Herb and me at his printing business

When we got our Seattle Mariners season tickets five years ago we didn’t realize that the greatest thing about the games wasn’t going to be watching baseball but was rather developing a great friendship with Herb and Janice Blackinton who sit directly behind us. We’ve come to know their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids and have relished in hearing Herb’s laughter and stories.  We’ve talked and shared Seattle baseball wins and losses (mostly losses). Herb is 72-years-old and I’ve often said to Shawntel that someday when I’m his age I hope to enjoy life, family and friends like we’ve seen him do.  Recently, he took me aside and confided in me that he has been diagnosed with cancer. He then asked me if I wanted to visit his printing business he had built from the ground up and in which he had found great success. While he sold his business 16 years ago to a large public company which afforded him to live a life that most would dream of, he was still very much a part of his business and its success is a very important piece of who he is.

I visited his business last week. He gave me a tour of the facility and I was able to see his excitement as he talked to me about the large printing presses, their world-class customers, and showed me every aspect of the facility.  As we walked throughout the building, he introduced me to employees as if they were family. He knew everyone by name and I marveled at how many employees had worked with him for their entire careers, some for 18, 20, 25 and 30 years or more.  Each of their stories was amazing.

During our lunch I asked him what three things he felt defined him as a person. He thought for a moment while I waited, knowing this man possessed sage wisdom. He is the type of man I’d be proud to share some of his attributes, a man full of energy and joy, someone who is loved by his family and many friends and is satisfied in his accomplishments, both personal and professional. He smiled then and started with a story.

He told me how he wasn’t a heavy practicing Christian, but he saw himself as someone who embraced Christian values, which was his first point of definition. He was never brought up going to church but it was a constant presence in his life. Each week he would attend Cub Scouts, then Boy Scouts, at a local church. The values learned were embedded in his heart.

The second defining value was to have a conscience. He told me of how early on in his childhood his father had asked him a simple question, “If you find a wallet on the street with two twenties in it, what do you do with it?” Of course you return it. That is the only answer that will provide a clean conscience.  This too was evident in his business. He could not have reached his level of success without truly being honest, open and moral with his work, employees and customers.

The final value was family. This was evident even before we went to lunch as his season tickets were always filled with family members who clearly loved and deeply cared for him. He treats his business the same way. Those employees I met while walking through the printing plant, were not just former employees to him, they were family. Important business relationships are not just business, they are valuable and personal relationships that when cultivated will carry you through the toughest of times and make victory so much better when shared with them.

I thought back to the visit we had just made to his business and could clearly see how these values had been built into every aspect of the success he had created. He had introduced me to employees like friends, showing his heart of love.  Herb again smiled when I told him how I saw these values in his business.

I asked him how he thinks of customers.  He told me it isn’t all that complicated. It was simple, his customers have a need and it is his job to help them solve it. Focus on treating them like family while solving their need and the money will follow.

I’m proud to have been blessed by having Herb in my life. Being diagnosed with cancer is a new challenge in front of him but his smile and optimism once again shows how great a man he is.  Even in the face of a great challenge and without having all the answers, he continues to teach me.  What a great man!

Thank you Herb!

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Photo Credits, ExtraMileGirl

The fundamental element of trust is following through with what you say you will do. It is finding a way to come through with what you promised, even when you have to do more than what was originally planned. Whether it is committing to more hours during the week or weekend to get it done, or going beyond what you would you would normally do. It is ensuring you will not let down those who are relying on you. People who are trustworthy will fight to fulfill commitments in order to be true to their word.

Trust is an important element in people’s willingness to follow your lead. It is earned slowly but constantly grows as promises are fulfilled. Trust indicates a belief that once you make a promise you will fulfill it. However, reality can put you at odds with your promise and trust can be compromised.

If you are focused with a long-term perspective and understand what will be best for the business and those around you, you will be driven to fulfill your promise, regardless of what challenge you face. You may at times have to make decisions that are for the greater good of all in the long-term, but those closest to you may not initially understand. The key is to always have integrity, character and the interests of others as your priority. In the end, you will prove you have made the best choices along the way.

At Solavei, we are working to make commerce less expensive, and even profitable, for everyone. We are changing the way commerce works and creating a revolution in the industry.  We have come across challenges, but have made decisions we believe align with our vision and will be the best for our members.

What is a promise you’ve made recently? How do you cultivate trust? Was there ever a time you had to face reality and find a way to fulfill your promise despite challenges?

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Photo Credits, Penn State News

Recognition is stepping beyond yourself to put a focus on someone else – your wife, husband, child, friend, co-worker or someone you don’t know but have seen do something worthy of your positive words.

Recognition of someone’s great value, worth and accomplishments of pursuits can be, and frequently is, far more valuable than the monetary gain the person receives. I have seen many times where the act of recognition has permeated and positively impacted a person and his or her family so deeply it significantly shifts the dynamic of the household.

One story in particular comes to mind, about a man who had a difficult time finding a job to fully support his family and their desires. He found himself short on money for the car, the apartment or the simple necessities of groceries. He was working tirelessly at a fulltime job and two part-time jobs but still coming up short. Despite his hard work, none of his bosses recognized his dedication and he felt he was letting down his family.

The inability to provide fully was tearing down his self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. He felt he was working in vain and it had such an effect on him that he eventually began to take out his strife on his family. He was unhappy, frustrated and out of ideas on how to pull his family out of this challenging situation. His home became a place of contention instead of peace, and he believed his wife would have been better off marrying someone else instead of him.

One day, an opportunity was presented to the man that enabled him to earn a little extra income and ease some of the financial challenges. After a few months with his new home-based business, he began to add an additional three hundred dollars a month to his income. As great as the extra money was, nothing was as great as the day he invited his wife to attend an event where he was recognized on stage for his accomplishments.

That unexpected recognition was worth more to the man than the money he made. It caused his shoulders to go back and a sense of pride to rush through his body. And there was no amount of money that could replace the look of pride on his wife’s face as they called his name from stage. It was a simple form of recognition that had a lasting positive effect on his household.

Keep this story in mind as you lead your team and company to success. Ensure you take a moment to look around you and recognize the people in your life for what they have done. It will mean more to them than you know.

Who have you recognized in your life recently? Who can you recognize and edify today?

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Photo Credits: Derrick Collins

Rubber bands are meant to be stretched. In fact, they are fulfilling their purpose and are most useful when they are stretched fully. Think of yourself as a rubber band, are you stretching yourself or are you lying loose on the table or in a drawer? Do you know how far you can stretch yourself? If you have been hesitant to stretch yourself further, remember the greater the challenge, the greater the victory.

Sometimes we are stretched pretty thin, feeling like we are about to break, and a storm still looms in front of us. It is at these times that we actually see what we are made of and how much more we can do. In the midst of a challenge, always keep your goal always in front of you and never forget that every storm will end. Try not to lose sight of your goal in the fog of the storm. The reward of accomplishing your goal is far greater when you had to struggle and stretch to reach it.

When training for a marathon, it doesn’t matter if it is raining, extremely hot or my body doesn’t feel like it can handle more, I know I must do what it takes to complete my training runs. While I am running marathons, despite any pain or desire to quit, I focus myself on the finish line and the sense of accomplishment I will feel when I cross it. Whether an injury at mile 18 of a marathon forced me to slow to a walk, but felt like I needed to crawl, or passing out at the Singapore Marathon at mile 20 due to the heat, I always press on toward the finish line because I know how great the reward of fulfilling my goal will be.

At Solavei, we do the same thing. We are creating something that has never been done before and it isn’t without challenge and hard work. But it’s the stories of our members who are benefitting from the opportunity that keep us stretching and doing whatever it takes to accomplish our objectives. When our members are able to buy groceries, pay for their mobile phone bill or even pay their mortgage, it is a constant reminder that we must keep stretching at all times. It positively impacts their lives, their relationships and their health because we push through a challenge, work to find solutions and create success for our members. The stories from the members are our reward and each one is far greater than any challenge we face.

Are you ready to stretch yourself beyond where you’ve been before?  What are the goals that keep you pushing beyond your mental limits?

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Photo Credits, Diettogo1

Productivity begins with preparation and equipping yourself with the right tools to be successful. I make sure to do this for my day by starting with the right routine for breakfast. I always make sure to eat a good meal in the morning to give me energy and a clear mind for the day.

What you eat is as important as eating in the first place. The big breakfasts filled with carbs and sugar are actually not beneficial to eat each morning. This article suggests some healthy options for people on the go:

• A veggie omelet and a piece of whole-wheat toast
• A whole-wheat English muffin with low-fat cheese, a scrambled egg, and slice of tomato or lean ham
• Smoothie made with fruit and low-fat yogurt
• Salmon on 1/2 whole-grain bagel with light cream cheese
• Whole-grain cereal with fresh fruit and low-fat milk
• Oatmeal made with skim milk, raisins and nuts, with 4 ounces of orange juice
• Low-fat yogurt and a piece of fresh fruit
• Yogurt smoothie and breakfast bar
• Hard-boiled egg and a banana

So what are the benefits to eating a healthy breakfast? Healthy breakfasts will prevent you from losing energy and craving food throughout the day. Breakfast will also sharpen you mental ability and enable you to handle complicated situations better. And finally, breakfast will help you improve your fitness through giving you energy to work out, providing nutrients for the day and even increasing your daily metabolism.

Prepare yourself for maximum productivity by fueling the day with healthy breakfast foods in the morning.

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Everyone has heard it before, “Do what you love.” The idea is if you are doing work you would do even if you didn’t get paid, you will be happier and more productive. They say when you set out to find work, you should look for something that you will enjoy because, after all, you’ll have to do it for at least five days and 40 hours a week.

However, identifying one job that encompasses what you love doing, then actually getting that job, may not be possible or practical. And unfortunately, we don’t all work at our dream job. So, how are we supposed to do what we love if our job of choice is not practical?

Instead, consider what you love on a broad scale. Is it teaching, writing, building, being with people, being outdoors, planning, creating or something else? Determine what is the foundation of your passion. This isn’t always an easy task. If you find it difficult to identify your passion, think about what makes you happy. Then break those things down until you find a common factor that represents what you really enjoy.

If this cannot be incorporated into your profession, find another way to express it through a hobby, an additional job, volunteering or a club. Expressing your passions through doing what you love, even part time, has a positive impact on your life overall. You will feel fulfilled, happy and less stressed. Doing what you love is good for your mental and physical health.

My passion is helping others. I am fortunate to be able to incorporate this into my profession everyday through the vision of Solavei as I, along with our members, work to positively impact millions of people’s lives. However, even outside of Solavei, I create ways to do what I love by pursuing philanthropic interests, including sitting on the board of Miss America, a foundation that makes a wonderful contribution to the education and leadership of women.

The objective is to continue to do what you love, even if it can only be part-time.

What do you love to do? Tweet to me @rwuerch!

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Solavei is a member-driven business whose success depends on the success of the members. It is each and every member’s drive to share something beneficial with someone else that continues to expand the reach of the company. These members are determined to change their life and the lives of those around them.

Our Solavei members work hard towards a goal. They may be looking to eliminate their phone bill, to change their life by earning enough to pay for their groceries, for a car payment or to pay off their student loans. For many, it is to positively impact those around them. One of our top performing members, Staci Wallace, challenges herself to create a Trio a week. Some weeks she may find herself at Thursday and still needing one more person to complete that Trio. So she buckles down and focuses on enrolling that third person as a member.

However, a goal like Staci’s could never be realized without rewards along the way. Make sure to recognize your accomplishments as you strive towards the end goal. Remember, you deserve a reward for your hard work and achieving your goals. So take a moment and do something special for yourself. Our Reach the Beach incentive trip was a celebration of the hard work of these members. Even if you weren’t a Reach the Beach winner, it’s now your opportunity by setting your sights on the next challenge and focusing on winning a cruise in the Caribbean with us on our Cruise to Thousandaire!

I want to recognize every dedicated member within Solavei. Your energy, initiative and unwavering enthusiasm for Solavei has brought us all to where we are today. Together, we are at the forefront of changing social commerce forever, and making millions of lives better along the way. Thank you.

Join me on Twitter. I would love to hear your Solavei story and how it has positively impacted your life. Tweet to me @rwuerch.

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Although I may wish I could be 100% productive 100% of the time, the truth is, without time to center myself and time to disconnect, I cannot operate at my best. Time with my family is important. If it is an afternoon on the weekends, a date night with my wife or family dinners, it must be quality uninterrupted time. This means that I am not checking my email or answering text messages. This time is as much about me as it is about them. I want to know what is going on in their lives, what is important to them, where they need me and I want them to feel connected to me in the same way. It is this time that strengthens our relationship.

My time to reset and relax is while I run. I have time to sort out everything that has been going on throughout the week and what is coming up in the future weeks. This is also the time I am able to dedicate to problem solving. If there is something that I have not had a chance to evaluate, I dedicate thought to that during my exercise.   It’s amazing how much thinking time you have when you’re on a two-hour run. But, I am not always thinking about work-related topics. This is time for me to evaluate all elements of my life, including work, family and relationships.

This year, resolve to take more time for yourself and your family. Resolve to live a balanced life.  And be the best you can be in each area!

Tweet your resolutions to me at @rwuerch, I would love to hear what you are planning for in 2013!

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My team at Solavei, the Solavei Members, and I have all been working hard to at the company to fulfill the vision of positively impacting millions of peoples lives and accelerate the momentum we have. The idea of a day reminding us to “Work Harder” made me wonder what more I could be doing. Or at least I felt that way until I started really thinking about what a Work Harder Day would look like. This day doesn’t have to be about working harder on something that I am already dedicating time to in my life. Perhaps, this day is the day when I focus my attention on an element of my life that I have not been dedicated to recently. It could be a home improvement project or even a relationship that has fallen out of touch. Now, instead of feeling this day is redundant, I am excited to take on a day where I can put time into something that needs a little more hard work.

If you do work hard on Saturday, you will be prepared for Sunday, Make Your Dreams Come True Day. I anticipate feeling greatly encouraged about the possibilities of making my dreams come true when I will have just accomplished working hard on something.

Just like Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to do something special for someone you love, Make Your Dreams Come True Day is a good excuse to stop talking about excuses and take the first step toward something you have only dreamed of accomplishing. Is there somewhere you have always wanted to visit, a skill you always wanted to learn, or a job you always wanted to have? Sunday is the day to get started.  The day when you should rekindle the dreams that are inside of you.I recently wrote a post on accomplishing your goals that I believe will be a helpful resource to get started. I wish you the best in your endeavors!

Tweet to me at @rwuerch what you are going to work hard on or what dream you are going make come true.

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I have heard before that the great become great because they do not settle. They realize from the beginning that even the smallest details matter. They strive for excellence across mediums and will not let anything compromise, even to the smallest degree, their message. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to have a clear message and a clear foundation for our company, Solavei. We have solidified our purpose and everything we do must align with it.

However, in any situation small details can get lost among big challenges. Vision can become fuzzy and operations, marketing, and messaging can become convoluted. This is inevitable at some point as a company becomes more complex. But I have found that it is highly important to maintain a sharp focus. I was inspired to consider this recently while reading an article on the history of the Apple logo. Here is an example of a business that has maintained its focus since almost the inception. The initial logo was a intricate design depicting Sir Isaac Newton sitting and thinking below the historic apple tree with an apple above his head. Within the frame was a portion of a poem by Wordsworth and there was a ribbon flowing over the frame with the name of the company. Rightly, Steve Jobs changed the logo a year later. The second logo was the much simpler rainbow apple with a bite out of it. According to this article, the rainbow represented the humanity of the company and the bite was to ensure that people did not confuse the shape with a tomato (and to play off the computer-related word “byte”).

The logo was adjusted one more time to the monochromatic apple. The brand needed a refresh and a new message to help transform it back into a successful company. Jobs kept the simple outline of the logo and updated it to look modern and edgy.

The enduring nature of the Apple logo represents how Jobs understood the company values and focus throughout his time at the company. In fact, the logo has been described to embody creativity and make a person more creative just by viewing it.  The goals and the messages are clear and they are depicted in the simplicity of the design. Especially during the first years of a company, striving to maintain clarity and simplicity in the company values is one of those little details where we must accept nothing short of excellence.

I often hear from others that I am extremely detail-oriented. But I believe that the smallest details can sometimes create the difference between success and failure. The sparkplug in a car is a small detail but without it, even the most expensive car won’t run. Having the ability to champion the major and the important minor details can create great success.

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