October 15th, 2010 I had the honor and pleasure in participating in the opening of the Dr. Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science building dedication at the University of New Haven.

During this time I was able to spend about 1 hour with Dr. Henry C. Lee with a private tour with the Board of Governors of the facility and enjoyed personal conversations with Dr. Lee explaining some of the dramatic cases and discoveries he has personally been involved with over the years.

The center is leading state of the art and if you are ever in the New Haven area I recommend highly that you stop by for a visit.

As I reflect back on my early days in franchising, I recall the many seasoned franchise veterans advising me on how difficult it truly is to maintain positive relationships with franchisees because of the nature of the business relationship. After being a franchised operation for ten years now, I realize that it is similar to raising a child- early on they completely depend on you, followed by the adolescent independence phase, followed by the ‘you don’t know anything phase’ and finally to a point of mutual respect and acknowledgment. This is all true but in my experience, I have found that

franchisees need to know that you care and are listening before they care what you think.

In the end, it is like politics and religion- no matter what you pay or do, everyone is not going to agree with you. What experiences have you had as a franchisee, franchisor, or even as a customer?

All my life I have searched for advisers that would share their knowledge and experience with me.  I also believe in giving back, so I too have openly shared my knowledge and experience in many ways.  Giving back is a single pleasure in life that will not only make you feel good but will help make the world a better place.

Motivational articles and speakers are great and for many it is just a validation of what you are already doing or should be doing.  Why this topic today? I had the pleasure of attending an event the other night to see a very successful motivational speaker. This speaker was very good and very entertaining but the question I kept asking myself- am I learning anything new? I mean really new?

For me, it was a validation of many of my beliefs but my path and desires were very different than the speaker.  At the break, I decided to leave the presentation after purchasing one of the speakers books.  Headed home early that night so I could spend some time with my daughter before she went to sleep.  My experience and suggestion- read what interests you, attend seminars that are meaningful, and adapt what is right for you and your family.

Remember, time is the only thing that you can only spend once.  Spend it wisely!

I recently returned from my first visit to the PBS station in New York City. I had a great time being intertviewed by Jeff Yastine for possible inclusion on a PBS/Nightly Business Report segment.  As any entrepreneur will tell you, it is always exciting to discuss your concept (in this case Foot Solutions) and what sets you apart from everyone else.  I know that the interview time will be sliced and diced and may end up only a few minutes long, but at the end of the day it was a great experience and I cannot wait to see the finished product.

It has almost been a year now when we look back at when the economic slide really started to pick up speed and acknowledgment from most businesses.

There will certainly be more speed bumps and hurdles to get over but at this time let’s take a hard look at the positives.   If you have survived this long you have to continue doing whatever it takes to weather the storm.

What lessons have we learned?

For me it has been very clear for those of you that have focused on your core business and core customer your business has been stable and in a number of cases actually increased over the last year.  If this has not been true for you then it is time to challenge your business model; you will not survive  this downturn without change and adjustment.

The month of April we have had a Foot Solutions store set a new all time high record month.  This was a store in the middle of the pack that broke free and showed what could happen when one does not accept the doom and gloom from the media and naysayers.

Actually when I look at some of the changes, there have been Foot Solutions store closures and failures.  Let’s look at it from a different perspective – it has been relatively stable for about seven years prior to this economic downturn.  Put seven years of adjustments into the equation and it looks a little different.  This is almost a natural progression of what must happen for a business to succeed and continue.

In life there will always be speed bumps and issues to overcome.  The good news is we can and are working through the issues we all face and the potential for our future is actually brighter and more positive than it has ever been.

Let’s focus and celebrate on the positive, it exists everywhere.

Recently when I was reading the April issue of the Georgia Trend magazine I was surprised to see a picture of myself staring back at me.  I would like to thank the Cobb Chamber of Commerce for the great honor of being selected as 2008 Small Business of the Year and also thank Cobb County for creating such a great place to work and live.

I am humbled and honored to be recognized but also want everyone to know what a great place Cobb County is for small businesses just like mine.

Economic Challenges at Work and Home

There is a lot of fear and negativity out there related to the challenges we face.  Try to stay focused on the positive – the 90% that are employed and still have their homes.  Look at this economic spiral like nature cleaning house, the natural selection process.

Bad things are going to happen some time, you cannot ignore them and you should make adjustments to your lifestyle for what is best for you.  Don’t panic and use common sense.  We will get through this, some more successfully than others.  The positive side is we are making positive changes to our lifestyles and focus is more on basics, maybe even a return to more family time, don’t forget to turn off the TV and try talking some nights.