This past year has been momentous for Half a Bubble Out. If you have been following us at all, you know that we checked off 20 years in business. Just writing that causes me to want to pause and simply say thank you to all of you: our clients, friends, vendors, and others who are part of our larger community.

Thank you for the gift of allowing us to partner with you in growing your companies, in developing your leadership, and in managing the day to day opportunities that running a business or leading a team brings to your doorstep.

Popularity? Sure it’s nice to be noticed and all, but is that really the point? To be able to brag and say, yah…I had 1,000,000 visitors to my website last year…

That may be impressive, but why is website traffic important to your business?

Website traffic (or the number of visitors to your website) is important because the number of visitors equals the number of opportunities you have to add new customers. 

Many leaders hire a new employee and instantly feel like they’ve gone from business leader to babysitter. When leaders describe what they mean by “babysitting” employees, what they’re really saying is they don’t want to spend any time at all with a new employee. The first day on the job they think they should be able to just show them their desk, give them a task, and the employee will know exactly what to do.

When Michael and I got married, we made a deal: I had to learn to like the drums, so that I could fully appreciate my husband’s percussive skills, and Michael had to learn to like football—specifically, the NFL. I fell in love with the NFL long before I fell in
love with Michael. I’m a 49ers fan first but root for Green Bay on the back end.

Michael thinks I got the easier part of the deal. Drumming seasons come and go, but the NFL is relentless.

One of the great stories of the NFL—especially for 49ers fans—is a story about how Coach Bill Walsh turned the struggling 49ers around with his leadership and management during the late ’70s and ’80s. Humor me for a second—I just have to geek out a little.

When I was twenty-seven years old, Kathryn and I had been married about a year and a half. One afternoon, I was walking across the parking lot from our car to our apartment, and I was feeling great. I had a skip in my step. Life was good. I thought to myself, "What can I be doing differently? What area do I need to grow in?" Almost immediately, I came to the happy conclusion: "Nothing. I'm good. There is nothing I need to improve!"

Celebrations, surprises, and random acts of kindness are key components of building a Passion and Provision company and creating a company culture employees look forward to coming to each day. When employees work at a place they enjoy and feel cared about, they'll find fulfillment in their contribution and do good work.

As a child, I (Michael) always knew I wanted to own a business one day. From standing in front of the local convenience store with my first shoe shining kit, to mowing neighbors’ lawns, I was always trying to make a buck. I even told my Sunday School teacher I wanted to become a ‘bachelor millionaire.'

Do you find yourself thinking “how is it 2022 already?” Time is relentless and the older we get, the faster it seems to tick along! We've been thinking a lot about how we frame up our reality. How we see and perceive the world we live in these days, and how we lead well with all that is swirling around us.

Social media can sometimes be a popularity contest. Everyone is screaming for attention and there is strength in numbers. The influence of a social media profile can be measured by its number of followers. A huge number of followers implies credibility and certain social media “Influencers” even make money from their popularity via product endorsements. There has been a race to build followers and some people have found a shortcut, but at what cost?

Facebook has over 2 billion users worldwide. It’s where you go to catch up on the latest news from your friends and family, but it has also been an integral place for businesses and advertisers to show relevant content to you. On January 11, 2018, Facebook announced that they plan to change their algorithm to focus more on friends and family interactions. Their goal is to increase the quality of your time spent on facebook, and reduce the quantity.