Congratulations to our staff at Approved Auto Sales for finishing up a great month in October. They were successful in meeting all four goals set for the month. Our business has experienced great growth over the last year. The growth can be directly attributed to the growth of the staff at Approved. I look forward to having many successful months down the road.
Louis
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Diabetes is a serious disease that affects your body’s ability to produce and use insulin adequately resulting in a build-up of glucose in the blood known as high blood sugar. Nearly 26 million Americans are currently living with a diabetes diagnosis. Of these approximately 813,000 live in Mississippi and Alabama.
There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is most often diagnosed in children but can occur at any age. It limits insulin production but its causes are unknown. Type 2 diabetes accounts for more than 90% of diabetes cases. It has been linked to older age and family history, although it is increasingly being diagnosed in younger Americans.
While you cannot change your family history, knowing about it can give you the information you need to take action on the things you can change. If you are at risk for type 2 diabetes, you can prevent or, at least, delay the onset of this disease by making important lifestyle changes such as eating healthier and increasing physical activity.
Visiting your primary healthcare provider for routine check-ups is also important. This allows your doctor to monitor your health and identify health issues before they become serious. Employees and their dependents covered by the Montgomery Enterprises Health insurance plan are eligible to receive one glucose screening each year at no cost to the member as part of the Healthy You! wellness benefit. Annual glucose screenings are available for high-risk individuals between the ages of 3 and 39 and for all other individuals beginning at age 40.
For covered employees or dependents that have already been diagnosed with diabetes, benefits are available to help you manage this disease such as annual diabetes self-management training, dilated eye exams and preventive routine foot care. Equipment and supplies for glucose monitoring and insulin administration are also covered under our plan.
By taking steps to prevent or effectively treat type 2 diabetes, you are also taking steps that can help lower your risk for other serious health problems such as stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and blindness. Feel free to contact me for information on the benefits available for diabetes prevention and treatment.
~ Kandi
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
~Maria Robinson
I hope you all are having a spooky Halloween! I would like to share the costumes from today. You all look great!
One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to read non-fiction books. I generally keep a few books on hand that I am either reading or intending to read. One of my favorite business/self-development authors is Larry Winget. Having been labeled “the Pit Bull of Personal Development” Winget’s short books serve as the kick in the pants we often need to get moving and do the things we need to do to make our life and job better. I just finished his most recent book and thought I would share of few quotes from his bestseller. — Luke
“Success comes from what you do, not from what you say you are going to do.”
“Those that consider themselves the exception to the rule should reread the rule.”
“Can’t usually means won’t.”
“The best way to get ahead is to move your behind.”
“Your time, energy and money always go to what is important to you.”
“You can’t step up to the next level as long as you keep one foot on the lower level.”
“If it’s right and no one else is doing it, it’s still right. If it’s wrong and everyone else is doing it, it’s still wrong.”
and finally. . .
Larry’s Number One Rule for Life and Business: Do what you said you would do, when you said you would do it, the way you said you would do it.
Merriam-Webster defines synergy as the increased effectiveness that results when two or more people or businesses work together. I recently heard this word for the first time and it has really stuck in my mind. The phrase “two heads are better than one” is a simple way to remember what synergy means. This should be a key word that we use in our company every day. Teamwork and open mindedness to ideas other than your own fall under synergy and it definitely takes that to run a successful business. Together we can produce far better results than we could individually. Let’s all practice “synergizing” and watch as it helps grow our stores and company as a whole.
Have a great day!
Meredith
My father always used to say, “Don’t raise your voice. Improve your
argument.” –Desmond Tutu
A mediocre person tells. A good person explains. A superior person demonstrates.
A great person inspires others to see for themselves.- Harvey Mackay
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I have never been hurt by what I have not said. –Calvin Coolidge
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.- Aristotle
It’s that time of year again. Tonight will be the first game of this year’s World Series. This World Series features a couple of storied franchises in Boston and St. Louis. Two teams with plenty of difference makers, potential heroes waiting for their opportunity to join a long line of ordinary players who managed to do something extraordinary in a World Series. Some of you may know that I am a die-hard Cardinals fan although I am not always the fan that never loses hope. I will never forget the 2011 World Series….The Cardinals were down 3-2 in the series and had their backs to the wall as they entered the bottom of the ninth down 7-5. This is when I, a lifelong Cardinals fan, decided that the game was over, gave up and sadly went to sleep. After I went to sleep, Rangers’ closer Neftali Feliz came to the mound with hopes of shutting the door on St. Louis. However, he ran into trouble though, giving up a one-out double to Albert Pujols and a walk to Lance Berkman. Then, with two outs and the Series on the line, youngster David Freese hit a game-tying two-run triple to send it into extra innings. With the game still tied 9-9 in the bottom of the 11th, Freese led off the inning with game-winning home run for his second Series-saving hit of the day. St. Louis would go on to win Game 7 and the championship.
This taught me a very good lesson in sports and in life. Never Give Up! Often when you feel like you want to give up and you are about to give up you are so close to making a huge break-thru. You don’t want to be known as someone that is weak and gives up. Go out there and prove yourself to the world and to yourself. You CAN and WILL achieve what you set out to do. The only time you fail is when you give up.
P.S. Go Cardinals!!!!!!!
Rachel
As you may or may not know, the open enrollment period for our company’s insurance benefit plan will take place within the next few weeks. Each year we anticipate the possible premium increase we will receive from each carrier and “shop” our business with other carriers to make sure we are offering our employees the best possible coverage at the most competitive rates.
There are many criteria insurance carriers take into consideration when calculating annual renewal premiums. One of those criteria is patient utilization. We as covered members of the Montgomery Enterprises, Inc. benefit plan have resources available to us to help in making informed healthcare decisions.
One of those resources is the Nurse Advice Line offered by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of MS to all covered members. By simply calling the toll free number (1-800-552-2134) and providing your Blue Cross & Blue Shield of MS ID number, you will be able to speak directly with a registered nurse who can assess your symptoms and help you decide the level of care needed. The Nurse Advice Line is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, free of charge and all calls are completely confidential.
Other ways that we can make wise healthcare decisions is to consider alternatives such as visiting after-hours or urgent care facilities in lieu of an emergency room after normal physician office hours. Also, consider lower cost generic options to higher priced brand named drugs when available. The myBlue website or the myBlue App available for smartphones are both excellent tools in finding useful information such as this.
For more information on the Nurse Advice Line or about your benefits in general, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
~Kandi
“Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader.”
~ George S. Patton
I wanted to share a couple of paragraphs from the book Smart Moves Management by John Thedford. The following insert comes from a chapter in John’s book addressing engaged customers.
“In the restaurant and bar business, there’s a group of people known as the regulars. These are the people who, for example, show up every Friday night at about the same time and, to a person, order just about the same meal and drinks. The manager, the waitstaff, and the regulars often know one another by name and certainly by sight. The waitress walks up to the table and asks, “The usual”?
Regulars bring friends to their favorite place. They recommend and refer thereby improving the business. Everyone is still doing business, but you’re in each other’s lives supportively; some would even say you’re actually friends.”
I want us to take a step back and look at daily routines and customer service habits in our stores. Do we currently have customers that qualify as “The Regulars”? Do our customer service habits create more regulars? If we keep these two questions in mind as we make decisions we will have more engaged customers over time.
The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself.- Peter Drucker
Have a great day…Louis
Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and other gifts I received for “Boss’s Day” yesterday. Your kindness made the day extra special.
I noticed on the news yesterday that in Washington a deal was reached to end the government shutdown. I guess that means that all the “non-essential workers” can begin making their way back to the old grindstone. I sure am glad to know that we don’t have any non-essential employees within our organization. Everyone within the company is absolutely essential, or much needed.
On this Thursday. the day after Boss’s Day, I want to say “thanks” to all of our employees for being an essential part of our success. —- Luke
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” Epictetus