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The Night-Owls of New Market “My companion and I, for sometimes I have a companion, take pleasure in fancying ourselves knights of new, or rather an old, order – not Equestrians or Chevaliers, not Ritters or Riders, but Walkers, a still more ancient and honorable class, I trust. The Chivalric and heroic spirit which once belonged to the Rider seems now to reside in, or perchance to have subsided into, the Walker – not the Knight, but Walker, Errant.” -Henry David Thoreau, ‘Walking’ (1851) Being born is a funny thing in that you have very little say in the matter. Where you live and grow up is a luck of the draw. You could end up in the frigid mountains or sweltering desert. Maybe it’s a loud and chaotic city? Perhaps it’s a tranquil farm? We all grow up playing in our own sandboxes. For my friends and I, it was a small historically-preserved town in the exurbs of Maryland. New Market West was hardly new. It had the bare basics of a modern municipality just around the fringes. A suburban neighborhood, a grocery store, a gas station, a school, and even a McDonalds. However, the spine of the place, the main road, was a line of antique shops housed in eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings. When my family moved there in the late 90's, the town marketed itself as “The Antiques Capital” of the state and there was a population of almost four-hundred people. Typical of the Federal style, everything seemed to be made of brick. Historically, the one-street town was a supply-stop on the wagon trail (now Old National Pike). There were a couple of small backroads, but they didn't merit the title of “street.” Simply, “North Alley” and “South Alley.” Strict zoning laws prohibited anyone from altering the colonial architecture. The way it looked then was not far off from how it appeared when established in 1793. That is partially for marketing purposes, but partially sincere too. It is the kind of Luddite commitment and stubbornness that felt both stupid and yet undeniably charming. In a world that never stops moving, the idea of a place frozen in time is an enchanting thought. There were plenty of more developed towns within driving distance. However, in those final carless days of our youth, we may as well have been light years away from everyone else. My friends and I would test that boundary on foot, but it was essentially like living in a strange and isolated time warp. Maryland's darker hours often anticipated a low-hanging fog. For a good part of our teenage years, my friends and I followed after. Why? We were night-owls. There are different cultures all over the world, but the majority share at least this one commonality - They awaken and become most productive when the sunlight is at its brightest. Also worldwide, though in much smaller numbers, there are those who rise with the moon. Between midnight and six AM, we always seemed to perk up, like the veil was suddenly lifted from our eyes. We would sneak out of our houses, then meet up for long jaunts through our small town - school nights be damned. These nightly outings aggravated my parents, but to be fair, we stayed out of trouble. There was not much trouble to be had anyway, so they learned to tolerate my after-hours escapades. I was a very indoorsy kid otherwise. In an effort to get me outdoors and exercising more often, my parents once told me that I had to join a sport. I went for the loophole and picked bowling. Still indoors! So, when they saw my late-night walks become a regular thing, I can imagine my parents just said, "At least, it gets him outside..." Our town didn't have many street lamps. The moon illuminated things just enough to let us navigate through the streets. Night walks like that seemed more isolating and introspective. When 99.5% of the town is in bed and you can't see more than ten feet in any direction, your thoughts turn inward. And at that age, our minds were always racing. And we had no cell phones. Just each other and the fog. But how to get outside after dark? I have to date myself here to be true to the scene. I had no computer in my bedroom. I had no personal TV. While I gave my parents a chance to fall into a deep sleep, I would have to entertain myself by listening to the radio on a small stereo, writing in my journal, writing lyrics to songs I would never record, and reading books. When enough time had passed, I glanced out my window to see if Marlon's bedroom light was still on. It was. Marlon was another child of the night who lived right across the street as it turned out. I first started noticing Marlon because his bedroom window faced mine. In the early morning hours when I was still awake, I would sometimes look out my window and be surprised to find that his bedroom light was also on. We soon became friends and we would take advantage of our insomnia sometimes, by going for walks at night. I had familiarized myself with my house. I knew the creaky floorboards, the noisy steps in our stairway, the loose handrails, the doors that stuck in their frames, the squeaky hinges, all of those details. I chose my footsteps carefully, stalking down the stairs like a patient cat on the prowl. When I got to the door, I delicately undid the deadbolt, eased open the door, then closed it behind me in my most spy-like manner. Once outside, I found cover and surveyed my parents' bedroom window to see if they showed any signs of stirring. I checked the neighbors' windows too and saw no lights, save for Marlon's. I half expected a giant spotlight to suddenly shine on me and a siren to start sounding. Then there was always the exhilarating realization that no one was awake and no one cared. Still, I creeped like a bandit across the street to his house. His room was on the second floor, so I fetched a soft piece of mulch from their garden and tossed it lightly at Marlon's window. He poked his head out the window after a moment. A wave and gesture for me to wait followed. Soon after, he tip-toed out his front door.. I was often joined by another local kid whose name was John. He lived on the other end of our neighborhood and it took about five minutes to walk there. His house was a split-level and he could usually be found in the office, which had a window on the back side of the house. So, I'd walk back and spot him through the window. He would be sitting at his computer playing video games, his back to me. It was at this point that I would typically rap hard at his window so that his heart would leap into his throat and he'd almost fall out of his chair with a yelp. He always forgave me, bless his soul. He would say, “You know, the joke's going to be on you one day 'cause you're going to find me looking at porn.” Lastly, there was Sean's house on the farthest end of the neighborhood. To get to him, I weaved through some houses and down a couple streets, then walked through his backyard, right up to his bedroom window. Sometimes, I knocked. Most times, I just opened the window and crawled in. He would of course be awake, playing video games. Why go for walks at night? Aside from the fact that we had little else to do, going for a stroll can be an activity unto itself. “It's not the destination. It's the journey,” as the saying goes. Sure, we would often trek to the twenty-four-hour convenience store. There, we would grab a drink and snack, but this was not why we went out. It was that rare period of your life where you want to go and have a social life on your own, but can’t yet drive. We never discussed it, but I think we sensed that we got something out of our walks. It was independence, sure, but I sometimes returned from one of our jaunts feeling like I had developed character in some small way. We would amble from here to there like a merry band of travelers and as we wandered, so did our thoughts. We would talk about a range of subjects. Art, life, love, and the stars above. Sometimes, we said nothing. Sometimes, we even sang. There were nights when we opted for one of the back roads like North Alley. Less lighting, more fog, and an old cemetery with headstones too worn to read. I remember being in the cemetery once just before dawn. For some reason, I was rollicking around the leaning tombstones, riverdancing like a sleep-deprived idiot. “You know, that's kind of disrespectful,” said John. “Yeah, you shouldn't do that,” agreed Sean. Shaking his head, Marlon added, “Can't take you anywhere.” I stopped dancing, composed myself, and silently asked the dead for forgiveness. That night, I developed a sense of respect for the dead and along with many nights after, I gained a reverence for the past. I took a photo of Marlon and John at this site for a photography class. The sun had barely begun to rise. When we saw the developed photo later, it surprised us. John and Marlon were partially see-through… a ghostly-looking accidental double exposure. We took it as an apparational warning and I have not danced in a cemetery since. When I said there was no trouble to be had in New Market, that was generally the truth. That said, there were some weird… brouhahas here and there. It can be invigorating to explore the boundaries of your home, though you do not always know what you are going to find. One time, John and I were walking along a dark country road because we had decided to visit a friend of ours who lived just beyond our usual limits.  I think we were around Old National Pike and Detrick Road, which technically is entering the rural territory of Mt. Airy, the next town over. As we walked the unfamiliar road, an indistinct clanking and thumping sound gradually approached us in the darkness. At first it seemed dismissable, but then it kept growing. “Do you hear that too?” I asked John. “Yeah… what is that?” Our hearts started to beat heavily as the sound drew closer. A nervous tickle went through my limbs as I got the feeling that we were not alone. We both half-laughed, perplexed as to what it could be. We  stopped and looked in the direction of the noise. The sound, within 15 feet of us, came to a stop as well. When our eyes adjusted to the thick blackness, we found ourselves faced with the surreal sight of twenty wide-eyed cows staring back at us. All that separated us was a simple electric fence. “Oh my god,” John managed with a gulp. I added a helpful “Ummm…” When we started to walk again, the cows followed in unison. They stayed in step beside us and when we stopped, eighty hooves came to a halt. It was an unnerving introduction to cattle behavior, but we survived. Later research informed me that cows behave much like big dogs. They are curious and will follow you if they are interested. It can also be a sign of affection. They might moo at you in happiness or fear. They might travel together or alone. When they are irritated, you will see kicking, tail-flicking, snorting, and stamping. Looking back, I am guessing our particular cows were just tagging along because we were the only sign of people at that hour. On another jaunt, John and I almost found ourselves confronted with trouble again. We had grabbed a dozen fresh-baked glazed donuts and a handle of cream soda at the grocery store. It was maybe three A.M. and we headed back to his dad's house. We strolled along a tranquil bend of Old National Pike when a cop car suddenly emerged alongside us, seemingly out of nowhere. The vehicle pulled over in front of us, its red-and-blue's flashing on. An officer quickly stepped out and shined a flashlight in my eyes. “What are you kids doing out here?” he asked. To this, I'm sure we replied with a teenage twinkle in our eyes and a shrug in our shoulders: “Walking!” “What's in that bottle?” he asked, gesturing at the bottle in my hand. I looked down at the big brown bottle of amber liquid and thought, fair enough. “Cream soda, officer,” I said. “You can smell it if you don't believe me.” His attention turned to the plastic grocery bag in John's hands. “What's in that bag?” he asked and a smile lit up across John's face. He offered the bag to the officer. “They're donuts, officer! Would you like one?” His tone was unmistakably polite – but was that a twinkle still in his eye? I bit my lower lip to conceal a grin. The cop declined the offer. “Nah, I don't eat the things,” he said, then pointed out as though John was testing him, “They aren't good for you.” The cop asked us to stay put - so he could call for backup. John and I exchanged glances. Another officer quickly arrived “on the scene!” The two of them talked a minute, then approached us and with their powers combined, they stated that we could not be out and about at this hour. “Is there a curfew?” John inquired, genuinely curious. “Well, no...,” one of the officers said. “But we can't just let you walk around at this hour.” Their tone said it was not up for debate. They asked John for his dad's phone number and made the call. I slightly overheard the conversation. The cops explained to his half-awake father that they had found us out walking. His dad asked if we had done something wrong. We had not. “Well, then why are you calling me?” He was only pissed that they had woken him up. In the end, the cops drove our criminal asses back to John's house – in the back of separate cars of course. During the ride, I chatted up the officer. Turned out, he was the coach of the women's soccer team at our school. Nice enough guy, though I am happy to report that I never saw him again. A lot of our walks were uneventful and yet when I look back, it feels as though they were something of a special event in my life. It only ended because my family left. We all left eventually. Sean to Minnesota. Marlon to Baltimore. John towards Pennsylvania. I left as a teenager when my family moved to Midwestern suburbia in Kansas. I complained about how new all the buildings were and how everything was artificially landscaped. In my eyes, my surroundings suddenly looked plastic. There was no “gravity” to the place, I would tell people. New Market provided a layer of time over everything like dust. When I left, it felt like a sound had suddenly gone missing from the room. Our feet knew every step of that town and in a place like that, everywhere you stepped was the ground beneath the feet of generations. Stories were everywhere and if you go there,  you may sense this one as well. Now, my friends and I have all been pulled along the map by the passing years. Regardless, there was a moment when we were inseparable and reigned over the small kingdom of New Market West whenever the sun went down. May you and yours reign over your kingdoms as well. Go on your journeys and report back to me. If you get into trouble, that is on you. Be smart. I wish you the best. Carpe noctem!

Overview Hello from a group of filmmakers in the great and misty Northwest. We're looking for funds to make a short film that deals with the sensitive topic of grief. Not only will your donation help us achieve this, but it will also partially go towards a The Dougy Center which provides support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and their families grieving a death can share their experiences. What's the story? “Ocean Soul” is the story of Isaiah, a husband so haunted by the memory of his deceased wife, he forgets that he still needs to be a father. He and his child’s relationship becomes strained and when things are at their worst, Isaiah receives a visit from the spirit of his wife. Why this topic? Director Reuben Bernardo says, "I wanted to write a story about this topic because mental health is not often talked about and most definitely should be. I wrote this script so that people could see what it takes to see it through to the other end. I think people who suffer from grief and depression often times feel alone- and I think to bring visibility to that might help people understand that they’re not. Hence why I think it’s vital to give back to a place like The Dougy Center." The Crew Reuben Bernardo, Director Reuben Bernardo is an independent filmmaker in Portland, Oregon. He has a love affair with film and a passion to connect and engage others to the world of storytelling. He worked as a production intern at the Portland-based award-winning production company, "No Sunrise Wasted" and has worked on a variety of short films in the area. Reuben believes that beauty exists even in the darkest of darks, and the stories that go untold are the stories he wishes to bring to the spotlight. Jake Rose, Assistant Director Jake has produced and directed promotional material for the Portland Community College Multimedia Program and done post-sound work on a promotional video for the 2018 Inventor Camp. He’s a freelance videographer that has also been involved with live event filming for the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, specifically as a camera operator and editor. He was an instructor with the Medium Cool Film School during the Fall 2018 Semester. Most recently he was Director of Photography on  a locally produced web series called, "Smoking Demons." Marcus Holcomb, Director of PhotographyMarcus has been a camera operator for discussion panels for the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in 2017 and 2018, using a 3 camera system. He has also taken classes in Photography, Broadcasting, and Music Video Production. A casual photographer since childhood, Marcus is always looking for a good shot. A history of drawing and painting informs his composition skills. He's also a big fan of Bruce Lee.Claire Scott, Production DesignerClaire Scott is an aspiring Production Designer in Portland, OR. After getting her feet wet in the film industry, first as a student and then as a PA, Claire discovered her love of Art Department work, as it combines her passions for interior design and film. In addition to having been the production designer on locally made projects, including music videos and a short film, Claire has worked an array of Art Department jobs on TV shows made for networks like Netflix and Hulu. Eddie Garcia, Visual Effects Artist Eddie Garcia is a VFX Artist with roots in the traditional arts. He's inspired and most motivated in creative communities such as music video production crews. Though his focus is in VFX compositing, he has experience in all steps of the process including preproduction and production. Budget Breakdown Our budget is $1650. This money has been carefully planned out for all the different parts of production - location fees, transportation, production design (props, wardrobe, etc), and more. A large portion of the budget goes to food for the crew - because when you have fifteen people working thirteen-hour-days for free, you definitely want to keep them fed and happy! The Production Your money will be in good hands as our crew is made up of experienced young professionals. We've worked in indie film, television, music festivals, film festivals, gaming festivals, photography, and more. We even have a visual effects artist, Jay Bills, on our team - he's done visual effects work on films like Lord of The Rings, King Kong, and other blockbusters! We will be using all the filmmaking equipment that goes into a successful production. We will have generators, so we can run lights and charge batteries for things like HD digital cameras and monitors. We will also have jibs, dollies, sliders, drones, and the other essential tools of the trade. Normally, this would be costly, but luckily, we are young industry insiders with connections and therefore have access to this equipment without having to worry about rental costs. Pay it forward! We are using the pay-it-forward model with our rewards. While all donors of ten dollars or more will receive a digital copy after the festival run, people will also be rewarded with the knowledge that they helped restore peace to someone's life. 10% of all donations go towards The Dougy Center - a nonprofit that supports grieving families. So, you're not only making a movie, but a difference in the world! Other Ways You Can Help Please, share this campaign! Share it on your social media! Every post has the potential to make a huge difference.Thank you so much for taking the time to check out our campaign. Now, ready - ACTION!

How do you finally get those lucrative commercial jobs? To start, the office where I am currently writing this article is part of a strip mall with 40 different tenants, and I have never met the property owners. I only know the property manager. With most commercial real estate—whether it be apartment buildings, malls, or condo associations—you will typically be dealing with the property manager, not the owner. If you want to get your foot in the door with commercial work, the property manager or management company will be the one that initiates service. The owner of a 200-unit apartment complex is typically not going to be calling you up asking for an estimate or sending you a RFP. Who Should You Talk To? Property managers not only take care of job bids, they also handle maintenance requests, vendor estimates, unit leasing, evictions, rent collection, and money distributions. They ensure the whole property is maintained: the landscaping; the snow plowing; the HVAC systems… they are responsible for any and all elements related to a property, and it’s a time-consuming job. Traditionally, property managers’ pay is not dictated by the amount of work they do on-site or an hourly wage. Instead, they usually receive a percentage of gross rents and thereby are inclined to be actively trouble-shooting on properties as little as possible. As a result, it’s imperative to create trusting relationships so they know you’re doing everything possible to reduce their workload, instead of adding to it with unnecessary requests and mistakes. Get Your Foot In The Door The First Way: In-Person. You need to go shake hands and actually meet people—every single property management company in your local market. Do a Google search, “property management,” with your city and you’ll receive a ton of area management companies. At my lawn care business, we purchased cookies and marketing material, then went to every single property management company in the area to introduce ourselves and drop off the gifts. People buy from others they know, like, and trust. Having an in-per-son handshake and offering cookies can go a long way to getting your foot in the door. The goal is to create relationships where property managers don’t even look for other bids. They just know you’ll do a good job at a fair price. They might say, “Look, we know you’re going to take care of it. Can you just get me a bid and get this taken care of?” Property managers are not going to make more money by going out, getting 20 bids, and trying to save a few dollars. Again, their personal salary is not necessarily dictated by the net profit of their properties, but is rather usually based on gross rents. They want companies that are going to provide estimates quickly and get work done quickly. They want companies they don’t have to micromanage. If you visit property management companies in-person, you may even find a few managers who say, “Oh yeah, we actually have a new property going up for bidding next week. You’re welcome to come and bid.” This might happen for one out of every 10 of these companies. Bring your A-game. Be in professional clothes. Have a company brand and marketing materials. Ensure when they think about landscaping, they think about you and their positive experience when you visited. The Second Way: The Blind Estimate. The other way to get-in with these folks is an approach I call “blind estimating.” What that means is: they haven’t asked for estimates, jobs, or work, but yet, you give them estimates. Now, how do you do that? You literally go and drive through all the commercial properties you want to service and look for different areas of improvement. Look for signs that say, “Call this number if you want to lease or rent here.” It’s going to list the contact information. Contact the decision maker. Call the property management company and ask “Who is responsible for XYZ property?” Get to know that person. Learn his/her name. You can look him/her up on LinkedIn since many property managers use it to network. Look for areas of neglect or areas that need improvement. Moss growing on the sidewalks? Gutters full of debris? Broken downspouts? If you can be a property manager’s eyes and ears, you are going to elevate the level of value you provide. Finally, create an estimate and send it to the property manager. You can say, “Hey, we noticed this property has a bunch of sidewalk moss. We can do pressure washing.” Then pro-vide the price. It’s a massive win. The property manager didn’t have to be on the property to note the issue. S/he did not have to call a bunch of services to get estimates. It was liter-ally just all directly handed over! You are the one saying, “Here’s the need. I have the solution. Here’s the price. Let’s go!” And (s)he will think, “Wow, someone took the time to do my job for me. Here is someone being proactive and giving me this estimate.” Be sure to carefully craft the estimate email. For example, if you saw a tree touching the building you could say, “Look, we don’t want rodents and insects having access to the building. We can take care of that for you. We can trim, do tree chipping to reduce waste and get that tree off the side of the building.” After You Get Through The Door ry to focus on the one-time sale. Don’t go for the massive contract from the get-go. Pursue one-time jobs and then “wow” them with the fact that you had eyes on the property, and were proactive, fast, and efficient. Send pictures of the job you did. They won’t have to go inspect your work because you sent the bill along with detailed photos. The property manager can now show the owner work was done to improve the value. This is all of massive worth to a property manager. If they’re happy, the next time bids roll around, they’re going to make sure you’re on proposals. They may even pay a little bit extra, because they know you’re going to pro-actively look for areas of improvement. (You should do this for all your properties: maximize high-profit, add-on services.) I went to one of our properties and the property manager said she hadn’t been on the property for six months. So we were the eyes and ears of that manager on the property. We were sending her pictures, letting her know about fallen trees, and so on. Eventually, when work is required, she won’t submit a bid proposal or ask other vendors for estimates because she would prefer to save herself time. The bottom line is: if you want commercial work, get in with the property managers. You have to meet them and network or do blind estimates to save them time. When you create relationships and value, they are often willing to pay a bit more. They’re look-ing at you as a partner, rather than a service provider they have to babysit. You can even start to charge the same prices as residential work. You will not have to reduce your prices or match low-ballers. We have never lowered our hourly rates on commercial work. But in order to charge that premium price, you must offer a premium service.

For most small businesses this year, it will not be who gets the most leads or customers. It will be who can find and employ the most people. They're the ones who will win the game. And this article is going to show you exactly the process you need to follow in order to find great employees and keep them for a very long time. If you're hiring process in the past has been very willy-nilly, you just have someone show up, you ask them a couple questions, you hire them on the spot, you try them out, and there's no thought-out process to it, then I hope this helps. Over the past several years, most of your marketing budget has probably gone towards finding new customers, advertising online, doing print marketing, door hangers, door-to-door, knocking... Whatever it is, you've been trying to find new customers. But for most small businesses, the constraint to their growth now is going to become who can they find and how many people can they find they actually do the labor and the work that's required to get their services done. So the framework I want to show you today is simply looking at your hiring process the same way that you would your sales process. Because for so many of us, as we grow our businesses, we have focused so much of our time on finding new customers and we create systems and procedures around the sales process. But now, the constraint is going to be, “Can we find employees?” You just need to look at the sales process and compare that to your hiring process. Sales Process Direct Marketing Become Lead Sales Meeting Price Proposal Follow Up Onboarding Retention Upsell Direct marketing - Someone calls in, you're doing door hangers like I said, or you're doing online marketing, Facebook, Google, etc. They become a lead - They call you, then you start a form on your website. Sales meeting - You maybe go out and do an estimate their house or whatever sort of estimate proposal that you're going to give them. Price proposal - You're going to give them an offer for the price. This is what I'm willing to do the job for. And you accept it, may you send over email, maybe sent via CRM, whatever it might be. Follow up - You might have automations, you might do it over the phone, you might go back to their house, whatever it is you're following up to try to make the sale. Then once a customer accept your estimate proposal, you're not going to... Onboard them - Maybe get their credit card information, get their email address, get them set up inside of your portal. That's onboarding. Then the goal is to... Retain and then upsell them - That is the sales process, that vicious cycle. We want our customers to stay and buy over and over and over again from us. Sure, you could put some ads out so people will call me, then maybe you'll call a reference or two, and you'll see if they work out or not. This is because you don't have any step-by-step process or guide to be able to find, train, and retain great employees. So, here it is. All I'm going to do is look at the sales process and draw a direct line over to my hiring process and draw a quarterly. So, for example, in the sales process, we talk about direct marketing. This is literally the equivalent of doing ads on Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Craigslist, Facebook, whatever it is. You're basically running an ad for employees, right? Now, the same way that you have looked at a video or article and tried to figure out the right headline, you need to spend the same time and focus on trying to create a very engaging ad to get employees to come work for you. What are the highlights? What makes working for you different compared to your competition? Work on the pictures and the video and the titles. These are all things you should be testing and figuring out. Does it make sense to put management in training? Does it make sense to put that I offer health benefits? What does that do to the performance of my job ad? What Does Your Hiring Process Look Like? It's going to be good for you to have a hiring process. This can truly you get “good” leads, which brings us the next point. The next part of the sales process is you get leads. Well, when it comes to the hiring process, that's the equivalent of someone submitting an application. How do you submit the application? This is another thing that you need to think about when it comes to your hiring process. Is it something that's digital and on your website, or is it a matter of filling out a form and bringing it back? That's not going to work in the digital age, especially if you're going after a younger audience and especially if they're good. They're going to get five other job offers within 24 hours. What questions you ask on that application and the ease of being able to submit that application are all very important to whether or not the application even gets submitted. Now, the next step of the sales process is the sales meeting. When you go meet the customer, you maybe meet them at their house, you schedule a time that you're going to go visit with them. This is the equivalent of in the hiring process, having an interview. Now for most people when they're doing businesses interviews, they don't think much of it. You just show up, you expect the person to come, you ask them a few questions. There's no preparation, there's no setup. There is no real thought process that goes into how am I going to interview and make a good impression on this employee? So what do you want to do? Make a good impression the same way that in the past you would have thought about making a good impression on the customer. You know, you combed your hair or wore a nice shirt, you have ironed your pants, etc. That is the same sort of mentality and process that needs to be thought about when you are now interviewing for employees. The same way that you try to look good and have a great presentation for the customer is the same way that you should be thinking about your presentation and what the overall experience of having an interview will be like for a potential applicant. The next step of the sales process is the price proposal. That's going to be when you actually submit what your prices are going to be to the customer. Typically, in the email, maybe print it off, maybe call them whatever it is... you're going to present your price to them. The same thing goes for the hiring process. It shouldn't just be a quick text or email. Maybe you call them? Maybe you make sure that the presentation of your job offer is legitimate? Maybe you use DocuSign or some way of digitally signing it? These are things that are important and make you look professional. And for so long, we've thought about that in terms of the customer. But what about the applicants and the employees that potentially might work at your place of business? They too should get a great presentation and thought about what that process looks like in front of them. Now, in the sales process, we would never give up if we submitted a price proposal and never heard back to the customer. We would do what we would follow up. Maybe you have automated ways of texting and emailing and calling and trying to get a hold of customers that have not accepted a price proposal? The same thing should go for an applicant. You shouldn't just have them come to an interview, you send them a job, offer this, cross your fingers and hope that they accept. You would never do that for a customer that you spent time and energy on and formed a price proposal for - all of that to do just what? Follow up with them! You're going to ask them if they have questions. You're going to ask them if they have price objections in the sales process. Well, in the hiring process, you're going to ask maybe potentially about their salary. Is that something you want to negotiate? Are there any questions you have? Did you even get my price proposal or did it go to your spam? Maybe this is the wrong number? We don't even think like that. We just send the job offer out and just cross our fingers and hope that people will sign it or accept on or show up the day that we tell them to. What are you doing in this phase? You are nurturing the applicant. So even after you give a job offer, that's not the end of it. It's not like, “Well, it's back in their court now!” You should never do that to an applicant that you've submitted a job offer to and extended the hand to come work at your place of business. You'd follow up with them and see if they have any questions, if they got it, if there's any negotiations that need to happen. Now, you might be thinking like, “This is crazy. There's so many steps!” No, that's why you're not successful. That's why people are not staying with you. And this is not the end of the hiring process because once someone accepts in the sales process, you're going to make sure that when a customer accepts an estimate, they're going to get set up with their credit card information, have a log in for your portal, etc. Be ready to send them a welcome email and say welcome to the family! What Does Your Onboarding Process Look Like? What about when an employee accepts the job offer and now they've started their first day of work with you? What's your onboarding process look like? What do those first few days of being an employee at your business look like? And I'm not saying that we're perfect. I've messed up the onboarding process for some great employees. We weren't organized, didn't have the manpower, and didn't have the systems in place. We had a bad onboarding experience that didn't allow someone to get up to speed, learn how things worked, and they didn't feel welcome in those first few days of doing business. Now, we've thought about doing business with customers for so long, but now it's what is the experience like for an employee? The first few days of work, you can't just tell someone to sit down,“Here's your computer, watch these videos for 10 hours and here's 50 pages of the employee handbook.” That's not going to work very well. You would ideally have some sort of system to onboard them. You help them get to know other coworkers and understand how the business works, how everything operates, and what the vision of the company is. But we're still not done because even if you get a customer in the sales process and you've onboarded them, what are you trying to do the next? You're trying to RETAIN them. You don't want them to go and leave after a couple of years or a couple of months or even a couple of weeks. You want to keep that customer, you want to retain them. And the same thing goes for the employee. We are going to train and retain our employees. “What Happens if I Train my Employees And They Leave?” Well, what happens if you don't train them and they stay? You're going to have a whole bunch of untrained employees, not doing anything right. So you want to spend time and energy and money training to help retain your employees. Now to customers. We're going to send them monthly newsletters. We're going to send them thank-you's. We're going to send them gift cards around Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the rest of it. Why wouldn't you do the same thing for your employees? Communicate with them, make sure they know how their performance ranks, and how they can improve. These are all things that an employee wants and that's what's going to allow them to stay retained inside of your business. The same way that you would stay in touch with customers to keep those leads warm, you stay in touch with your employees. And that might mean spending some money initially - and throughout the rest of their employee journey - on training and development. Now, the last step of the sales process is we try to upsell customers. You know, if we're selling them bush trimming, we're now going to try to sell them mowing. If you are selling them window cleaning, try to sell them gutter cleaning. There are always ways to upsell in every single business and the same thing goes for the hiring process. What does that mean? Well, that means you need to constantly be reselling them on the vision and the idea of working for your business. Why does your company exist? Why should they come work for you instead? Why should they refuse the opportunity to move across the country and work in a much fancier office? These are things that are going to be put in front of them and it's your job to resell them on the idea that working for you and working with your business is the best thing for them their career. In this very hard labor economy, you want to make sure that they enjoy coming to work every single day.

Before we start, I’d like to ask that we all silence our phones, turn them off, and be present - Unless you play Pokemon Go and come across something rare, then it’s okay! We are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of David and Mayara in marriage. Thank you for coming to witness their declaration of love for each other. This day has been brewing for some time. It took David’s charm, Mayara’s big heart, thousands of miles, and several online dating messages to lead to this moment. Ultimately, love drew these two amazing people together and their journey as two separate souls now comes to an end. And married life begins. (Addressing couple) David and Mayara, as you learn to live together as one; you will encounter many challenges that will help you grow. Spend time doing the things that make life precious – cooperate with each other and always make time to laugh together. Seek strength from each other, give hope to each other, and let your trials help you grow together. The strength of your bond will offer you protection against life's storms. Always make your relationship a priority and continue to nurture each other. Through your commitment, together you will be able to navigate any obstacles that come your way. Remember to adhere to the vows that you will make today. The vows you make today represent this commitment to your partner and serve as the foundation of your union. With the blessings of everyone present, we will now exchange vows. OFFICIANT (to couple): You may now share your vows. ~~[vows]~~ OFFICIANT (to David): Do you, David, take Mayara to be your lawfully-wedded wife? To love and cherish them as long as you live? David: I do. OFFICIANT (to Mayara): And do you, Mayara, take David to be your lawfully-wedded husband/wife/partner? To love and cherish them as long as you live? Mayara: I do. RING EXCHANGE OFFICIANT (to congregation): The rings you exchange today are the physical embodiment of the love you share. They represent the commitment made today and the devotion of yourself to your partner as a continuous, unending band. Whenever you look at your rings, remember the feelings you share on this day and let the love and devotion you have for each other continue to fill each day of your marriage. OFFICIANT (TO CONGREGATION): David and Mayara have asked _________ to hold the rings. Please come forward with the rings at this time. OFFICIANT (TO DAVID): David, please take your husband/wife/partner’s hand in yours. As you place the ring on her wedding finger, repeat these words: OFFICIANT (to David): Please take this ring as a token of my love for you above all others. I promise to respect and support you wholeheartedly through whatever challenges life may bring. With this ring I am yours. (message is repeated) OFFICIANT (to Mayara): Please take this ring as a token of my love for you above all others. I promise to respect and support you wholeheartedly through whatever challenges life may bring. With this ring I am yours. (message is repeated) CLOSING STATEMENT OFFICIANT (to congregation): Marriage is a beautiful commitment you make to one another as you devote yourself fully and freely to your partner. Remember to make them feel loved and appreciated with each new day of your union. Cherish the special feeling of joy you bring each other and your marriage will evolve into an endless circle of love and support.  John Keats said, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” and right now, David and Mayara, you look like a beautiful couple. By the power vested in me, it is my honor to pronounce you man and wife and officially introduce you as Mr. and Mrs. Knowles. You may now seal your union with your first kiss as a married couple!