Take a look at our March newsletter!
MARCH 2022
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CELEBRATING SMALL BUSINESS LEADERS AND OPTIMISTS THIS MARCH Cheers to You!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Or, if you’re an optimist, Happy Optimism Month! Those of you who hate the cold weather and snow will be happy to learn it’s the first day of spring in March. And good news for all of you who enjoy a clean space because it’s also the season for spring-cleaning. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate in March! But there is one holiday in particular our team at CHB would like to recognize this March. It’s a holiday that we believe deserves more recognition — same with the people it celebrates. On March 29, we invite you to join us as we recognize Mom and Pop Business Owners Day. In the equipment finance world, “mom and pop” shops make up about 90% of businesses. With fewer than five people on staff, these small businesses are strong. It takes a lot of work, but in this industry, the mom and pops can be very successful. We’re proud to partner with many of these hardworking leaders. The ideas of hard work and dedication are ingrained in small-business leaders, but far too often, hard work is equated to “good luck.” When others see success, they fail to see the late nights and countless hours spent ensuring the business will prosper. They don’t see the numerous hats the owners have to put on, including legal work, marketing, and sales when their expertise is in financing. “Luck” is usually the product of hard work, and while there are plenty of opportunities that present themselves without our doing, it’s important to recognize that these moments only become lucky when we capitalize on them. This concept of luck feeds well into optimism, too. Optimism month seems like a quirky holiday, especially since being optimistic can be beneficial or dangerous — depending on how you use it. Optimism and a healthy mindset
create or feed luck. They allow us to produce favorable situations and results. This leads to innovation and change. Or, as someone who is spring-cleaning would say, “Out with the old, in with the new!” However, too much optimism can be dangerous. It can muddy the waters and make facing the reality of a situation difficult. Realists counteract this effect and pull up those who tend to view the world through a pessimistic lens. Realists are just as important to striking that balance. Regardless, we would argue an optimistic viewpoint is needed to inspire and create change. So, no matter how you choose to celebrate this March, we hope you find time to do so. As for us at CHB, we offer our sincere gratitude to the men, women, and families who sacrifice so much of their lives — and a little sanity — for the sake of their mom and pop. In running your operation, you help finance other people’s dreams, and in turn, they operate businesses that keep America functioning, like farms, construction, or hauling companies.
If these industries are the backbone of our country, you belong in that conversation, too. You make everything that follows your work possible.
Here’s to you!
–Kit West & Ed Meyer
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An Expert-Approved Guide DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOAD THE DISHWASHER?
Step 3: Move to the bottom. Plates, larger serving bowls, casserole dishes, and cutting
Every marriage has its weak point, and it often starts at the dishwasher. So, what if there was a definitive, expert-approved method to the madness? This March, we are ending the debate once and for all: Here’s our Consumer Reports-approved guide to dishwasher loading. Step 1: Get to know your dishwasher. How you load your dishwasher may not matter so much as the layout of your appliance. For instance, a large lasagna dish needs to fit where it doesn’t block the detergent dispenser. When the door to the washer closes, you don’t want this tall dish to prevent the spread of the detergent. Furthermore, understanding how much can fit in your dishwasher before it becomes overloaded is key to filling it to optimize how well it washes everything. Trial and error is usually how you discover this. Step 2: Start at the top. According to Consumer Reports, certain items belong on the top rack of your dishwasher: cups, glasses, small plastic containers, and small bowls. However, be mindful of overcrowding. Detergent and water have a longer travel time to this section of your dishwasher, so if it’s overcrowded, items may not get cleaned.
boards should go on the bottom rack. However, if
anything melts or warps easily — like plastic containers — it should not go on the bottom rack. Items on the bottom rack get the most pressure and heat from your dishwasher, making them more susceptible to damage. If you are adding tall items, like serving dishes and cutting boards, ensure these are off to the side so the water and detergent can spread easily. Step 4: Win the gold in silverware stacking. This might cause some debates, but this is the prize-winning formula: Silverware handles go inside the basket, and the head should face upward. Knives should be added handles up, but knives used for slicing, chopping, and cooking — not butter knives — should be hand-washed to avoid dulling. Don’t believe us? Check out ConsumerReports.org for more helpful information. And remember, all that matters is that the dishes get clean — not who was right.
HOW TO MAKE SALES FROM THE HEART Positivity Is Infectious
In life, you might feel pressured to smile even when you’re unhappy, and the same is
your money for temporary happiness, like a car that you can barely afford? What about spending too much time on certain tasks you dislike or with a group of friends you don’t really care for? Make conscious decisions to trade your money, time, and effort for happiness — and nothing less. That means cutting out unhealthy decisions that might’ve been useful coping mechanisms at one point of your life but are no longer necessary to help you thrive. Selling happiness starts with possibility. Even when you and your employees don’t feel 100%, remember that happiness starts with a common truth: Anything is possible. When you’re happy, it can feel like the world is full of opportunities. That’s something you want to share with your customers, whether through
friendly one-on-one interactions or through your marketing campaigns. Give customers happiness, and give yourself purpose. When a business sells happiness, it doesn’t always directly convert into happiness for anyone else. Maybe they’re not in need of your service or product and simply aren’t receiving your messaging the same way they will later. However, when you shift your focus from selling to providing people with a sense of happiness and/or peace, you might surprise yourself with how meaningful and fulfilling your company’s content, marketing, and overall mission will feel for you and your team. Happiness can’t be bought, but it can be sold effectively to make the world a better place. We hope these tips will help make you and your team become more fulfilled marketers!
true when trying to please customers in your business. As the best marketers know, happiness can’t be bought, but it can be sold. Selling happiness and fulfillment is something companies do every day — and for genuine, great reasons, too. But how do marketers display those positive feelings all the time? How do you remain an effective leader, fulfilled business owner, and ambitious individual when imposter syndrome strikes? Don’t ‘trade’ your happiness every time. It’s hard to approach sales or marketing with a generous attitude if you’re already giving away a lot in your personal life. Do you ever exchange
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Easy March Madness Chili
Cheer on your favorite team and chow down in minutes with this easy chili recipe!
• 2 lbs ground beef • 2 tbsp chili powder • 1 tbsp Creole seasoning INGREDIENTS
It’s no secret that credit is a large part of the work we do here at CHB. The entire financing industry is built on credit scores and the perceived credibility of the borrower. As a result, many of our readers understand the value of and the strategies that come with improving your credit score. However, in recognition of Credit Card Reduction Day this March, we encourage you to share a few of these tips with your clients to help them secure financing they may need for their business. Credit cards are not the enemy. For a long time, the messaging around credit cards included extreme caution, and while it is advantageous to be careful, we want to shift this messaging. Establishing credit is a powerful tool in building a business, as this allows a business leader to invest further in their company by gaining the tools they need to succeed. The caveat is that credit cards have to be used wisely. Encourage clients to not become reliant on credit cards, especially as they prepare to request financing for machinery. Use credit cards for fixed expenses to boost its power. Don’t Fear Your Credit Card! 3 Tips for Wise Usage
• 1 tsp ground cumin • 2 16-oz cans diced tomatoes • 2 16-oz cans small red beans • 2 8-oz cans tomato sauce 4. After the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and let chili simmer for 15 minutes. 5. Serve with toppings of choice, like cheese, sour cream, or chives.
DIRECTIONS
1. In a deep pot, brown the beef, stirring often. 2. Once beef is cooked, add chili powder, Creole seasoning, and cumin, cooking for 1 minute. 3. Stir in diced tomatoes, beans, and tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a boil.
Inspired by MyRecipes.com
Take a Break
Paying more than the minimum on your credit card is the best way to boost your credit score, and paying all of what you owe when it’s due will improve your score. There’s an easy way to optimize this. Use your credit card to pay for fixed expenses, like utilities, rent, groceries, and other regular bills you can expect each month. These items will likely be budgeted out, so you will have a rough estimate of what you need to pay each month. This eliminates surprises and better equips a user to pay the balance each month. Utilize rewards cards. Why not make your credit card work for you? Rewards credit cards allow you to earn “points,” which can be used toward other purchases. Most well-known among these are airline mileage cards, but you can also use rewards points to pay down a large credit card bill after an unforeseen circumstance. This will prevent a large bill from dragging down your score, should you be unable to pay it.
CAESAR EQUINOX GOLD GREEN
FLOWERS FORWARD IRISH LUCKY
MARS RAIN
We hope you also discovered some helpful guidance from this article, and we encourage you to share it with others, too!
SPROUT WOMEN
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C.H. Brown Co., LLC A PLATTE VALLEY COMPANY 20 W. Frontage Rd. • Wheatland, WY 82201 307-322-2545 • chbef.com
Inside
1 There Is a Lot to Celebrate in March! 2 The Definitive Way to Load the Dishwasher 2 Positivity Is Infectious 3 Easy March Madness Chili 3 Get the Most Out of Your Credit Card 4 These 2 Women Prove Wyoming Is the ‘Equality State’
Known as the “Equality State,” Wyoming’s claim to gender-equality fame stretches all the way back to 1870. Since then, women in our state have been the first to serve on a jury and act as a bailiff, the first to serve as mayor of a town in the U.S., and the first to serve as a state Supreme Court Justice. This month, as we celebrate Women’s History Month and honor International Women’s Day on March 8, our team would like to highlight a number of the women who have cemented Wyoming’s status as a place for equality. The First Woman to Vote On Sept. 6, 1870, Louisa Swain cast a vote — and changed the world. Her action was the first time in Wyoming or U.S. history that a woman cast a ballot. A year prior, in 1869, the territory became the first in the nation to pass a suffrage law, called the Women’s Suffrage Act. There are many theories as to why Wyoming was the first, including the fact that only about 1,000 women — compared to 6,000 men — called the rugged frontier of Wyoming home. Historians believe Wyoming lawmakers, in an attempt to attract more women to the state, unknowingly set the stage for Louisa and other women to move women’s rights into a new era. Wyoming’s Trailblazers 2 WYOMING WOMEN WHO CHANGED HISTORY
N.T. Ross
L. Swain
The First Woman to Serve as Governor Nellie Tayloe Ross was a new widow when she was elected in 1925 as Wyoming’s first female governor — the first in the U.S. as well. Prior to that, her husband had served as the state’s governor for almost two years, and Nellie, knowing she had the knowledge and wisdom for a career of public service, too, decided to run and continue his legacy. She would serve for two years, but Nellie later campaigned for politicians across the U.S. In 1933, she was appointed as the director of the Bureau of the Mint. She was the first woman in the nation to hold that position, and she held the position for 20 years. At CHB, we’re proud to say more than half of our staff are women, and two serve in management and leadership positions. We believe it’s our diversity that helps us grow. Learn more about the dozens of other Wyoming women who have made history at WyoHistory.org.
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