Professional Auto Care

Wow, vacation was nice.  I spent Saturday with my son at a local snow tube place. We rode up the hill and once at the top had a choice of which ‘run’ we could go down. It was fast and furious and fun. We laughed and banged ourselves up quite a bit, what a great time. It’s times like those that I’m reminded of what life is all about, we laugh together, cry together, and play together. A family, in all it’s mess, there it is. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.

When I got done playing, I decided it was time to do some work (I guess I was ready to hit it again). I finished integrating the secure ordering page to my website, so now people can purchase car care club cards, and vip memberships right on-line at our website www.pro-autocare.com. I’ve never had to set up a merchant website before but it turned out to be a fun challenge. I even wrote some javascript code to make the page work correctly. It’s amazing to me the tools that are available out there now, totally free. A few quick google searches, and I was able to find code fragments that I needed to do what I wanted to do.

My assistant, Amanda, quit while I was on vacation. She was with me less than 2 weeks, so the search is on for a replacement. She said she thought she could juggle the time away from her baby, her husband and work too, but found out that it wasn’t going to work for her. I’m glad she let me know before I spent too much more time training her. It’s best I find someone that wants to work full time and is in a position to handle that. It’s disappointing to go through the whole process of finding someone, only to have to do it over again, but hey, that’s life in business.

Well, I’ve got to get ready for work now, I’m looking forward to another great week and some more challenges to overcome.

Talk with you all again soon,

- Bob

Last night I awoke at 2:30am and couldn’t sleep. I decided to take this week off (something I rarely do), and during my time away from my businesses, all I can do is think about them. I was awake with thoughts of possible problems, things I might have overlooked, and there is just no escaping the feelings of worry a business owner feels. I think about a time before I was a business owner, when I was just an employee, and I never had the same feelings of worry. I’m on vacation, but still consumed with my business life and it’s affairs. It’s exhausting sometimes.

So what to do?

I did what any hard working business owner that can’t sleep likely does. I got up and went to work. I banged away on my laptop, firing off instructions to my staff, and sending communications to vendors. When the clock turned almost 5 am, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, I returned to bed and slept until about 8:30.

The tradeoff’s we make in life and in business sometimes are worth it, and sometimes, well… mostly it’s worth it.

- Bob

As a multi-business owner, and an entrepreneur, I understand in real time the effects the economy has on people and their feeling of ‘safety’. I’m a person that’s fairly comfortable being ‘unsafe’, swimming in shark infested waters if you will. I’ve lived a large part of my life up to this point, feeling ‘unsafe’, putting myself ‘out there’ in more ways than I can count. I’ve started businesses and watched them implode, I’ve made colossal errors in judgment and still I’m alive, and well. I don’t believe there’s a whole lot of people like me out there…

But I’m going to admit, what’s going on now, scares even me.

I watched last night while our new president presented a spending package that’s going to cost, you, me and everyone else almost a TRILLION dollars. As I write these words, the enormity of that I’m not certain I can really get my head around. I’m left feeling fear. Spending on that magnitude without any cuts? Did anyone even mention making drastic cuts? Does that even make sense to anybody? Am I the only one that thinks, in times like this, we should learn to do more with less? Or at least maintain and get smarter about spending?

I’ve watched first hand how poorly our government spending is set up. I believe it is out and out WRONG. They operate under the philosophy of ‘if you didn’t spend it, you loose it’. Meaning that if they budgeted for 100K (which any private business owner could get done for 50k in the first place) for whatever, and by some stretch of the imagination, the organization, person, entity, spent only 95k, they loose the extra from their budget the following year.

Would someone please explain to me how this creates a lean, efficient system?

I’ve watched this play out in my own business dealings with government organizations, and I have been frequently disgusted by the WASTE.

In business I’m confronted every day with limited resources, a fixed budget, and limited personnel. That’s one of the things that makes business so exciting to me, figuring out how to produce incredible results, with limited resources. It’s the very thing that sparks our creativity, ingenuity and flat out willpower. To figure it out, to overcome, adapt, and in the end win, or learn something.

I don’t see our government taking this approach, I see them just deciding, when things are tough, to spend more money, no cutbacks, no tough decisions. Is everyone in congress loosing THEIR health care? Thousands upon thousands of Americans are, and yet the entrenched politicians feel NO PAIN for the bad decision making of the past?

When I make a mistake (or most Americans for that matter) we pay for it, with our time, money, or just in a tough lesson to be learned. (can you say credit cards? )

Washington doesn’t seem to want to learn their lessons. Oh sure, I’ve been pointing my finger at George W as much as the next guy, but let’s be realistic, the problems we face today ARE NOT only his fault or responsibility. I believe a larger amount (or at least an equal share) of blame should be placed on congress. Most of the congress people have been there 10+ years, we all know that incumbents are tough to beat. So if the same seat in the house and senate have been held by the same people for all this time, why shouldn’t we be angry with them?

In the face of unprecedented and in my opinion foolish spending, someone needs to take a stand and say enough is enough. We ARE MORTGAGING our children and grandchildren’s future!

Yes, I feel the fear, and I’m still walking right into it, with my head high, proud to be an American, but inside I’m scared. What if we spend 700 billion to bail out the investment and banking industry, and then another TRILLION to bail out America, and the plan doesn’t work?

Maybe it’s time we took a long hard look at where we could CUT a trillion dollars in government FAT? How about reviewing every single program that no longer is relevant, in today’s economy?

How about stopping spending BILLIONS to print volumes of paper crap that nobody actually reads? Don’t we live in a digital world now anyway?

How about taking the BILLIONS we spend on the ‘war on drugs’ and pumping that money into having a goal of the BEST school system in the world?

How about just having a goal? America will be the best at ________. You fill in the blank.

I’m certain the decisions our president is making come with a great pain. I’m afraid the pain is the wrong one for this time and circumstance. Maybe it’s time the government felt the pain of FIXED resources, and still having to get the job done.

We simply cannot continue to support the current model of how things are done.

Eventually, the money will run out for good…. and then what?

I’ll say it again, I’m proud to be an American, I just hope the decisions being made now are good, and sound.

I’ll gladly eat my words, and I’ll celebrate my being wrong to worry. Only time will tell.

Till then, my choice, is to question, and move forward, in the face of fear, uncertainty and doubt.

- Bob

A big welcome goes out to Amanda, the newest member of our team at Bob Britton enterprises. She came in this afternoon and we went over some of the details of her new job. I know I threw too much at her, but starting any new job is like that, things come at you 1000 miles an hour. I’m sure she’ll do just fine.

I’m excited to get someone on the team here to help, lord knows I need it. As I was reviewing the things I currently have going, my head started to hurt. I hope to be able to delegate a lot of this stuff to Amanda and watch her go.

I’ve not had an assistant for quite a long time, so I’m really looking forward to someone to share the load.

I woke up at 5 am and couldn’t sleep, so many things going through my head. Projects to complete, things to do, and things to move forward.

I’ve also come up with another dozen things I’d like to tackle, but for the moment, I want to stick with the things I currently have going and see them flourish, then maybe I’ll add some more.

I’m glad the process of selecting a canidate is over, I hope I made a good decision. One thing I’ve learned, if I didn’t, I’m no longer afraid to make a change when it’s needed. That held me hostage for a long time, but no longer.

- Bob

Well I just finished what I consider right up there with a root canal (actually I’ve never had one of these, but people who have tell me it’s horrible!), interviews all day.

It’s clear there a lot of very talented, unemployed people out there. That makes me sad. I wish I had more jobs to offer, but I only have one, at the moment.

This leads me to want to talk about our educational system, and my thoughts about how people are conditioned to think as an employee (I was),  and get up on my pulpit, and shout ‘You can — do something!’ I think I’ll save that particular thought process for another blog entry.

There were a few candidates that really stood head and shoulders above others, at least in my mind, and for what I’m looking for.

Everyone had something cool and unique to bring to the table and that was fun to experience.

I said this was painful for me because asking the same questions over and over again, well let’s just say it makes for a long day.

I’m very anxious to get started with my new assistant, and start moving forward on the many projects I have now, and a few new ones I want to bring into play.

I hope to make a good decision and make a great hire. In truth from the people I’ve interviewed, I’m fairly certain I can’t go wrong.

It sure would be easier if there were a bunch of drug induced losers that showed up, but alas, that wasn’t the case…

As the movie says.. their can be only one… (at least for now).

- Bob

Well I did my first round of interviews today, and I met some really nice people. I’ve got 15 scheduled for tomorrow, and that’s going to be a grueling day. I did take the time this am to clarify what this position’s responsibilities are specifically. I also got some great ideas on how to narrow the field even more, and I’ll write more about them when the process is complete.

All in all, a good day, and I look forward to more tomorrow.

AS a side note, I played some of the best pool I’ve ever played last night, and yet lost 3/4 games. I ran the table on almost every game, and then either scratched on the 8 ball, or made it in the wrong pocket. Argh! That’s not fun. But I did learn something very valuable,  to take a minute and let the adrenaline settle before shooting the 8. When I’m playing really well, and I’m on a roll, the adrenaline really kicks in, and causes me to make foolish mistakes. Again like I said before, calm, quiet confidence is the key. Another lesson learned.

- Bob

Watching the super bowl yesterday really got my juices flowing. It reminded me how much I love competition. I love to win, and hate to lose, I am driven by my desire to be a winner at everything I do.

Even as I write these words, I ask myself “what does that mean?”. I don’t like the idea of ‘rules’ never really have, so who gets to label me a winner or loser? My answer: No one but me. It’s my choice, my decision and my thinking that creates my reality. So when I lost playing pool the other night, and that little voice in my head said to me “you lost! You’re a loser.” I smile and said to myself, ” I was outplayed, on this one, but I learned something, and now I’m better for it.” I make a conscious effort to find the lesson in the defeat. It’s there, sometimes I have to work to find it. I believe that the real learning isn’t as much about acquiring skills as it is acquiring the correct mindset, at the appropriate time. The other night I realized that I’m at my peak when I’m relaxed, and confident. I lost one game last week because I got out of that mindset, and started worrying about losing, rather than focusing on winning. I play to win, I take risks to win. My goal and my focus is on ‘the win’ NOT preventing the loss. When I fear losing, I’m not at my peak. Fear is the killer. Relaxed confidence is the mindset of the winner.

That mindset, is the place I want to be as much as possible. Relaxed confidence in the face of anxiety, overwhelming odds, and fear.  And if you don’t think an entrepreneur faces overwhelming odds and fear in today’s marketplace, you’re kidding yourself. I feel it, more today than ever before, it’s there, it’s tangible, but only as real as I let it be.

Don’t get me wrong, skills are important, ( certainly in something like playing pool ), but they are not ALL important. I’ve watch my teammates ( and myself ) play at their very best, displaying wonderful skills at playing pool, and I’ve watched us miss the simplest of shots and play almost as if we had never played before. We have the skills, I seen them displayed time and again, in various games and situations, it’s the mindset that was lacking in the games we lost.

So my question is how to cultivate that mindset on a moments notice?  How do I take myself from a place of anxiety and fear to a place of quiet confidence, at the drop of a hat. I’ve learned some things already, visualization helps, I see myself winning, I see myself having already won, but it’s more than just the seeing, it’s the feeling. The feeling underneath the seeing is what’s valuable. I feel like a winner, and then I am one.

In my mind, there is no losing, either I win, or I learn something, and I love learning new things.

- Bob