. This is a very complicated and involved surgery where they remove part of your pancreas and other parts of your digestive track. For her, this surgery was necessitated by chronic pancreatitis and was her last option for a good quality of life. Well, I picked her out of the crowd on the floor, because she was pretty much the only one remotely close to my age. If I saw her out walking the hall, I got out and walked the halls - she was NOT going to log more laps than me. I'm not sure I motivated her the same way she motivated me, but on Day 4 we ended up doing rounds together. I don't know her name, but I do know I wish her all the best in her recovery, and thank her for being the "competition" she never knew she was.
There is an instinct inside of most really good athlete's that does not allow for accepting failure or being beaten. No one is going to "one up" them. They will shoot hundreds of free throws a day; catch pass after pass; hit bucket after bucket of balls; run mile upon mile all in an effort to attain their goals, be the best and not let the competition get the better of them. Doesn't the same apply in business? Don't many of the really outstanding business leaders you admire have that athlete's mentality where they will dig in and do whatever necessary to prevail? Both of my parents have a "never say die" attitude and in my opinion, that has been as instrumental as any other factor in their going from where they were in 1976 to where they are today.
So, the next time the chips seem like their down, there's no way out, no way to win, take a deep breath, visualize where you want to go, strategize the plan for getting there, and then, most importantly, get back out in the hallways and do a few hundred laps. You will recover and be on the path to good personal, and business health, before you know it!
Until next time, have a SUPER weekend.
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