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November 2024 The Contractor’s Advantage
HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000 jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com
THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE FAMILY, THANKSGIVING, AND GRATITUDE
My primary motivation for going to work each day — and I am sure many of you can agree with me — is to be able to provide for, invest in, and spend time with my family. At our firm, the time between September and the end of the year is often the busiest. However, Thanksgiving — nestled in the middle of our peak season — is a rare respite. That week, nobody’s phone rings, no one’s email inbox fills up, and if you are looking for anyone, chances are you won’t find them until after the holiday. That’s why, every year, I take Thanksgiving week off to spend time with the people I am most grateful for: my family. Grateful for Our Time Together Over the years, I have come to value those whose absence you can see and feel the lasting effects of. You miss the smiles they put on the faces of others, how they helped us grow, and their ability to entrench themselves in loving and lasting memories. My nephew was one of those people, and 12 years ago, he died in infancy. It is a horrible thing to lose a child, and that pain is compounded when they are so young and have so much life ahead of them. His passing was a turning point in my life and my entire family’s lives. It made us aware of how precious it is to have your family — especially the children among them — with you and how grateful we should be for their presence and continued company. Investing in Family While I am grateful for my family’s presence, I am also thankful that my work allows me to invest in their continued success and well-being. When your child is struggling, it is the quickest and most surefire way to be humbled and make you reprioritize your life. That helplessness can disabuse even
the most staggeringly confident among us, reminding us that we are not infallible and that life will not be as smooth or controllable as once believed. My son has learning disabilities, and throughout kindergarten, he struggled to read; my daughter learned to read when she was 3, and the lessons we applied at home worked for her, but we did not have the same success when it came to my son’s at-home education.
However, because of my available resources, I was able to invest in my son’s education. Working through his school, I hired a tutor to work with him on his literacy skills 10 hours per week. Together, through the ensuing 2 1/2 years, my son was able to not only learn to read but to read above grade level, which is a massive accomplishment for him.
These positive changes among the ones I love often contribute the most to my personal happiness, and I’m so grateful to be a part of them and their success.
“Over the years, I have come to value those whose absence you can see and feel the lasting effects of. You miss the smiles they put on the faces of others, how they helped you grow, and their ability to entrench themselves in loving and lasting memories.”
-Jeremy Wyatt
jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com | HarrisonLawGroup.com | 1
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From Glazed Eyes to Focused Minds How to Get Your Team to Embrace Your Vision
Running a successful business can seem impossible if you feel your employees aren’t listening and giving you their full attention. Have you ever talked with a team member, giving them vital instructions for a task, only for them to respond with a slow head nod and a glazed-over expression? They likely didn’t ask follow-up questions or assert that they understood your directions. They simply heard what you said and will take it from there, creating a frustrating disconnect. Many business owners and managers don’t know how to tackle this dilemma effectively. They’ll often respond negatively to their team, increasing their frustration and causing their team to feel disrespected, which worsens the situation for everyone. You can’t yell, belittle, or fire your team members when this happens; you’ll only make the problem worse and create a hostile work environment. Instead, you have to get your team to buy into the business, their daily duties, and everything else to ensure you can run a successful business for many years. So, what’s the secret to getting your team to listen to you intently? Here are three strategies you should implement to see if they improve your team’s response. Get your team to buy into your business and core values. Let’s remove the elephant from the room right away. Most people who apply to work for you and accept an offer of employment are not committed to the business and its ideals from the get-go. They initially start working for your company for a paycheck and experience in the industry. It’s during their
first few days, weeks, and months that you can get them to buy into the business and believe in your values, but they won’t do this without effort on your part. You need to figure out why your employees should believe in what you do. Start by asking yourself a few valuable questions. Why does your business exist? Why do you need a team? Why are you asking your team to perform a specific task? These shouldn’t be difficult questions for you to answer, but your employees won’t likely consider them during their daily shifts. You must explore the answers to these questions and then share them with your team. By doing so, you’re giving them a purpose behind any request. When you have the right players, sharing this information helps them get on board and emotionally connect to the business. When everyone is working toward the same goal, it creates a more friendly and productive work environment. Trust goes both ways. Many business owners live with the idea that it’s my way or the highway. This does not create a great work environment. If you want your team to trust in you and what you say, you need to reciprocate it. This is a slow process and will take time to build. Don’t micromanage your team unless you have to. You hired them to do a job and take on specific responsibilities, so let them. If you find this challenging, start small. Delegate smaller tasks to your team until they’ve fully earned your trust. Then, you can pass off more significant responsibilities. This will help you build influence with your team while giving you more time to focus on tasks vital to your business’s success. Be clear with your expectations. Don’t be vague. You must be clear with your team and share your expectations to achieve the desired results. Sometimes, your employees won’t know exactly what they must do to accomplish your goals. Walk them through specific tasks when necessary and explain what the result should be. Once your team understands what they need to do and why it’s crucial to the business’s overall success, they’ll be less likely to make mistakes. When your team believes in your business and everything you’re trying to accomplish, you’ll notice immediate boosts within every aspect of your business.
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for Martini & Rossi, winning prestigious awards for his work before taking the next leap in his career, starting ITALICUS. ITALICUS allowed Gallo to reintroduce a historic Italian liqueur that few others dared to touch. He gained inspiration to create the drink thanks to an ancient recipe, “l Rosolio di Torino,” which he found in a book from the 1800s called “Il Liquorista Pratico” by Luigi Sala. Rosolio is a traditional Italian liqueur that royalty drank during the Renaissance era. It is made from a base of alcohol, water, and sugar and is often flavored with an essence. ITALICUS sets itself apart by being the first and only liquor to utilize the Bergamot orange, a citrus fruit frequently used by perfume brands for fragrance. Gallo didn’t create ITALICUS in a day, and its success stems from his diligent work to perfect his product before releasing it to the public. He worked alongside bartenders and drink professionals from Italy, the UK, and the U.S. to help keep him on the right track. By discussing and working directly with knowledgeable and influential members of the bartending community, he created a unique product that appealed to a broad audience. While ITALICUS’ brand recognition is growing, there’s still plenty of work to do before it becomes a household name.
It is having trouble breaking into the American market due to complexities outside of its control. In addition to ITALICUS, Gallo has also released two other unique drinks, Savoia Orancio and Savoia Americano. Even if ITALICUS takes off and becomes one of the most popular drink brands worldwide, Gallo does not plan to sell his business. In an interview with “The Drinks Business,” Gallo stated, “With ITALICUS, the agenda is not driven by money but by the legacy we can leave behind.” Gallo hopes this is the first step in a long and rewarding journey.
HAVE A Laugh
Names That Almost Were The Bizarre and Creative Titles That Nearly Defined Our States
What if your state’s name could have been something different? Let’s look into the names that almost were.
Kentucky Kentucky might have been Transylvania. In 1775, businessman
Richard Henderson signed a treaty with the Cherokee tribe, securing land known as the Transylvania colony. However, Virginia had already claimed it. Years later, those living on Henderson’s attempted purchase broke away to become Kentucky. Utah When Brigham Young, leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, moved the congregation west, he petitioned Congress to create a new state for them called Deseret, after a name in “The Book of Mormon.” The government declined the request until 1896 and named the state Utah after the Ute tribe. Nevada Nevada was almost Humboldt, named for explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who popularized scientific exploration. Ultimately, when Nevada became a state in 1864, they used the Spanish word for “snow-covered.”
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Jeremy Wyatt jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000
40 West Chesapeake Avenue, Ste. 600 Towson, MD 21204
Inside This Edition
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Thanksgiving and Gratitude
The Secret to Employee Engagement 3. Discover the Fascinating ‘What-Ifs’ of State Names 4. How ITALICUS Challenges the Giants of the Beverage Industry
The Art of Standing Out Giuseppe Gallo Navigates a Saturated Alcohol Industry
When you think about the most challenging industries in which to start a new business, what comes to mind? The pharmaceutical and entertainment industries are probably high on your list since they require lots of money and connections to get off the ground and compete with the big dogs. But another might not be so obvious — the food and drink industry. Whether you’re considering opening a restaurant or distributing your mom’s pasta sauce recipe, this industry is full of pitfalls for unaware entrepreneurs. One reason this industry is more challenging for entrepreneurs is the size of their competitors. Imagine you created the ultimate soft drink. It’s as flavorful as Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Mountain Dew but has no sugar
or unhealthy ingredients. It should be a game-changer for the industry, but getting people to try your product would be difficult, let alone convincing them to switch from their favorite brand. Now, imagine you created a new alcoholic beverage. Not only are you competing with the big players, but you’re also competing with celebrities who joined the recent trend of creating their own alcoholic beverages. George Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila and Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin are just two examples from an oversaturated celebrity alcohol market, but that doesn’t mean entrepreneurs have no chance of breaking into the industry. You can find success if you create a unique product that interests the general public. That’s exactly how Giuseppe Gallo plans to grow his brand, ITALICUS. Gallo grew up in a little village off the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. After many years in the industry, Gallo became well-known as one of the world’s most respected mixologists. He worked as an international brand ambassador
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