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November 2011 Newsletter
 

In this month’s newsletter, we will examine a minor adjustment you can make to raise productivity and spark new ideas. This adjustment is easy to make; it doesn’t require a book, training, or expertise. You will enjoy implementing it. Some of you might even feel like you need permission for it.

Although this adjustment is deceptively simple, you will find it amazingly effective. It might take a little while for the results to be fully realized, but in the end you’ll be glad you put it in place.

Here it is: one day a week, forget about work. Don’t read business books, magazines or websites, and don’t check email. Disconnect from the electronic world and get into the real one. If thoughts about work enter your mind, forcefully evict them. Spend time with your loved ones (and don’t talk about the office!) HAVE FUN. Do something that gives you joy, like going to church, engaging in outdoor activities, or playing games with your kids.

That’s it. No MBA required.

Some of us need this more than others. You’ve been burning the midnight oil for weeks, months, or even years without much of a break. Even when you do take time off, your head spins with work stuff. Although you’re productive (most of the time), mission creep has set in. You dread Mondays. New ideas don’t come like they used to. Maybe you’ve been a little snappy at home lately. You live, breathe and eat business.

And you’re getting sick of it.

What’s needed is to clear your mind of the grind and get the synapses sparking again. We do this by treating ourselves like people, not machinery. If you burn out, your business will go up in flames with you. So will your family.

Examine your motives. Does work have the proper priority in your life? Do you own your business, or does it own you? Having FUN with your loved ones will help clear the fog and bring clarity to what’s important. They’re not going to mark 2011’s sales numbers on your tombstone.

If you’re feeling punch drunk, say no to what you need to so that your life can re-balance.

What does all this have to do with importing from China?

One of the missions of this newsletter is to help you succeed in business. If you burn out and your business fails, it will affect us. Business is about relationships with people. Take care of the people God puts in your path to the best of your ability, and the rest will fall into place.

Putting this simple process in place on a consistent basis will increase your efficiency, spark your creativity, and put the enjoyment back into work.

You might even enjoy Mondays again.

From about the third week of January through much of February, Chinese companies shut down for their nearly month long Chinese New Year holiday. Orders that must ship before the third week of January should be placed by November 18, at the very latest. (For products that require longer production times, March might be the earliest they can ship).  

Also, please keep in mind that when the factories come back from their holiday it is to full order backlogs, so production times are extended as they catch up.

One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

Yuan to the dollar, as of today: 6.34 to 1

Rate when the Yuan was depegged from the dollar on June 19, 2010:  6.82 to 1

Change: .48 (7%)

Since 1991, Global Trade Specialists, Inc. has helped companies of all sizes get their products made in China from manufacturers of quality products. We are an American company who works with three trading groups in China with immediate access to thousands of manufacturing companies. We source most products made from metal, plastic, wood, stone, glass or textiles; from prototype to production. Many of our customers are first time importers; we walk you through the entire process.