Ode To March

Okayyy….

I’ve had enough of this winter weather…

After teasing us with some above average temperatures

During the end of February

 

March came in roaring like a lion

 

Below average temperatures

2 Nor’easters last week

1 Nor’easter just missed us this week

And slammed the New England states

Flooding rains

Whipping winds

7 inches of wet snow

 

(The trees didn’t stand a chance)

Branches and trees were falling all over the place

 

We even had thunder snow…

 

I just heard they are tracking another Nor’easter

Heading towards us next week

 

Tell me when we can start having fun again…

 

The snow was so wet and heavy last week

I walked out my back door and…

You could hear the trees cracking

 

I said a quick prayer….

 

Please God…

No surprises

 

I called my wife and told her

You better start heading home

And please

Do not pull your car all the way up

To the top of the driveway

Park down by the end of the driveway

Next to my car

 

Good thing she listened…

I walked out later

And a big branch had fallen

Right in the driveway

Where she normally parks

 

The guy down the street was not so lucky

As I drove to work the next day

I saw a large limb had fallen

Right on the front hood of his car

 

Ouch….

 

Living in New Jersey

We are used to the cold winters

 

When I say cold winters…

I’m thinking December, January…February

 

By March…

We’re tired of all this stuff

 

After all…

 

We sprang forward last Saturday night

 

The 1^st day of spring is next week…March 20^th

 

Even Easter is early this year…April 1

 

 

So how about some warm weather

 

P…L…E…A…S…E…

 

Let’s see March go out like a lamb

 

 

Every Day is a Gift

We find ways to save you money…

Thank you for your referrals

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Back to Reality

What a whirlwind
The last week and a half has been…

For all you lifelong Philly fans…
The Eagles finally hit pay dirt

What a game….
It looked like a shoot out

Tom Brady played one of his best games ever
And lost….

Nick Foles was in a zone….

Rather than succumbing to pressure of the moment
Foles took it to a whole new level….
And brought the Super Bowl Trophy
To Philadelphia

My wife and I ran out to Dicks right after the game
And bought shirts for our kids and grand kids

It looked like they were giving away free money…
Hundreds of people making their way
Thru a maze
To the table in the center of Dicks
That held all the shirts

Shirts were flying in every direction

Excuse me…
Where does it say what size this is….
I don’t need that size
Where’s the women’s medium
Are the men’s large over there….
Do you see any youth small anywhere…
We need 3 of them

Now that we have the shirts….
It is hurry up and wait….

Oh….We have to pay for all this fun

$400 later….
We didn’t get home until right before midnight…

Then I said to myself…
It is way past my bedtime…
I should probably go to bed…

Go to Bed….
How could I just go to sleep…
The Eagles won the Super Bowl
And there is going to be a big parade

Anybody else have that problem….
Going to sleep that night…
I was wide awake till about 2:30…

I got a text after the game…

Coming up for the parade
Do you have an extra bed…

Flem was flying in from Florida
This is going to be fun…

The parade went off without a hitch
We took the Speedline over
And watched the parade at 15th and Market
Right by City Hall
Brent hooked us up….

The crowd loved it…
The players loved it…
The police loved it…
We all loved it…
It was a Philadelphia lovefest

People could not stop smiling
And yes…
There were a lot of Eagle chants and singing……

Fly Eagles fly…
Thousands of people singing at once

E A G L E S…..

You could feel the energy all around you

So now what…
It’s……Back to Reality…

Sports radio is a buzz…
Will the Eagles repeat…
What do we do with Foles…
Hour by hour they go on…

We will be hearing the same conversation
For the next couple of months

Hey…
Did you know the Phillies Pitchers and Catchers
Started practicing Feb 14th…

Valentine’s Day

Is this the sign for another lovefest…

The full team starts practicing Feb 19th

It’s Phillies Spring training…

That should help fill the time

 

 

Every Day is a Gift

Thank you for your referrals

Where to Look

It is always nice to hear good things about our company

 

When I was on the other side of the table

Looking to make a major purchase or an upgrade

I always made it a point

To get as much information as possible

 

I was looking to see

Who would be the most qualified

To implement the program or vision

We looked to achieve

 

I never liked long winded explanations

Just give me the facts

 

When giving the presentation

Give an apple to apples comparison

 

That is the only way you can make an objective decision

 

If a presentation leads to more questions than answers

I found that disheartening

 

Why am I babbling about this…

 

Recently…I was delighted

When a client complimented HBS

On the completeness of our presentation

 

They went on to say…..

We interviewed another broker…

 Their presentation was confusing….

 Leaving more questions than answers….

 

They felt our proposal was self-explanatory

It provided all the information they needed to know

They liked our attention to detail

 

Our proposal also noted

What items were under contract

And their expiration dates

 

Our goal has always been…

Define the client’s needs…

Properly address the client’s needs…

Show value with our solution….

Build a relationship of trust with the client….

Continually educate our clients

 

Everything we do

Is done with the client’s best interest in mind

 

HBS has provided substantial savings

To many of the Delaware Valley’s

Most successful firms

 

Many were surprised to find savings from 20% up to 40% and more

 

Deregulated Energy…Communication…Unemployment Taxes…Sales Tax…Property Tax

 

How do we do it…

We know where to look

BICO

Baby it’s cold outside…(BICO)

 

It all started last week

Weather forecasters were calling for a…

Bomb Cyclone

 

That’s a new name….

 

Who do they pay to come up with this stuff…

 

El Nino, La Nina, Polar Vortex and…

Last summer they came out with Dew Points

Now it’s a Bomb Cyclone

 

An artic blast dipped into the south and came up the coast

 

It was snowing in Jacksonville and Tallahassee

It snowed in Savannah and Charleston

The storm was 800 miles out at sea

Yet it dumped from 12 – 18 inches along the NJ coast line

While the Phila area got 4-6 inches

 

I was out shoveling in 2-inch intervals

 

Easier on the back…

 

Winds were howling at 30- 40 miles an hour almost all day

 

Then….

 

The Bomb Cyclone was officially listed as a blizzard…

 

The National Weather Bureau defines a blizzard as a storm

which contains large amounts of snow OR blowing snow,

with winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than 1/4 mile

for an extended period of time (at least 3 hours)

 

I will say it again….

 

BICO

 

I went on retreat last weekend

While there…

I decided to venture outside for a walk

 

On Saturday the temperature was 8 degrees

With feels like temperature of -4 below

 

On Sunday…

I woke up and it was 0 degrees

 

Yea…You got that right…

 

Zero (0)

The feels like temperature was again -4 below

 

The rooms were having problems

Keeping up with the frigid temperatures

So…. I just threw on an extra blanket

 

 

I drove home from work on Monday

The roads, sidewalks and my driveway were…

One big sheet of ice

 

It may look nice and shiny from a distance

But it was a real mess

 

 

After all this

My wife has just about had it with this cold snap

 

She walked into our office and said…

 

“It’s freezing out there

I can’t take this cold anymore

When can we go to Florida”…

 

She didn’t have to ask me twice…

I booked a flight that afternoon

 

We’ll just have to tough out the cold

Till mid-February

 

 

Every Day is a Gift

 

Thanks for the referrals

Welcome 2018

 Who knows where the time goes…..

 

When we were younger and in school

We had units of measure we used to live by

There was always a holiday in waiting

It helped to pass the time

Knowing that the long Thanksgiving weekend was coming….

In less than a month….

We would be on Christmas break

 

Now…..

Every year seems to go a little faster

We have become…… beyond teens….

 

Time just seems to mesh

Just like that….

2017 is in the books

 

Will 2018 be different

That is up to us

 

I will be heading to Malvern this weekend

For our annual retreat

This will be 34 years

What a great way to start each year
Taking time to reflect on what happened in my life during the last year

Praying for the wisdom to guide me thru the next year

 

I will also be Praying……

That time slows down

Helping me to live more in the moment….

 

It is easy to get caught up in the day to day hustle…

Easily distracted….

Projecting thoughts…

Always looking forward…

Not paying attention to the now…

 

It is in the now……That peace is found

I pray to ground myself in the now

 

Welcome 2018

Merry Christmas

The spirit of Christmas is in the air

The kids are home from school

 

Families are making plans to get together

The excitement builds

As you are buying presents

Looking for that one special gift

That will bring a smile to their face

 

Love is in the air

 

No matter how your day is going

Many find…

They are lifted by the Christmas spirit

 

I was speaking with a client recently

And asked how they were doing….

They responded….

 

“Great…. I wish it was always December.”

 

Let’s make a special toast….

 

May your everyday be a December….

 

Let us take time

To celebrate and give thanks

To the many things

We take for granted

 

May we always remember…

 

Every Day is a Gift

 

Merry Christmas to All

Happy Dance

How was your Thanksgiving…

 

Long weekends are great

Though… they seem to be few and far between

 

Over the past 39 years

My wife and I have hosted

Thanksgiving Dinner

Christmas Brunch

Christmas Dinner

 

Just about every year

Except for maybe 4 or 5 times

 

Not that I am complaining

We love hosting

It is always about getting the family together

Which is increasingly difficult to do…

 

Everyone has their own schedules

And sometimes it can take several months

To get everyone synced up

Just to sit down and have a meal together

 

That is what makes the Holiday meals so special

Everyone tries to be there

 

This year my wife’s brother… Collin

Moved into a new townhouse

 

A couple of months ago he said

I think Lindsey and I would like

To host Thanksgiving dinner this year

 

I’m talking…

Music to my ears

 

Maybe it is time to pass the torch…

 

That would be great Col

Can’t wait to see the new townhouse

 

We walk into their townhouse

And the first thing I see

Is a new roasting pan…

With a turkey in it

 

Janet…

I think Collin and Lindsey are in this for the long haul…

They made an investment

Look at that roasting pan

 

Janet starts with the compliments…

 

Love this townhouse…

What a great kitchen…

This meal looks great…

I can’t wait to eat…

 

This food is delicious…

 

You guys are doing a great job

 

Are you guys interested in doing this again….

 

Lindsey smiles…

 

I’m glad you like it…

We should make this an annual tradition

 

Janet starts a happy dance across the floor

 

Collin says wait a minute…

 

Do I have any say in this…

 

No…

 

I don’t think so….

It looks like you bought a new roasting pan

I would hate to see it go to waste

 

Love this townhouse…

 

There’s a big hill in the back

The kids can have a great time

Running up and down that hill

 

Did I tell you we had a Great Thanksgiving…

 

Thanks Collin and Lindsey

 

I heard Elizabeth and Evan are planning to do Christmas

 

What time should we be there…

The Competitive Advantage

Many of the people I talk to

Admit to budgeting by….

 

How much did we spend last year?

 

How do you know what you spent last year;

Was the correct amount?

 

It may be your comfort level amount…

 

Do not take what you paid last year

As the cost of doing business.

 

In today’s market….

The competitive advantage belongs

To businesses that find smart solutions

To the challenges they face.

 

One way to keep this edge is….

By taking control of your expenses.

 

HBS validates what you are currently spending

Identifies sources of additional revenue

That increase your company’s bottom line.

 

HBS leaves no stones unturned

In our search for savings.

 

We find ways to save you money…

 

How do we do it?

 

We know where to look…

Smile Away

 

I was going to work this week

I stopped at Starbucks

The girl behind me yelled to her friend….

 

She was sitting there

Staring out the window

 

Linda…You okay….

 

Linda snapped out of it and said….

 

Sorry…

You caught me zoning out

 

I was on the speedline

Heading to a client

 

I saw all these people

Just walking in

Blank stares on their faces

 

No….

Good Morning…..

 

Hey…How ya doing…

 

Have a nice day…

 

Not even a smile…

 

Caught up in their own little world

 

Blank Stares

 

Why the disconnect….

 

I know….

Sometimes we want to be alone

 

We may need to be alone

Disconnected from the buzz around you

 

However…

Always remember

 

Your smile is the window to the world

 

“Let us always meet each other with a smile…

 For your smile is the beginning of love”

Mother Theresa

The Gift

What we are is God’s gift to us….

 

What we become is our gift to God. – Eleanor Powell

 

 

Just take a moment to read that once again…

 

 

Let it breath thru you

 

 

What we are is God’s gift to us….

 

What we become is our gift to God. – Eleanor Powell

 

 

 

I find that to be a very powerful statement

 

 

 

My life has been a true blessing

 

 

I grew up in a close-knit

 

 

Loving family atmosphere

 

 

Attended great schools

 

 

Married my best friend

 

 

We were blessed with 4 beautiful children

 

 

Who have now gone on to bless us with…

 

 

5 beautiful grandchildren

 

 

 

I have been able to grow a business

 

 

Doing the things that I love

 

 

While building lasting friendships

 

 

 

Reflecting on my life

 

I realize….

 

 

It is all a gift

 

 

 

I have heard some people say….

 

 

 

 

Nobody ever handed me anything

 

 

 

I worked hard for everything I have

 

 

 

I deserve all this

 

 

 

 

What they fail to realize is…

 

 

 

Everything we have is…

 

 

 

Just a gift

 

 

 

 

 

Why was I born in NJ…

 

 

Why were so many opportunities…

 

 

Made available to me…

 

 

During my lifetime

 

 

 

When I stop to reflect….

 

 

I am filled with gratitude

 

 

 

 

We are all blessed

 

 

 

 

Someone is praying for

 

 

The things we all take for granted

 

 

 

 

Don’t take your life for granted

 

 

 

Our life is our message to the world

 

 

Make sure it is inspiring

 

 

 

 

As we express our gratitude…

we must never forget

that the highest appreciation is

not to utter words…

but to live by them – John F. Kennedy