Mike Ketchum

Have you ever been really exhausted even on a Monday morning?  Here are 4 ideas to help you refuel.

1. Watch 2 movies- yes I said it… watching TV is a mindless activity that I feel helps in letting go of the daily thoughts you have.  Sometimes I cannot stop thinking about the office and all the stuff that I’m going to have to do when I get back so I find that watching a good movie takes my mind off all that has worn me out.  I suggest watching 1 action adventure to get your blood pumping, and follow that up with a good comedy.  2 movies that I like to watch over and over are A Few Good Men and Dumb & Dumber.
2. Hit The gym- Physical activity helps take your mind off all that’s going on and exerting energy helps you sleep better at night.  It really doesn’t matter if your Joe athlete or not, just get moving.  Do something! Take a long walk/run, go for a bike ride, do some moderate weight training, play a game of some sort, anything that gets your heart rate going.
3. Hang Out With Friends- I’m not talking about friends that are in the same industry that you are, I’m talking about friends that have no knowledge about the type of work you do.  This will help keep the “Office talk” out of your conversation.  Sometimes listing to people who are in a different field will get your creative fuel going and get you back excited.
4. Sleep- This might be the most important thing you can do the get refueled.  A good nights sleep will do wonders for you.  I’m not one who’s known for getting a lot of sleep, but when I’m feeling drained, I make myself get 8-10 hours of sleep to help get me back on track.

So first flight left late and I did not make the connection in Atlanta.  No biggie, I’ll just spend the day here in the Sky Club handling some emails and editing some graphics that need to get done.  Traveling can be pretty frustrating if you let it.  I choose to make the most of it by getting somethings done that would be hard to get done if I were in the office where I have many distractions.

I’m the kind of guy who likes different sayings and other words of wisdom. In my office if someone finds a good motivational saying they bring it to me. As I was cleaning up my work area I saw several of the fortunes that came out of fortune cookies that my co-workers have brought me. This has got me to thinking “what’s my fortune going to be?”. I answer it very simply, it’s going to be what I make it. My fortune will be a direct reflection of what effort I put into my life.

Simple right? Go do something great!

So often we focus on what we want to achieve but don’t think we have what it takes.  Do you have what it takes?  It takes so much more than what we are willing to admit due to not waning to do “What ever it takes to succeed”.

So lets look into what it takes. First it takes a dream.  Do you take time to dream of what you want? In today’s busy times it’s so hard to take time out to dream about what you want to achieve.  You will always hit what you target but you must target something.  Do you have the physicality to make the moves to hit the target?  Each person should set aside some time each week for some type of physical activity (even you Charles Atlas).  Just simply exercising 3 times a week is the minimum you need.  In order to exercise you must fuel your body with the correct fuel.  So often we fuel/feed our bodies with junk and expect it to function at a high level.  What are you feeding your thoughts?  Are you looking and reading things that build you up or things that are empty?  What you watch & read will have a direct effect on how you act each and everyday.

So again I’ll ask do you have what it takes?  I’ll answer for you, YOU DO but you will think that you don’t because you have not done what ever it takes.

Start today feeding yourself little by little the fuel you need.  You have it in you!

In the retail food industry there are many different moving parts much like a watch.  There are 3 main parts that I consider to be a MUST HAVE in order to have a great item.

1. Image.  Your packaging must be eye-catching so consumers will notice you.  If you just blend in with all the other items, consumers will just walk by.  In order to achieve this, you must have a great logo or staple image.  You must have great eye-catching graphics but don’t go too over board.  Choosing the right color combination is very important.  Once you have your packaging designed, show the proofs to as many people as you can.  Show them to your spouse, co-workers, friends, and anyone who buys items like your selling and ask for their opinion.  Key here it’s not make every change that they suggest, but do listen and consider what they are saying.

2. Price. You must price what your selling to a point where the masses can afford it.  Being in the food business I like good food and will spend more for good food but the masses don’t shop like I do. When costing out your item, make sure that it’s affordable but, and don’t miss this one, do not skimp on ingredients. When costing out your item you need to remember that the store will put there mark up on it.

3. Taste. I reefer to this as “it must eat good”.  So if you have achieved the first 2 steps and have your product in grocery stores, consumers will now be able to purchase your product.  This step is probably the  most important of all because this is where you get repeat customers.  I have often referred t his as “If it eats well, they will re-buy”.

Today I was at my office when the person who did our company website called to tell me that he had hired some new help.  While training he had her set me up a new website.  I have never had my own website before so I’m uber excited about this.  I have not been blogging very much over the past few weeks, but this has inspired me to get back to blogging.  Keep checking back for more updates. I have been working really hard on getting the new items that I have talked about in previous blogs ready.  They are very close to being done.