Branches & Roots V4:E8, Thankful For You

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Thankful For You

​Welcome to the last days of 2017 and our final communication of the year. We have a few observations from the previous 45 days of October and early November hustle, and hope they will help you in some way prepare for the holidays and their inevitable bustle. In this edition we have a top ten list question, an eight touches a year idea, and a 397 year old connection.  

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Who Were the Top 10 Most Interesting People You Met This Year?

​This idea was formed when we shared with someone in an email that they were one of the 10 most interesting people that we had met in 2017. It was a true statement, but we hadn’t really thought of the other nine yet. However, upon reflection, we knew any list we created would have that person in the top 10, so we thought they would like the encouragement.

This got us thinking that at the time of year when people gather with family and old friends, that you might have some fun thinking about a list of the new people that you really enjoyed meeting. What made them interesting to you? Were they as interesting to others? Was it that they had power and influence or talents you appreciated? 

Consider making a list and then reflecting on not only who they are, but why they were interesting to you. Compare it with your close friends and then have a fun discussion on what the list says about both the admired and the admirer. Looking ahead to the holidays, this idea might make some of your old hat family dinners a little livelier than in the past. 

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Is It Time To Kill All the Golfers..?

We thought we would inject a little humor into a tough subject that is often associated with the end of the year. Reaching the annual sales target. The idea came out a series of discussions with business owners and suggests that this can be a good time of year to remove a certain type of lead that is clogging up the funnel. 

These aren’t the clients or the deals that have momentum. There are plenty of deals getting done prior to the end of the year, and Dec 31st is a wonderful impending event to create tension and focus for both buyer and seller.

These are the potential business relationships that just make both sides feel awkward. They look and sound like this:   CLICK HERE FOR FULL TEXT

In Caddy Shack terms....you are killing all the gophers!!

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The Five Kernels of Wisdom 397 Years Later

​November 15, 1620 witnessed The Mayflower at anchor near the shore in Cape Cod Bay. Four days prior they had arrived and were now assessing the best place to build their colony. The first few years saw them face immense hardship from the seasonal conditions and tremendous friendship from the Native American’s. There also was an ill-timed and named visit by the ship The Fortune in the early years which didn’t bring much needed supplies, just more colonists and professional sailors looking for clothes and sustenance. 

As a way to remember the famine and lean times the lesson of the 5 kernels of corn and their significance was created in the early 1800’s and has since been shared throughout thanksgiving tables across our country and a copy for your ready reference is here.  

Today there are tens of millions of descendants​ who are alive because of the fortitude and resolve of those early settlers. Over the course of the next three years as we reach the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock we will share with you in the final edition of each year the stories that are told as America reaches this new milestone. 

Kernels can be like pearls, associated with wisdom and this is our hope for each of us as we age. The ability to learn from the past and share it with others. When you think about what you want passed on to your family members this Thanksgiving, what is it? What are your hopes and dreams for them? 397 years later is it that much different, the wish of a mother or father for their children?

We thought it would be only fitting after writing about the Mayflower to thank you for your ship, more specifically your readership, mentorship, and friendship in 2017. 

See you in the New Year!

Drew & Sara

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