Take a look at our April newsletter!
APRIL 2023
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LET’S COME TOGETHER TO PROTECT OUR PLANET DOWN-TO-EARTH
Life gets busy — we have meetings, family obligations, and events that keep us on our toes. In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it seems that it can be tough to catch a break; we are always onto the next thing. When was the last time you took a moment to just breathe the fresh air or enjoy the simplicity and warmth of the sun hitting your face? Our world is so perfect — it’s both simple and intricate and has so much to offer. Here in Wyoming, in a small town surrounded by farms and ranches of various sizes, we have a constant reminder of what it means to be the best possible stewards of the land. We see how hard the farmers and ranchers work to make sure their land stays in the best possible shape to be the most productive. The farmers and ranchers ensure that the land will produce the food needed for today as well as the needs of future generations.
pure magic. This Earth Day, here are some ways we can come together to give back. Organize a clean-up.
At a local park, beach, or neighborhood, gather a few people and gather up all the litter, trash, and plastic that you can find — after all, it’s spring- cleaning season! Not only does cleaning up garbage help to preserve the cleanliness and beauty of our land, but it keeps wildlife safe, too. Support the pollinators. Pollinators like bees play a large role in our ecosystem. By planting more flowers and plants that attract them, you are helping to promote their existence and enhance their duties. Got bees? Plant a tree (or two). Every year for Earth Day, plant a tree! Before you know it, you’ll have added 10, maybe 20, trees to help purify our air, shade our lawns, and provide homes for wildlife. Go green! One way you can go natural and green is by making an effort to eliminate all chemical and pesticide usage in your garden. This spring and summer, if you are planting seeds or plants, take a natural approach to reduce harmful runoff! Each day, our planet takes care of us, and sometimes, we admittedly all get a little too busy to fully appreciate it. This Earth Day, let’s take some time to reflect on how lucky we are to call Earth our home and how we can work to take better care of it for generations to come! Happy Earth Day! –Kit West & Ed Meyer
We are incredibly fortunate to have the
opportunity to enjoy what the planet has to give back to us. Here, we are never bored. We have an abundance of opportunities to get out and hike, hunt, fish, snowshoe, and explore. Every day of the year, we are able to find something new and exciting to take part in out in nature.
“Here in Wyoming, in a small town surrounded by farms
and ranches of various sizes, we have a constant reminder of what it means
On April 22, we celebrate the 53rd Earth Day, a time to appreciate the perfect home
to be the best possible stewards of the land.”
Earth provides for us and the beauty of all that surrounds us. From trickling streams to roaring rivers and churning oceans, our world is
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Developing a Self-Care Routine FIND MORE ‘YOU’ TIME
Make time for hobbies. Most people find themselves constantly juggling countless tasks and obligations. With so much to do, making time for your least favorite activities likely won’t happen; instead, do something you enjoy. After all, self-care is about you! Yoga, reading, journaling, jogging, and meditating are just a few ways to get in some “you time.” If you like it, do it! Plan your self-care time. Without adding self-care to your schedule, your healthy behaviors may get placed on the back burner. Block off time for your favorite activities: Once it’s on your calendar, you’re more likely to work a routine into your day. Keep it simple. Complex rituals may create more stress or anxiety when you should be relaxing. Instead, keep it simple by focusing on relaxing, breathing, and recharging. Go for a walk in the park, take a nap, get a massage, stretch, or take a few moments to do absolutely nothing. Simplicity is the key.
Life isn’t easy — when juggling a career, family, children, social obligations, and housework, finding time for yourself can be difficult. Studies show that roughly 59% of individuals only make time for self-care after they’ve become stressed out. Here are some ways to develop a healthy routine that suits your busy life. Become intentional. When developing a self-care ritual, it’s essential to identify your reasons behind taking better care of yourself and to pinpoint your needs. With a clear vision and motive behind your efforts, developing healthy habits to nurture and incorporate into your everyday routine becomes easier. Create large and small self-care options. You don’t need to do the same self-care ritual all the time, but make it a point to do something for yourself every day. On busier days, you may only have a moment to take a few deep breaths and mentally reset, but on other days, you may have time for a relaxing bath, massage, workout, or pedicure. ‘Free Time’ Helps Us Save Our Most Precious Resource BEATING THE CLOCK
Further, many things we spend so much time on are unnecessary. Blake’s approach to conquering the hamster wheel of entrepreneurship involves creating workable systems and a winning team. Many tasks we think no one else can handle can often be automated and outsourced to others. While many entrepreneurs think their only options are to do it all or hire a small army, Blake advocates for a “delightfully tiny team” that can get more done with improved processes. There’s no one-size-fits-all system for every business, but “Free Time” will help any reader discover theirs. The exercises and recommendations will give you plenty of food for thought and actionable ways to find your ideal work/life balance — which, as Blake notes in the book, is different for everyone. Business leaders are used to books and courses that promote growth at all costs. That’s fine for some, but not everyone wants to scale their business endlessly. Sometimes, small-business owners want to keep their businesses small — and there’s nothing wrong with that. Blake shares that she limits her work to 30 hours a week because she values her other pursuits. The idea may sound impossible now, but there are many ways to reduce your current workload without sacrificing your continued success. “Free Time” is for people currently bogged down with “The Burdensome B’s.” If you’re bored, bottlenecked, burned out, or buried by bureaucracy, this book will help you reclaim your life. Blake reminds us that our time is much more precious than money. Isn’t it time you learned to use yours more wisely?
Time is money, as the adage goes. But author Jenny Blake believes time is our life force, making it much too precious to waste. In her 2022 book, “Free Time: Lose the Busy Work, Love Your Business,” she argues that many entrepreneurs aren’t making the most of this crucial resource and suggests sustainable changes to how many of us do business. Being busy has become a virtue in our culture. People who aren’t constantly busy are seen as lazy and unproductive — and no one expects an unbusy entrepreneur to be successful. But Blake turns this thinking on its head. She argues that you can build the business you want without sacrificing the rest of your life.
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As we ease into spring and the ground thaws out, busy season is arriving in the world of construction. Now, more than ever, it’s important to focus on client satisfaction and retention — as things pick up and get busy, we get many clients coming directly to us, interested in financing a deal directly. It’s not that they want to cut you, the middleman, out. It’s that they have forgotten or don’t even know a broker program exists to make the process much smoother and simpler on their end. WHY PERSONAL CONNECTIONS WITH CUSTOMERS ARE CRITICAL Stay Top of Mind
TASTY SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP
Inspired by DinnerAtTheZoo.com
INGREDIENTS
• 8 oz spinach leaves • 8 oz cream cheese, softened • 1 cup sour cream • 3/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts • 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt • 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided • Sliced bread, crackers, or tortilla chips for serving
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. 2. In a medium pan, steam or sauté spinach until wilted. When spinach cools, wring out excess water, then chop coarsely. 3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. 4. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. 5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the dip is bubbly. Turn the oven to broil and cook for an additional 2–3 minutes so the cheese will begin to brown. 6. Immediately serve with bread, crackers, or tortilla chips.
This is why it is critical on your end to stay in touch with your clients to remain top of mind. Here are some of our best client retention tips.
Check in with your client. Call and find out how business is. While this may feel uncomfortable, building this relationship is crucial when it comes to retention and return business. You want
your clients to remember your face, name, and the excellent service you provided.
Take a Break
Send ideas their way. On that note, after chatting with your client, it’s always a
great idea to find areas where you may be able to step in and email some tips to help their business grow and thrive. Connections are built through lending a helping hand! Provide resources.
Do you have any resources on your website that will help them to stay in business and be profitable? If not, you may want to consider adding resources that help your clients find value in you and your assistance. These resources don’t all have to be centered around business, either — they can involve personal growth, positivity, health, and wellness. The goal is to provide value!
Keep in mind that if you have a great relationship with your client, then you will have an easier time securing the deal and earning their business!
Springtime is construction season! Don’t forget to ask us about the Zero Down Financing for Yellow Iron and titled equipment!
BUDS CONSERVATION DIAMOND EASTER
LILY PLANTING REFUND REGROWTH
SHOWER SWEETS TAXES VOLUNTEER
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
C.H. Brown Co., LLC A PLATTE VALLEY COMPANY 20 W. Frontage Rd. • Wheatland, WY 82201 307-322-2545 • chbef.com
Inside
1 Appreciation for Earth — Our Home 2 Putting Together a Self-Care Routine 2 Make the Most of Your Day With ‘Free Time’ 3 Tasty Spinach Artichoke Dip 3 Value of Personal Connections With Customers 4 Trust: It’s Why Interviews Matter in Our Business
We understand that this may not be common practice amongst the funding community, but we feel that it is part of the core of who we are. We are prepared to go the extra distance to have your client feel comfortable and begin trusting CHB and our processes. We will make every effort possible to have all the pertinent information needed before doing the interview. That way, we make sure we are not going to deny a deal, based on information, that we already had before doing the interview. Here Is What You Need to Know THE INTERVIEW PROCESS, DEMYSTIFIED
The equipment finance industry is built on trust. And to start building that trust, CHB does a business interview, in person or over the phone, with your applicant during the underwriting process. Why? To gain a better understanding of your client and if they will work well with us. We ask about the applicant’s industry experience as it relates to the credit request and equipment. We gather information regarding the applicant’s financial ability to repay the obligation. We verify updates/ listed account data on the applicant’s CBR and business PayNet reports. The interview process helps to detect fraudulent deals. The questions we ask are simple and of standard industry knowledge, but if the questions are not properly answered, we suspect the application may be fraudulent. The interview process helps us acquire a better understanding of the applicant (i.e., their story).
In the interview, we do not : •
Solicit business from your client Sell your client on any products
• •
Circumvent the broker-funder relationship
We conduct this interview over the phone for all deals except trailer-only deals under $35,000 and all other deals under $25,000. As part of the process, we will call you first to verify that it is okay to go ahead and perform the interview. In the cases where you have a deep understanding of the interview process, you may notify us that it is okay to perform the interview without your consent. Otherwise, we will contact you prior to us calling your client.
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