Faith and Business

When most people talk business today it seems that the topic of a Higher Power, faith or religion are avoided.  But why?  Many of the most successful people in the world not only believe but rely on their faith or a Higher Power to get them to where they are.  This doesn't mean that they are all of the same faith or need to be.  But there is a lot of strength and power in having that connection and comfort.

But there are many people throughout history and today that we are educated by that bring these things into our lives.  I recently read The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale.  I'm not of the same faith as Mr. Peale but we both rely on the same Bible and from his book the following scriptures touched me and I keep them in mind:


I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13)

If ye have faith...nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Matthew 17:20)

If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.  (Isaiah 40:31)

According to your faith be it unto you (Matthew 9:29)

What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them (Mark 11:24)

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee (Isaiah 26:3)

If though canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23)

...whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith (Mark 11:23)

The Lord is the strength of my life...in this will I be confident. Psalm 27:1,3

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive them. Matthew 21:22





In March of 2010 I read the book Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin.  Again, a great, great influence on my life from a man of a different faith than I.  One thing I have learned and implemented into my life from Rabbi Lapin is that when I arrive at my office in the morning, the first thing I do is kneel in prayer.



Listen to or read anything from Dave Ramsey and he too will help you feel and understand the importance of faith and a Higher Power in your life.

There are examples all around us if we look for and understand them.  I've thought a lot about this recently, but what prompted me to sit down and write about it tonight is when I came across it in Jim Rohn's book that I was just reading.

Regardless of your religion, bring positive writings, scripture and a higher power into your life.  It will help you when things are good and when things are bad.  But when they are bad, don't give up because that's when we need it the most.

Efflorescence

In our industry, working with concrete products, the topic of efflorescence sometimes comes up. 

Wikipedia explains efflorescence in the following way:

Primary efflorescence

Primary efflorescence is named such, as it typically occurs during the initial cure of a cementitious product. It often occurs on masonry construction, particularly brick, as well as some firestop mortars, when water moving through a wall or other structure, or water being driven out as a result of the heat of hydration as cement stone is being formed, brings salts to the surface that are not commonly bound as part of the cement stone. As the water evaporates, it leaves the salt behind, which forms a white, fluffy deposit, that can normally be brushed off. The resulting white deposits are referred to as "efflorescence" in this instance. In this context efflorescence is sometimes referred to as "saltpetering." Since primary efflorescence brings out salts that are not ordinarily part of the cement stone, it is not a structural, but, rather, an aesthetic concern.

The white “stuff” we can sometimes see on the surface of brick, manufactured stone, or any other cementitious product is what is referred to as efflorescence.  If you search online for information on efflorescence you will find many definitions and explanations.  But the information above from Wikipedia seems to explain it well.  As cement cures and the water moves to the surface, it can carry other components along with it, salts or other dispersible materials.  As the water reaches the surface it evaporates, and will leave the white deposit behind.  This is facilitated by lower temperatures, humidity, rain, or anything that keeps the material wet such as sprinklers or run-off.

Online you can find many methods of removing efflorescence which include pressure washing with water, scrubbing with a brush, or more aggressive methods such as washing with muriatic acid.  If you have to deal with efflorescence on Kodiak Mountain Stone I suggest only using a few of these methods. 

First, you can try using a pressure washer to remove the efflorescence.  However, if you are using a pressure washer you have to use low pressure and not get too close to the stone.  Using too high of pressure or getting too close will damage and pit the stone and will not be repairable.

Using a soft bristled brush and a diluted mixture of vinegar water in another option which we most commonly suggest. 

The use of muriatic acid is not recommended at all.  There is a high potential that the stone could be damaged.

There are products available that claim to remove efflorescence.  I have had conversations with people who have used such products and have told me they work well.  However, I am not knowledgeable about these products and have not used them myself.  Therefore, neither myself or Kodiak Mountain Stone suggests using such products.

There are ways to prevent efflorescence.  First, proper drainage and the elimination of unnecessary sources of water on the stone will help reduce the chances of efflorescence appearing.

Concrete sealers can also prevent efflorescence from occurring.  But it is important to use a penetrating sealer for the best results.  If you contact our office by phone or email (info@kodiakmountain.com) we can make suggestions as to what sealers to use on your stone.

For additional information you can call our office at 877-563-4252

www.KodiakMountain.com 

Kodiak Mountain Stone... A quick history to date

In 2005 I co-founded Kodiak Mountain Stone with two friends.  One of those friends hasn't been actively involved in running the company, he has acted as a mentor and helped in structuring the company and bringing the key shareholders to the table.  The other friend played an active role in the company for a couple years but then stepped out to go take his MBA in Virginia.  I often refer to Kodiak Mountain Stone as my company, but the reality is there are some very key players involved and I do have a small group of very important shareholders as well.

Kodiak Mountain Stone produces manufactured stone, often known as cultured stone, to be used on the interiors and exteriors of all types of buildings.  We started as a small factory in Leavitt AB, grew to a factory in Cardston AB and another in Springville UT.  Today our head office is still in Cardston but we do all of our manufacturing in Utah.

Over the years we have made many changes in the way we operate.  We've learned a lot in the process, we've made some mistakes, but overall we have built a great company with a great team.  This year we made another big change to our operations.  Until now, all our our sales have been through our existing dealers.  This February we added our own retail location in Calgary and in Lethbridge this month.  In addition to opening the stores we have expanded our product offerings.  Our big focus is still our own manufactured stone but we've added natural stone, brick and stucco as well.  Going forward our plan is to grow the business for these two stores and to help our dealers grow their businesses.

I really like the direction we are headed and have to credit the great people on our team for getting us to where we are.

Starting a Blog

There are some things that are a part of every day business in today's world that I've been slow to catch on to.  Blogging and all types of social networking are some of those things.  I knew it was something we should be doing at our company, Kodiak Mountain Stone.  But we are a brick and mortar company...literally.  We produce manufactured stone and sell it along with brick, natural stone and stucco.  So I wasn't sure how it applied to us.  But I have an employee that understands it better than me and has done a lot for our company with it and has done a good job.  But for myself I was very hesitant. 

Kodiak Mountain Stone sites:
www.KodiakMountain.com
http://twitter.com/#!/KodiakMTN_Stone
http://www.facebook.com/KodiakMtnStone
http://www.linkedin.com/company/1096314?trk=NUS_CMPY_FOL-co%3Fhome%3D
http://www.youtube.com/kodiakmountainstone



My first step was to join Facebook.  But I wasn't fully committed, I mostly wanted to follow what we were doing as a company on Facebook.  So I used a fake name, Warren Gates.  If the name sounds familiar it's because it's the combination of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.  This worked for a while until one day our office got a call from the Canada Revenue Agency because they were trying to track down Warren Gates.  So that was my little push to start using my real name and jump into the world of Social Media.  Now here I am writing my first blog.  I'm still a little lost and wondering what I should do but I decided it didn't matter.  There's a chance that I'm the only one to ever read these so it doesn't matter what I say in them. 

Every single day I'm doing things and making decisions that have an impact on my life and in most cases have an impact on other peoples lives as well.  I've thought in the past that I can't blog because I don't have anything to blog about, but I keep a personal journal and write in it very often and as I was writing this morning I felt it was time to start my blog.

So where am I going with this blog?  What will my theme be?  What will I write about, personal things, business things...?  The answer is that I don't know.  I use Evernote (I LOVE EVERNOTE!), and I have a notebook in there where I keep my journal.  In that same notebook I have other personal things like my journal that I want easy access to.  One note is my "Future Diaries,"  this is something I started after one of the times I read Think and Grow Rich.  I've used it to write about things I think my life will be like in the future.  I've got a note called "Inspirational Scriptures," self-explanatory I think.  Another called "Thoughts of Thanks."  This one started after reading the Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.  While I wrote in it, every single day I wrote something about my wife that I loved, big or small.  Then the following Christmas I printed it out and gave it to her, big brownie points!!  Then another is titles "Daily Successes and Lessons."  This is just different things I've learned in life as a businessman.  I'm thinking that this blog will end up being a combination of some of these things, but then again it might be something completely different.