I doubt any of the bottom-feeders that email me from foreign lands every day with claims of getting me on top of all search enginges will bother to read this, but it will make me feel better to post it. I now lump those who are making those types of claims in the same category as alchemists with claims of turning worthless metal into gold.  Don't get me wrong, I think there is a time and place for SEO, but the claims being made -- especially for little guy like me -- is ridiculous. 

Yes, the war has begun again. For the last few years I have fired the first shot and then regretted it -- and loved it [sometimes at the same time]. This year will be different. If for no other reason than every year is different. Today I spent about four hours preparing the battle field and another four hours standing in nine degree temperatures [wild chill is zero] fighting hoses, frozen beer and spiritual demons getting the skating rink built.  For the first time in the history of the Royal Oaks Ice Garden I have ice on the first day of battle. Not skate-able ice by any stretch of the imagination, but ice none the less. Already there is a firmness under-foot that says "This year is YOUR year!"  And I like that.

And because my son likes Apolo Anton Ohno, I have extended the rink around the other side of the tree so we have a speed skating short track! How cool is that?  Now, if I only had some long blades...

Dreams, Vision & Goal Setting

Dreams are where things all start.  Without a dream few of us would be in business for ourselves. Someone having a great idea is were most businesses start. But life doesn't hand you your dreams, you need to DO something for them to become a reality.  So, we need to turn that dream into a vision. As Dave says, "Vision is taking your dream and putting work clothes on it."

Another great design by Fred!  StrengthTime-Kenilworth is a state-of-the-art workout boutique that specializes in one-on-one, slow movement training who needed a website that reflected the class and style of their facility-- and the owners.  Fred's straight-forward design called for strong angles and eye-pleasing layers, all set in the studio's color pallet.

A New Perspective

Actually, this was my second time through this course. The first time was in January and I was in a totally different place than now. Because of my different perspective, this seemed like a totally different course -- although it covered the same material. Hopefully, if I can take it again, I will be in still another place.

Quotes and notes

One of the great things about Dave Ramsey's teaching is that he is not only very quotable himself, but he also draws a lot of wisdom from others with memorable quotes.  Here I would like to share a few of my favorites with you.

I was just blown away. I am not having a particularly good day since I have a 102* fever and cough, plus am trying to figure out how to collect a lot of money from someone I sub-contracted through -- someone who I have considered a friend.  So, it would be hard to think of how I could feel much worse, when I hear the doorbell ring.  Sure that it would be a politician canvassing I did not hurry to the door and was relieved when I heard a truck drive off before I could get to the door.  I looked out and there was no one there, but a small box was on my front stoop.  The return address was a customer of mine and as I opened it I found an awesome pen with my name engraved in it and a card that read "Happy Birthday and good luck at the race!"  The gift was very nice, but the fact that they thought of me and cared enough to send it really made my day.  

If you are looking to make someone's day, check out Hillary's Gifts where she specializes in making people's day through corporate gifts and rewards programs. [Besides, she has a killer website]

Wow, did August go fast.  I ended up getting at least the first build done on six sites and Blindspot and one other [internal site] went live.  Funny thing was, I didn't get a start on any of them until August 12th, so it was really six sites in 19 days!  So, look for some sites going live in the next few weeks.

OK, this post is all about biking. Although metaphors are ripe for the picking, in this post I do not draw parallels from my biking adventures to business as I normally do. 

I admit it. It was slightly thrilling to visit the USACycling website and see results for me.  After several years of having a license I finally have results. And although there has been something in my results column for most of the summer, the posting from Saturday's race was not a haunting 'DNF' -- it simply said 8th place.