“Time is on my side, yes it is!” is what the great Mick Jagger says.
Well, I don’t know about you, but I think he is lying. Time isn’t on our side. Especially this year. I have an 18-year-old senior in high school, a sophomore, an eighth grader and a sixth grader. I am sure many of you can sympathize with me in saying when I am at work, things are under control and I typically know what is expected of me. But when I go home, it is a different world.
My wife and I are personal Ubers, and the social lives of these kids are second to none. We have baseball games, soccer, ballet (which had the last recital over Mother’s Day weekend so we can mark that off the list), and that doesn’t even start with the year-end school obligations.
And with a graduating senior and eighth grader, I am very happy to have sharable electronic calendars. The month of May was an absolute blur!
Did you notice what was left out? Anything business related. Women In Industry and Emerging Leaders highlighted April and May. June has NCWA in Columbus, Ohio, ASA Central in Kansas City, Missouri, and SWA on Marco Island in Florida.
The point is, we are all busy. And if we let it, time will get away. But we also have to manage it the best way we can. Between Zoom calls, industry meetings, customer or vendor issues, it is a hard, time-consuming business.
One of my colleagues said this, “If it wasn’t for customers, vendors and employees, this would be a GREAT business.” Well, after you laugh, I am sure you all know this is a great business. This is a great industry we are part of. We have phenomenal people we get to work with on a daily basis with some of the smartest minds helping our business come up with solutions.
And there are plenty of opportunities to get together to talk about new opportunities, obstacles, or to just learn about how other people deal with daily issues. You have buying group meetings, the regional meetings, and one that is near and dear to ASA’s heart — NETWORK.
I know you are all thinking, great, another conference. And I am thinking…GREAT…ANOTHER CONFERENCE!! We want you to sign up and be excited about the opportunities NETWORK will bring for you personally, and for your business.
NETWORK will be the most impactful all-industry premier conference, bringing together the most influential wholesaler-distributors, manufacturers and manufacturers’ rep firms for networking and collaboration.
More than 800 owners, CEOs, and professionals from 300 top firms, totaling more than $50 billion in sales, convene to expand their networks, gain inspiration and share great ideas that are sure to help their businesses.
“NETWORK will be the most impactful all-industry premier conference, bringing together the most influential wholesaler-distributors, manufacturers and manufacturers’ rep firms for networking and collaboration.”
Photo by Steve Woltman courtesy of ASA
You have 10 opportunities through educations sessions to bring SOMETHING back to your business. The Popular “Great Ideas” roundtable discussions is happening where you can bring up issues you are facing and ask others how they deal with them. Hopefully, you walk away inspired to make an impact at home.
Here are the details:
What? ASA Network
Where? Chicago- “My Kind Of Town Chicago Is,” thank you Mr. Sinatra
When? November 13-15 @ the Fairmont Millennium Park
We are all busy. Take time to invest in yourself, in your employees and in your company. If you have not been in a few years, come back and see for yourself. This is a meeting I don’t want to miss because of the networking opportunities with fellow distributors, vendors and rep agencies alike.
The fact is, I truly enjoy the chaos because sooner rather than later, it will be gone. My daughters won’t be asking me to take them to Sephora or Ulta for their overpriced soaps or whatever they saw on Instagram that week.
My sons won’t be asking me to go to their baseball games or be the delivery service for the washed jersey they forgot to wash. Heck, in a few months when we eat we will be a Party of 5 (great TV show, by the way) with my oldest off to college.
So, I am thankful for the opportunities the chaos brings. And I am changing my mind from what I said at the beginning of this.
Time is on my side. It is what you make of it. Do your absolute best to control it, or it will get the best of you.
“TIIIIIIIIIMMMEEE, IS ON MY SIDE….YES IT IS!!!”
Sincerely,
Patrick Maloney
ASA President
