NJ PHCC Fall 2019

Official Magazine for the New Jersey Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Fall 2019 • Volume 15 Number 4

NJ CONTRACTOR The Simple Plan to

Also inside The Rewards of Not Being an Insecure A-Hole

Being a Magnetic & Positive Leader

Chasing Excellence is a Journey

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Contents Fall 2019 • Volume 15 Number 4

New Jersey PHCC

189 East Bergen Place Red Bank, NJ 07701 P: (800) 652-7422 F: (609) 987-0511 director@nj-phcc.org

Local Area Meetings

Essex CountyPHCC 1st Wednesday Monthly Located at Tierney’s Copperhouse 4 Little Falls Road, Fairfield, NJ Mercer County PHCC 1st Tuesday Monthly Located at Tessara’s 812 Route 33, Hamilton, NJ

President’s Message.....................................2 The Simple Plan to Grow Your Business..........3 The Rewards of Not Being an Insecure............6 A-Hole Paying People Properly .................................. 8 Being a Magnetic & Positive Leader............. 10 5 Things You Can do to Improve Your............ 17 Financial Wellness in 2019

2019 Executive Committee PRESIDENT

SECRETARY

John Heine Heine Plumbing & Heating 270 Sparta Ave., Suite 104 Sparta, NJ 07871 (973) 383-0392

Susan Perlstein-Tavares Frank Perlstein & Son, Inc. 815 S Broad St. Trenton, NJ 08611-1903 (609) 393-4877

PRESIDENT ELECT Stephen Dzieminski Stephen Dzieminski Plumbing 702 President Ave. Lawrence Township, NJ 08648-4429

VICE PRESIDENT Kevin Tindall Tindall & Ranson 880 Alexander Rd. Princeton, NJ 08540 (609) 897-9770

Chasing Excellence is a Journey................... 18

DESIGNED & PUBLISHED BY:

(609) 394-5106 (fax) TREASURER Ken Alexander Alexander Plumbing, Heating & Cooling 743 Alexander Rd., Unit 10 Princeton, NJ 08540 (609) 987-2424 (609) 987-9797 (fax)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Nicole Urizzo 189 East Bergen Place Red Bank, NJ 07701 (609) 987-0500 (609) 987-0511 (fax) director@nj-phcc.org

Alexis Kierce, Publications Manager 717-238-5751 x119 alexis@thinkgraphtech.com For Advertising Information: Jen Smith, Account Manager 717-238-5751 x124 jen@thinkgraphtech.com

An exclusive publication of the NJ PHCC. The NJ Contractor is published four times a year

by Graphtech. Editorial Offices: 189 East Bergen Place, Red Bank, NJ 07701. With the exception of official association announcements, the statements of fact and opinion that are made herein are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not reflect the opinion or philosophy of the officers or the membership of the NJ PHCC. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission from the NJ PHCC headquarters.

Fall 2019

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President’s Message Dear Members, We have been involved in some exciting stuff recently. We launched our Plumbing 101 online course to the students of Somerset County Vo-Tech. With the help of Instructor Robert Setlock the students are thriving with this new platform. We hope to be able to work with more schools in the new year to get students excited about the Trades!

Many of you may be aware, that pursuant to the New Jersey Public Works Contractor Registration Act participation in an apprenticeship program registered with the United States Department of Labor is a now requirement for any contractor wishing to register with the DOL Wage & Hour Division. Also association and apprenticeship schools must have an ERISA-compliant apprenticeship trust fund. We currently fulfill the apprenticeship program requirement and are in the process of setting up our ERISA fund. For any one with questions regarding this please reach out to us at director@nj-phcc.org.

As you most of you know IAPMO has printed a New Jersey edition of the NSPC code for 2018. The 2018 code has been adopted and books are available in binder form. Contact us at director@nj-phcc.org to get yours!

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!

John Heine President New Jersey PHCC

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NJ Contractor • NJ PHCC

The Simple Plan to

BY MIKE AGUGLIARO

E

very service company wants to grow but sometimes the exact steps and plan can seem foggy. Should you do more marketing?

To whom? Should you invest in a new truck?

Should you call your previous customers with a great offer?

To make it even more challenging, you’re doing it while you’re running a team and serving customers; it’s not a matter of easily stopping business for a few days while you think about something.

What many Contractors need is just a simple plan to give them a structure and framework to think about business growth—something they can do on the fly in the midst of the daily storm.

Here is a simple plan (it doesn’t get much simpler than this) and it works for companies no matter what size or trade …

There are just three things you need to do each day:

1

Sell to more customers

2

3

Sell more to each of those customers

Sell more often to each of those customers

Now, do it over and over.

In fact, these 3 items are 3 metrics that you should be paying attention to. Let’s look at each one… continued on next page

Fall 2019

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The Simple Plan to Grow Your Business continued

“Now you have the simple plan and a practical way to do it. What’s stopping you now from growing?”

— Mike Agugliaro

1

Sell to more customers

Here, you’re measuring how many customers you serve each month. This is your marketing function. It’s where you build a strong and memorable brand and put out offers into the market to generate leads… and then improve your skills to ethically close more of the leads into customers.

Test new marketing approaches, new marketing channels, and new offers. Measure their effectiveness at increasing the number of customers you serve each month.

2

Sell more to each of those customers

Every transaction you make with a customer can be averaged out to know what your “average ticket” is.

Then learn to increase this number with packaged products and ethical upselling to help customers buy value.

Make larger offers to customers. Give them options to buy the base service or an extra level of service. Sell products and services as add-ons and upsells. Let them know that, when other customers have bought the same thing, they’ve also bought a related thing.

3

Sell more often to each of those customers

This is where you turn one-time customers into lifetime customers by helping them buy value from you over and over. Stop thinking of customers as a single transaction but as a series of transactions over their lifetime.

Go back to existing customers and see how you can help them further. Maybe it’s too early to sell them a repeat of the product or service you originally offered but maybe you can help them with something else that they need… or perhaps get a referral to another customer you can help.

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NJ Contractor • NJ PHCC

That’s It; Just Do Those Three Things Want to grow your business? Just do those three things over and over and over: Sell to more customers, sell more to each of those customers, and sell more often to those customers. Do it ethically, do it for every customer, and teach your team to do it too.

Are there are other things to do? Sure, you will also need to pay attention to expenses and capital investments and hiring. But focusing on those things are about making your existing business stronger and creating capacity for the future. If you want to GROW your business, the simplest way is to focus on the three things I’ve described above.

More Than An Idea Let’s make this really actionable for you; it should be more than a theoretical idea. Make it practical and measurable.

Get a whiteboard and write down those three categories on the whiteboard, and attach a number to each one.

#1. Sell to more customers How many new customers do you get each month? #2. Sell more to each of those customers What’s your average ticket? #3. Sell more often to each of those customers What’s your customer’s lifetime value?

Then, make decisions and take actions each day to increase those numbers. Even a 1% increase in each number each week (which is simple to do) will have be a MASSIVE result by the end of the year.

At the end of every month, update that number. And the end of the year, celebrate your success and repeat the following year.

Summary Business growth has been foggy… until now. Now you have the simple plan and a practical way to do it. What’s stopping you now from growing?

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The Rewards of Not Being an Insecure

A-Hole

BY MARK BRESLIN

I

did not become a CEO by being emotionally healthy and well adjusted. I did not become a public speaker and talk to 400,000 people because I was interested in them as individuals. I did not embrace the idea of empowering others with fear of failure chasing me like a junkyard dog. I did not understand that success and happiness are not the same. No matter what shows up on my title or W-2.

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NJ Contractor • NJ PHCC

“... The greatest reward leadership has to offer [is] to both touch the lives of many, and change you for the better.”

— Mark Breslin Leaders are made a lot of ways. And not always because we were shaped by a happy, sunshine filled, ride-a-pony upbringing. More often than not, it is just the opposite.

The fuel that drives leaders often times has its genesis in our early development. Our beliefs about ourselves are well founded way before anyone gives us a shot at career advancement. I think a lot of leaders reading this know this to be true for themselves. My story is certainly the case. My self beliefs were steeped in a youth of turbulence, instability, and trouble. I am frankly the last guy who should have made it this far.

Without really knowing it I started my leadership with an emotional platform of fear and insecurity; that I mistook for confidence. Ultimately it got filed under the need to prove myself. Over and over and over again. And that resulted in me being a very driven, aggressive and effective leader; as well as a grade A insecure asshole.

But through leadership trial and error (mostly error), I was able to evolve and grow. And it is this I want to share with you. The rewards of leaving that fear and ego bullshit all behind. As a leader. As an influencer. As a family member.

As a person.

Simply put, here it is. After all the striving, proving and grinding you just might find, that happiness and success are not the same thing. As a leader, it is not about the money, title, power or validation. They are nice rewards no doubt, but as a leader, it’s more about each person that we can influence in a positive way in this life. And we as leaders truly have this obligation and opportunity.

A lot of us become top leaders because we are compelled.

Our fire burns red hot. Our need is to succeed and overcome. Driven by what? The raw fear of failure. The hole we are trying to fill. The respect we didn’t get. The self image we are constructing to feel real. Often we are carry forward our baggage to simply prove ourselves; over and over and over without resolution. We grind and push and are willing to die on the hill to show we are worthy in the eyes of others. Fuck that. No one else makes us worthy.

No external validation makes us real or human. Service and love of self and others is the ticket. It’s not about us.

It’s about the people we love and lead, care about and influence.

After abandoning my endless idiotic quest for validation, I have tried above all, to make it about anyone else but me.

But my old habits and the ego die hard. It takes a lot of

work. So as a leader I have to be less “the man” and more accepting of myself as a flawed but battle scarred human with the lessons I have paid for on deposit. I have to be careful I don’t slip backwards. And simply hope to see with clarity more each day.

If you are willing to really be the authentic person that you really are, you will reap rewards far beyond the validation, proving and other stuff that substitutes for real impact.

What this takes is three things; Self knowledge. First, you have to do the work on yourself and solicit the painful feedback and advice that crushes your ego and builds your authentic self. Next you have to decide what’s important and act on it. Sounds simple? If so, why don’t more people do it? Yeah, how many people you know are really truly emotionally healthy and secure? How many have marriages you want? How many people have a level of health and well being that you think; oh yeah I want that too. How many people get their priorities right without epic failure as their teacher? And the third and final aspect, you have to understand that this life is short and valuable and that you better do something remarkable before it passes you by.

Hey, just want to make a shitload of money and play golf?

Good for you. Stop reading now.

I know I am annoying some of you. There’s nothing worse than a reformed smoker or anyone who gives you advice you didn’t ask for. But in writing this I am not proud of who I was and why I was that way. The advice given is simply so you don’t travel my path or pay the price like I have.

Remember your success is not always your friend.

Your amazing skills and tendencies may also be your greatest burden. Sometimes we have to risk giving up the approaches and behaviors that “made” us successful to get to a different way to influence and care about others.

With that comes fear of change and failure. But it all starts — for me and for every leader reading this today — with the realization that it is not about us. It is about them. And when you see it, believe it and act on it — you will share in the greatest reward leadership has to offer; to both touch the lives of many, and change you for the better.

Mark Breslin is an author, speaker, CEO and influencer inspiring change for workplace success across all levels of business.

Mark has improved leadership, accountability, innovation and engagement for organizations and individuals. He has spoken to more than 400,000 people and published hundreds of thousands of books on leadership and workplace culture. See his work at www.breslin.biz

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Properly

Paying People

T

hese three words describe one of the most common problems that confront employers in managing today’s workplace.

The failure to pay employees properly as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and similar state wage and hour laws is the basis for the most frequently filed legal actions against employers. The FLSA has been in place since the darkest days of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

In addition to mandating a federal minimum wage to combat a plague of sweatshops, it required overtime pay of one and one-half times for all hours over forty. It was also at least partially intended to create more jobs in response to massive unemployment.

By requiring a hefty premium for working an employee more than forty hours, employers might find it cheaper to hire another employee to work those additional hours at straight time pay. Whether it actually had a significant effect on unemployment is not entirely clear. Today, the FLSA applies to virtually every workplace in America. Coverage is tied to interstate commerce. Given the realities of dayto-day commerce in the U.S., there is hardly any place in our economy where a service, product, or employee activity does not in some manner reach across state lines.

A primary reason why alleged FLSA violations are the subject of so many legal actions is that such lawsuits pay very well. An award of damages for a successful action normally includes liquidated (double) damages as well as payment of all attorney’s fees. In addition, the liability period

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NJ Contractor • NJ PHCC

BY RICHARD D. ALANIZ can stretch back three years. Class actions involving unpaid overtime have resulted in multi-million dollar settlements and judgments covering thousands of employees.

Misclassification Perhaps the single largest cause of liability for unpaid wages is the misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime. The so-called “white collar” exemptions set out categories of employees exempt from overtime. Those categories are: executive, administrative, professional, computer employees, highly compensated employees, and outside sales. In order to be exempt, the employee must generally be paid the set minimum salary and perform certain specified duties. Both tests must be satisfied for exempt status to apply.

Salary Rules Currently the minimum required salary for exempt status is $455 per week ($23,660 annually). An employer is not required to pay overtime if an employee meets the salary threshold and duties within one of the exemptions. On September 24, 2019 the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule that would increase this minimum salary to $684 per week ($35,568 annually). It is scheduled to become effective January 1, 2020. In 2016 when a similar rule was proposed, albeit with a higher threshold, it was challenged in court and a stay ordered. It proposed raising the salary threshold to $913 per week ($47,476 annually). The new

rule would also raise the threshold of the highly compensated category from the current $100,000 annually to $107,432. Additionally, the rule allows employers to use nondiscretionary bonuses and commissions paid at least annually to satisfy up to 10% of the salary level.

The “computer employee” exemption has two separate minimum pay limits under different FLSA provisions.

There is a minimum salary of $455 per week or an hourly rate of no less than $27.63 per hour. The “outside sales” exemption has no minimum salary requirement.

Duties Rules The required duties for the executive, administrative and professional categories are relatively straightforward. There are no longer required percentages of time devoted to exempt and nonexempt duties. To be an exempt “executive”, the employee must have as their primary duties the management of the enterprise or a recognized department thereof, the direction of two full-time employees or their equivalents, and have the authority to hire, fire, promote or to effectively recommend such action.

To qualify for the “administrative” exemption, the person must have as their primary duty the performance of office or non-manual work directly related to management or general business operations. The person must also exercise discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance. Exempt professionals generally fall into

two primary categories “learned” and “artistic” or “creative”. By far the most common are “learned” professionals. They must perform work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning which generally involves a prolonged course of specialized instruction.

The advanced knowledge may also be attained through a combination of work experience and intellectual instruction. While the “computer employees” exemption does not require any specific duties, only computer professionals performing such high-level technical duties such as systems analysis, computer systems or computer program design, and similar specialized functions qualify. To qualify for the “outside sales” exemption the employee must regularly be engaged in sales functions away from the office. Inside sales personnel do not qualify for the exemption.

Independent Contractors In this age of Uber, Lyft and countless gig economy jobs, the issue of who truly qualifies as an “independent contractor” is one of the most hotly contested issues in the workplace today. The issue has arisen with regard to Microsoft contract workers, Uber drivers, Fed Ex delivery personnel and numerous others. The DOL has recently issued revised guidelines on who qualifies as an independent contractor. But, those rules are only one set among numerous variations applied by different agencies and the courts. In very general terms, the issue revolves around control. To the extent that an employer controls how, when, and where the work is to be done, the likelihood of “employee” status rises with the degree of control exercised by the employer. Under the various tests, there are a variety of factors to be considered. They include where the work is performed, control over the schedule to be followed,

whose tools and equipment are used, whether the person is free to provide services to others, whether the work performed by the person is the same or similar to that of the entity for whom services are provided and similar considerations. It has become increasingly difficult to prove independent contractor status. A finding of “employee” status carries with it liability not only for unpaid employment taxes and similar state and federal contributions, but also in many cases unpaid overtime.

Off-the-Clock Work Another common error that can result in overtime liability is the failure to pay for all hours actually worked by an employee. In most cases it involves preliminary or postliminary work that is actually part of the employee’s principle activity. It is not uncommon for a conscientious employee to engage in pre-work preparations before punching in. It could be setting up a machine, gathering needed supplies for the day’s work or similar functions. Similar activity can occur at the end of the workday after the employee punches out. It could involve completion of production reports, a meeting with employees coming on shift about problem issues or similar work-related activity. In addition, today, most business is conducted by use of e-mail, texting and similar electronic communication.

Reliance on I-Pads, I-Phones and laptop computers, can mean that work is never really done. If a non-exempt employee spends time responding to e-mails or texts after regular work hours, there is likely overtime liability being generated.

There has recently been an increase in the number of claims alleging failure to provide a “bona fide meal period”.

While the FLSA does not require meal or rest breaks as some state wage and hour laws do, mealtime is not “bona fide” and must be paid if the employee is not totally free from any

work duties. Employees frequently eat lunch at their desk. While doing so many complete paperwork, answer e-mails, texts or the phone or some similar work-related duty. Delivery drivers routinely respond to texts or e-mails about scheduled stops and similar information while they are taking their lunch break. The circumstances are as varied as there are workplaces. If work is performed, what is normally unpaid time could actually become paid time eligible for overtime. Employers can avoid overtime liability for off-the-clock work if they have a policy requiring employees to report all off-the-clock work and the employee ignores the policy, so long as the employer did not prevent or discourage employees from reporting. Such notices should be posted.

Conclusion As is evident by the various examples discussed, the potential for improper pay is present in a wide variety of circumstances. Overtime claims are one of the most frequently filed legal actions that employers must confront.

By adopting pro-active policies and closely monitoring when and what employees are doing, many of these types of claims can be avoided.

Richard D. Alaniz is a partner at Alaniz Law & Associates, a labor and employment firm based in Houston. He has been at the forefront of labor and employment law for over forty years, including stints with the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board. Rick is a prolific writer on labor and employment law and conducts frequent seminars to client companies and trade associations across the country. Questions about this article, or requests to subscribe to receive Rick’s monthly articles, can be addressed to Rick at (281) 833-2200 or ralaniz@alaniz-law. com.

Fall 2019

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9

BEING A

MAGNEGIC & POSITIVE

LEADER

BY MARK BRESLIN

Y

ou ever get a vibe off someone when you first meet them? Right away, you either like them or you don’t. They have some kind of energy that you are responding to (good or bad) and it’s having an effect. The same thing plays out in the workplace with your crews and your routine as a leader.

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NJ Contractor • NJ PHCC

“A magnetic and positive person draws positive people and outcomes to themselves. If you do not work at being positive, you may, without even knowing it, put out negative energy and draw negativity to yourself.”

— Mark Breslin Being a Magnetic and Positive leader is vital to success at work. Here’s why: A magnetic and positive person draws positive people and outcomes to themselves. If you do not work at being positive, you may, without even knowing it, put out negative energy and draw negativity to yourself. Now, before you think I’m dropping some California tofu-eater metaphysical B.S. on you, give me a chance.

Being positive is very important. Being respected is, to my way of thinking, always better than being liked — but what if you can achieve both? What are some of the business benefits?

Some leaders and managers revel in the idea that being a hard-ass whom people fear or dislike is a good sign.

Personally, I think being a positive and encouraging hardass is a much better idea.

Mark Breslin is an author, speaker, CEO and influencer inspiring change for workplace success across all levels of business.

Mark has improved leadership, accountability, innovation and engagement for organizations and individuals. He has spoken to more than 400,000 people and published hundreds of thousands of books on leadership and workplace culture. His new Microlearning video series, “The Professional Construction Leader” is revolutionizing construction foreman training as well as field operations, performance and profitability. For more information on Mark, go to www.breslin.biz

Positive and magnetic people: • Are better persuaders and negotiators • Are given the benefit of the doubt about their intentions • Generally have more doors open to them

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• Often have a network of people promoting them • Attract others • Make people smile Okay, that last one is a “have a nice day” (barf) moment.

But it is real. A lot of people think that being positive is simply inherent — people are either born positive or not, so they are sometimes unwilling to work at it. I disagree. Being positive is a choice.

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5Things

You Can Do To

Improve Your

Financial Wellness in 2019

BY CARL LANDER

A

s 2019 is coming to a close, don’t let holiday spending dampen your holiday spirit or put you further in the hole for 2020. Here are five things you can do right now to end 2019 on a positive financial note and create momentum for 2020.

Create Your Monthly Budget.

Everyone needs a monthly budget so they know where to spend their money.

If you don’t already have a monthly budget, the first step is to list all of your income and then subtract all of your expenses. If you find yourself spending more than you take home, you need to reduce expenses to balance your monthly budget.

Decide How Much to Spend on the Holidays.

Once you have your spending plan in place, you can decide how much to spend on gift giving. Decide how much you are going to spend on gifts this year and stick to that amount.

Don’t overspend just because something is on sale.

Stop Borrowing Money.

Don’t put holiday spending on a credit card! Those bills will come in January and you’ll dread opening them.

Don’t start 2020 off on the wrong foot financially.

Start Your Emergency Fund.

If you don’t have an emergency fund already, start one today. If you happen to get cash gifts, consider putting that money into your emergency fund to get it started. You need an emergency fund for those “gotcha’s” that seem to come at the most inopportune moment.

Make a Plan to Eliminate Debt.

If you have any debts, make a plan to start paying them off smallest balance.

Add any extra money you find in your budget to your debt payments. As one balance is paid off, put the payments towards the next lowest balance. The reason for paying off smallest to largest is you get wins along to way to keep making progress and to build momentum.

Doing any of these steps can improve your financial wellness today. Doing all of them will give you great momentum to make 2020 a great year for your financial wellness. © Carl Lander — Financial Wellness Speaker, Trainer, and Author

Want more steps to Text firststeps to 33444 to gain instant access to the free resource: financial wellness? First Steps to Financial Wellness.

Fall 2019

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Chasing Excellence is a Journey "If you have no agreement on purpose, then command and control is all you have left."

P

ursuing excellence in business and life is like a never-ending road trip. There are some great stops along the way, some detours and unexpected changes, but the journey never ends.

The biggest problem most of us run into in life and business is assuming that we are pursuing a destination. I still struggle with this, but I’m beginning to figure out that the only destination I am pursuing is heaven. Every other stop between here and there are great photo opportunities or the chance to learn something.

If we aren’t chasing something in life we get comfortable. Comfort sounds great, but it leads to complacency. Once complacency sets in our performance begins to slide. If we aren’t growing, improving and striving for great things as individuals and organizations we are declining. Who wants to spend their time on earth like that?

I don’t and I’m sure you don’t either.

How we do we jump on this excellence train that never stops until our final destination? Here are some steps to follow: 1 – Decide – The first step is the decision to step away from complacency and towards excellence in some area of your life – work or personal.

2 – Prioritize – Changing our habits takes time, willpower and effort. All come in limited quantities.Pick the area that will have the greatest impact on your life and start there. Trying to make too many changes at once is a recipe for failure and will cost you time in the long run.

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NJ Contractor • NJ PHCC

The goal is to create habits that drive you towards excellence. Once you’ve ingrained a new habit into your life, you can refocus your willpower on the next most important habit.

It is difficult to not shoot for the moon when we get started, but research (and my experience) shows that small steps that become habits are the most effective way to go.

3 – Measure – If we can’t measure it, we can’t manage it and we can’t improve it. Odds are you can come up with a number that you can track. Brainstorm with family, friends and coworkers to find a number you can track that will let you know if you are winning or losing.

If you can’t come up with a measurable, you can create one by asking for honest feedback from others. Have them grade your performance on a numerical scale.

With regular feedback and great suggestions from people who care about you, your performance will improve.

Measure daily. If you are not winning the battle daily, you’ll never win the week, month or year. Habits are rarely once a week things. They are daily, sometimes hourly things that become a part of who you are.

The more often you keep score, the more often you can make course corrections on your journey.

4 – Test & Measure – Testing and measuring sounds a lot more pleasant than failing and trying again, so call it whatever you like. If your goals are big enough, you’ll do a lot of failing as you chase them. Consider those failures as

— Aristotle

one more method that you don’t need to try again.

If you keep persisting, you will succeed.

You may not reach your original goal, but you will improve. Don’t quit and you will stay on your excellence journey.

Never forget to enjoy the ride. Choose gratitude. Our struggles and failures are all part of the process. I love this quote from C.S. Lewis. It helps me refocus on enjoying the moment when life’s detours begin to drive me a little nuts.

“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is that what one calls interruptions are precisely one’s real life — the life God is sending day by day; what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination.”

Here’s to the journey — and enjoying the twists, turns and delays on the way!

If you’d like some great resources to help you on your journey you can find them on our resources page at www.valuesdrivenresults.com or call me at 229.244.1559.

Curt Fowler is President of Fowler & Company and Director at Fowler, Holley, Rambo & Stalvey. He is dedicated to helping leaders create and achieve a compelling vision for their organizations.

Curt is a syndicated business writer, keynote speaker and business advisor.

He has an MBA in Strategy and Entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School, is a CPA, and a pretty good guy as defined by his wife and four children.

JUST DRIVE.

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