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August 2022
FOLLOW MY FOOTSTEPS TO MEXICO With the Help of Smart Succession Planning!
A few months ago, I set off on a trip to Mexico with a small group of other attorneys and their spouses. The excursion was a mix of business talk and recreation — it was the perfect getaway! But the lead-up to the outing was a challenge! It was set up to involve scuba diving in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system near the island of Cozumel. Everyone thought that sounded fantastic. But there was one problem: I’d never been scuba diving, and I wasn’t certified! I didn’t want to be left behind. So, I quickly booked an Open Water Diver certification with Tahoe Dive Shop. They set me up with an instructor and I started my preparation. Oh boy, was there a lot involved! First, I did a bit of online learning. Then, I spent a day with my instructor in a public pool. That was the most anxiety-inducing part of the training process for me, because it involved running emergency drills focused on questions like: • What should I do if my tank runs out of air? Or my diving buddy’s tank runs out? • How should I cope if I accidentally spit out my regulator and start to panic?
of the dance steps in my head. Worse, I knew that if I didn’t follow them to the letter, I’d end up breathing in water. At one point, I had to take a break to process the avalanche of information. But my instructor was patient, and we got through the day. It’s a good thing we did, because the next step of the certification process included two days of diving practice in Lake Tahoe. During one of my dives, my regulator started free-flowing! The air in my tank was quickly draining away. Fortunately, my instructor was with me and I knew exactly what to do because of my previous training. We made it to the surface just fine. My training wasn’t perfect. There were bumps along the way, like the day the public pool closed and forced us to move our reservation, and the morning when we had to trek back to the dive shop to retrieve a forgotten wetsuit. But I reminded myself to be flexible, and ultimately, I became a certified scuba diver! In Mexico, all of that hard work paid off. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef was absolutely magical. I swam through large schools of tropical fish, observed eels, and with the help of a friend, even spotted a color-changing flounder that blended right into the rock it was sitting on. It was an unforgettable experience! Recreation is indeed “re-creation.” I came back to the surface with an entirely new mindset. It’s nice to know that no matter what drama happens on land, the world underwater carries on. After I returned to work, it struck me that the succession planning process has a lot in common with my scuba diving certification. It takes a lot of work upfront for a business owner to create a succession plan. Considering all of the potential scenarios can be anxiety-inducing, and you have to be flexible to get through it! But ultimately, if you take time to enjoy the journey, you’re rewarded with a life-changing experience — and the opportunity for all of the “re-creation” you can hope for. I recommend starting with Mexico.
• What is the best move if my mask starts filling up with water?
• How should I react if my regulator starts “free-flowing” and draining my oxygen tank? My instructor answered all of these questions point by point, then started putting me through the scenarios. It was tough to keep all
It’s never too early to start succession planning. Open this newsletter to learn more about how my team and I can help!
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Breaking the Busy-Bored Cycle 3 Strategies You Can Use Right Now
It’s a common problem: People spend most of their days feeling too busy, only to feel bored during their free time. So how can you break the habit of scrolling through your phone and watching TV and make the most of the little time you have for yourself? Let’s talk about ways to break the cycle of boredom and busyness thus creating a more fulfilling life.
so you won’t be up late in the day trying to finish something important. If you plan ahead, you can number your tasks from most important to least. This will help ensure high-priority tasks are completed on schedule. 3. Be curious. One way to mute boredom and implement more creativity is by setting daily learning goals. These goals can be anything you want! Setting small goals and accomplishments will keep you curious, motivated, and focused. They also give you something to look forward to each day. Ask yourself what you want to learn today. Do you want to learn about a new culture?
1. Plan ahead. Schedule your days and weeks for an even workload to ensure
your day doesn’t have huge gaps or work overflow. For example, if you have a large project, you can divide it into smaller tasks to keep yourself busy, yet not overwhelmed, throughout the week. You can also plan fun activities each day. This will help
A language? If there is something you’ve always wanted to know, now is the time to put your thinking cap on! Boredom and busyness derive from the same source — there is a lack of quality in how you focus your attention. Luckily, the same strategies apply to both boredom and busyness. These tips will help you create a balanced mindset and allow you to push through your day without feeling overwhelmed or uninspired.
fight boredom and give you something to look forward to when you’re at work or while completing daily tasks.
2. Prioritize tasks.
If you have trouble managing projects to the point where you feel you don’t have enough time, begin prioritizing specific tasks. It’s essential to complete the highest priority tasks
Understanding the Streisand Effect Don’t Throw a Fit
Examples of the Streisand Effect During the 2013 Super Bowl, Beyonce executed an energetic show and BuzzFeed posted photos of the “Fiercest Moments” from her performance. Beyonce’s publicist asked BuzzFeed to remove some of the unflattering photos, and instead, they created a new post titled, “The Unflattering Photos Beyonce’s Publicist Doesn’t Want You To See.” Ralph Lauren has fallen victim to the Streisand Effect. An image of a horribly photoshopped model was posted on two blogs: Photoshop Disasters and Boing Boing. Ralph Lauren caught wind of this and took action by sending cease-and-desist letters to the blogs, claiming that it was a violation of copyright law and should be removed. But the image fell under fair use, which allows usage for news and commentaries. Ralph Lauren apologized for the distorted ad but still received backlash. The best way to counter the Streisand Effect is to avoid aggressive tactics when faced with negative information and think carefully and calculatingly in your response. So, if we learned anything from Barbra Streisand, don’t throw a fit if something doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.
If you want to avoid getting unwanted attention in a situation, it’s best to not make a big deal out of it. But if you’re an international superstar, like Barbra Streisand, a seemingly small reaction can become much more than intended. The Streisand Effect The Streisand Effect is a phenomenon that occurs where an act of suppressing information can make the information more widespread. In 2003, photographer Kenneth Adelman of California Coastal Records Project took an aerial photograph of Barbra Streisand’s Malibu estate. Adelman was documenting California’s coast for a project that would provide over 12,000 photos for researchers and scientists to study coastal erosion. But at the time, Streisand believed the photos explicitly showed people how to gain access to her private residence, so she sued Adelman for $50 million. The photo of Streisand’s residence was originally seen a total of six times — twice by her lawyers. Her outburst brought in news outlets who reported her outrage, and in turn, the photo of her residence got blasted everywhere. Not only did she do the exact opposite of what she wanted, but she also lost the lawsuit and had to cover all of Adelman’s legal fees.
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BUSINESS SUCCESSION PLANNING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
I would like to share some things about business succession planning: what it is, why it’s important, and why you want to get started on it sooner rather than later. First, what is a business succession plan? It’s a plan that you make as an owner to pass the business on to a trusted employee or a family member. This will involve three things: an agreement with that person, the transition time, and some preparation plans so the person will be ready to take the business over. Next, why does business succession planning even matter? It matters because you, as a business owner, may want to keep the business within the family. You’ve built this business, you’ve built a legacy, and it’s
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benefited your family. And part of what you wanted to do is keep it in the family. Another reason why business succession planning might matter is because you could have one or two loyal long-term employees who helped you build up the business and whom you want to see step into your shoes after you’ve retired. In addition to any of this, you may recognize that life is fragile, that at any moment you could become disabled or even die — and you don’t want to leave a huge mess for your family. You want them to know what to do and for it to be easy for them to take care of your business after you’re gone. Lastly, why should a business owner start business succession planning now? Well, one reason is that any business succession plan involves other people and other people’s lives. And sometimes those people have relationships with other people. And so it’s going to take a little bit of time and a lot of communication to work that out. Another reason to start that planning now is that some business succession plans take a while to implement because the person who’s going to take over the business needs to have some time in the business to get to know the operations, get to know the customers, and be prepared to take on that role of the business owner. And so, you might need time to execute that plan.
A third reason why a business owner would want to start preparing the business succession plan now is that life is fragile, life happens, and sometimes death happens. We had a client last year who was thinking about their business succession plan. And while they were thinking about it, that client had a medical event driving a truck, was in a fatal accident, and the business succession plan never happened. And yes, the family was left with a really difficult mess involving
multiple companies in multiple states. And the business plan would’ve helped. And so that’s yet another reason, just for the sake of your family and those who you leave behind, to get that in order. If you are a business owner and you’re ready to start the conversation about your business succession plan, please give us a call.
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BRAIN GAMES
GET OUTSIDE WITH GEOCACHING Tracking Down Treasures
SOLUTION
International Geocaching Day takes place on the third Saturday of the month of August. It’s a chance to experience an adventure-filled day that will get you out of the house and into nature. People of all ages gather to commemorate the placement and discovery of geocaches across the world, and there’s no telling what kind of surprise you might discover if you participate!
What is geocaching?
Geocaching is basically a high-tech version of a treasure or scavenger hunt. It is inspired by the older treasure hunt called letterbox, where you plant clues in various locations that lead to the letterbox. For geocaching nowadays, you use a GPS to track down caches. These are typically waterproof containers — and inside there is a logbook for you to sign. These caches can be filled with trinkets such as coins, pins, or even miniature figurines, but if you take anything, be sure that you replace it with something else. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, just a token of sorts for someone else to discover.
TASTY BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN
Ingredients
• 4 boneless and skinless
• 3 tomatoes, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped • Salt and pepper, to taste • 4 slices mozzarella cheese • Parmesan cheese, grated
chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
It’s time to get started.
• 4 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp lemon juice, divided • 1/4 tsp pepper • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
To begin your geocaching journey, first visit Geocaching.com and sign up for a new account. From this, you will be able to create a unique geocacher name that people in the geocache community can call you by! This will also come in handy when you sign the logbook. You can also download the Geocaching app to your smartphone and use it as a GPS receiver. Once you open the map on your phone, it will show a map of your location with bubble icons to see all the geocaches near you. There will be an arrow icon that you can click on that will find the specific geocache you are searching for. It will then open a compass that shows you which direction to go in and how many feet you are away from the final location. This treasure hunt brings an entire community together from all around the world. It encourages people to challenge themselves and get outside. The act of hiding and finding a geocache is thrilling, and you never know what you might find next.
Directions
1. Add chicken to a large resealable bag. 2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Pour over chicken and seal. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 3. Turn a grill to medium-high heat and add the chicken. Discard the marinade. Grill chicken 5–7 minutes per side or until fully cooked. 4. Combine the remaining lemon juice, tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Add salt and pepper, to taste. 5. Before taking the chicken off the grill, top each breast with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook 2–3 minutes, then serve topped with the tomato mixture and grated Parmesan cheese.
Inspired by Delish.com
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IF SOMETHING IN YOUR BUSINESS IS KEEPING YOU UP AT NIGHT, CALL US AT 775-448-6070. REFERRALS ARE ALSO WELCOME.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Scuba Diving Meets Succession Planning
Boredom and Busyness Comes From The Same Source How Censorship Can Backfire
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Tasty Bruschetta Chicken Enjoy the Adventure and Hunt
The 50-Yard Challenge
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One Lawn at a Time Helping Bring People Together
Today, there is a divide between younger and older generations, but one man is trying to bridge that gap by encouraging boys and girls to give back to their community. In 2016, Rodney A. Smith Jr. saw an elderly man struggling to mow his lawn and decided to finish the job for him. It inspired him to start a movement for children aged 7–17 to give back to their communities by taking on the 50-yard challenge. Kids contribute by mowing lawns for single parents, veterans, seniors, and people who have disabilities. Once they reach their goal, kids will receive T-shirts, a brand-new
At first, the 50-yard challenge took place locally in Alabama. But in the last few years, kids across the U.S. have begun participating. “Right now, we have over 2,400 kids nationwide taking part in our challenge. We also have kids in eight other countries taking part as well,” Smith Jr. says. This challenge teaches children the value of giving back to their communities, but it also encourages them to learn skills in lawn service — which not a lot of young adults know how to do. It also helps them interact with others who they wouldn’t typically talk with. “[Unity and interaction] is important in this day and age. A lot of elderly people are stuck at home, and they don’t get to have a lot of human interaction. So when kids come by, they can talk, get to know each other, and build relationships. They can learn things from each other,” Smith Jr. says. Are you and your kids up for the 50-yard challenge? Send a picture of your child holding a sign that says, “I Accept The 50 Yard Challenge” to WeAreRaisingMen.com/The-50-Yard-Challenge to join. If you’re looking for someone to tend to your yard, you can use the form on WeAreRaisingMen.com/Find-A-Mower to search for kids who are mowing lawns in your area.
mower, a weed eater, and a leaf blower. Smith Jr. will also come out to your community and help you with your lawn care services.
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