Leigh Kirschner

Vector Sales Support Specialist

February can be a tough month to get through…the holidays are a distant memory and the carefree days of summer still seem so far away. The days are short, the weather is cold and the colourless scenery seems so bleak and barren.  It’s so easy to stay inside, curl up on the couch, turn on the television and resign to go nowhere until the snow melts, the trees bud and the air warms with the promise of spring!

The last few years have reawakened my passion for winter. Bundling up in warm, comfortable clothes and heading outside for a winter hike or run during the colder months, has introduced me to a whole new backdrop, entirely different from the one which exists in the spring and summer. The leaves and grass are gone but the fresh layer of snow covering the ground and bare trees is just as beautiful. The cold air is invigorating and the snow muffles the sounds of distant noises, traffic and footsteps creating a cocoon-like atmosphere. The stark landscape permits me to see further into the woods than I can in the summer, allowing me to observe more animals than ever before. Hiking during the winter on a nearby trail, my family and I have spotted foxes, deer, hawks and wild turkeys in almost countless numbers. Even when the creatures stay hidden, we’re able to trace their progress through the forest by the telltale tracks in the snow. The snowy, icy terrain forces us to go slower and as a result we see so much more!

When spring finally blooms and slowly mellows into summer, I know I’ll dread the return of another harsh, Canadian winter. But for now I’ll resist the urge to stay indoors and hibernate until April. Instead, I’ll put on my warmest gear, head outside and embrace the coldest, most breathtaking and highly exhilarating season of all!

Check out this great video from Wendy on using our CUTCO knives and stressing the value of having good quality knives in your kitchen.  Enjoy the video.

For the past six years, HSB assistant professor Derek Hassay has challenged the students in his Sales Management course to gain “real world” selling skills by selling Cutco Cutlery to raise funds for the Children’s Wish Foundation. Sales teams of 5 students are given a small budget and sample kits, and asked to develop and implement an effective sales strategy. Not only do they learn valuable selling and sales management techniques such as handling rejection, it also teaches them the value of giving back to their community.  To date, his students have raised more than $150,000 for the Children’s Wish Foundation, granting wishes for 11 local children.

Read more here.

By Rhancha Connell, National Sales Promotion Manager

It’s the day before Valentine’s Day and I am feeling sentimental I guess.  Valentine’s Day is about telling the people around you how much you care about them.  I can’t imagine how many roses are sent on this day or how many boxes of chocolates are bought by people for the one’s they love.  For restaurants, it is the busiest night of the year!  One day – 24 hours – to tell ALL the people in your life that you love them.  What about the other 364 days?  Do we hold back and not tell people how we feel?  Sometimes in this crazy busy world of ours it seems that way.

We need to have an attitude of gratitude.  Life is too short!  My Dad just turned 85 yesterday.  We celebrated with him at church with all of his good friends.  It was so wonderful to see.  I don’t know how much longer he will be on this earth but I make sure he knows every day how much I love him and that I am a better person because he is in my life.

I make sure to let my kids know how much I love them each and everyday whether it’s with a big crazy hug or big kiss on the cheek.  They are teenagers so you can just imagine the comments I get from them.  It doesn’t matter.  I want them to know that someone in this world loves them unconditionally and will always have their back.

I love sending cards to people for their birthdays and sometimes just because I was thinking of them and wanted them to know that.  Like I said, life is too short.  TNT – Today Not Tomorrow.  Don’t wait until tomorrow to tell someone how you feel about him or her.  Even if it’s your best friend who you see all the time, have you told them how much you value their friendship and you are blessed to have them in your life?  If not, then do it!!! What’s stopping you?

What about the people you work with everyday?  We spend more time with them than our families sometimes.  Do you let them know how you feel about them?  I am blessed to be in Vector and have the world’s greatest extended family.  I love everyone in this business because they are some of the best people I have ever met.  They care so much about everyone they come in contact with.  They want to help people become the best version of themselves.  That is rare these days.  That is why I feel so blessed to be a part of the Vector/Cutco family.

So when Valentines Day is officially here tomorrow, don’t just tell your spouse/ girlfriend/boyfriend that you love them, tell EVERYONE in your life how much they mean to you.  Then make it a point everyday after Valentine’s Day to tell someone how much they mean to you.  CARPE DIEM – Seize the Day!  Today NOT tomorrow!  The world will be a better place because of your efforts!

Sales Promotion Coordinator, Vector Canada

We need more time, we need more money, but we’re sacrificing both with our eating habits.

Canadians spent almost 25% of their household dollars in restaurants and fast food chains last year, to a tune of $58.4 BILLION dollars in 2009. ¼ of Canadians surveyed had purchased something from a fast food restaurant the day before.  And, while grabbing something in the drive thru can save you minutes today, it can cost you years later- 60% of Canadian adults are obese and 26% of Canadian children.  Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers, and, on average, reduces life expectancy by 6-7 years.    The majority of Canadians (7/10 children and ½ of adults) don’t get the recommended 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables and 1/5 Canadians get more than the recommended daily amount of calories from fat.

The real problem with eating out?  You have little to no control over what is put in your food- if you cook it at home, you can add in extra vegetables and  take out the heavy cream.  You can control the sodium, the sugar, and the saturated fats.  At a restaurant, even if you order a salad, you’d still be surprised at how many calories (and how much sodium) they can contain!

Lack of time and lack of know-how are keeping us from being healthy- and raising a generation of children who we are increasingly warned will be the first generation who will not outlive their parents.

One of the biggest time savers in the kitchen are great knives.  With sharp knives, you can cut through things more easily (no more struggling with the sweet potato or cabbage!)  You can cut through a whole bunch of celery at once and save time (rather than doing each stalk individually)!  CUTCO’s Double-D edge is great because you don’t have to spend time resharpening it!  And they’re dishwasher safe- saving you time when it comes to cleaning.  I love my CUTCO!

And, while great knives won’t teach  you how to cook, they’ll certainly make you more excited to learn!

I’m sitting on a plane right now as I write this, waiting to take off from Pensacola, Florida, eating a chocolate brownie.  Not just any brownie, but a homemade chocolate brownie that my cab driver, Smiley, made and brought for me this morning when she picked me up from my hotel.  It doesn’t get much better than that!

I was fortunate late Sunday evening when I landed here to be welcomed by Smiley, the first cab in the line at the airport.  Her cab, which is a mini-van, has smiley face decals on all the windows and her personality matches her name.  It was fairly late, and I was tired from travelling all day, however I usually make a point of talking to my cab drivers, so I’m glad I didn’t just sit quietly in the back and close my eyes.  We chatted on the way to the hotel, and she told me about the various landmarks in Pensacola as we passed them and recommended not only some great restaurants that I should visit during my stay, but even what I should order.

I called her the next morning to pick me up and take me to the Civic Centre for the John Maxwell and Chris Gardner conference I was attending.   She greeted me promptly and had already googled my conference.  She had the website up on her laptop when I got into the van, and was ready to give me any details about the day that I may have missed.  Impressive!   In the light of day, I also noticed that there were sketches of 3 cute little girls taped to the windows in the back, and she proudly told me about her niece and her 2 grand-daughters, who she is now raising.  It was report card day and she was sharing with me how she teaches them reading skills.  They read for 10 minutes, then they have to write “grandma’s sentences”, then they read again, then write the sentences.  She explained to me, that it’s not just the reading time that is important, but they also need to comprehend what they’re reading and they learn that by summarizing what they read in a couple of sentences.  These girls are fortunate to have Smiley’s love, guidance and wisdom!

After an amazing day learning from John Maxwell and Chris Gardner, I walked to McGuire’s, this Irish Pub and Steakhouse that she said I couldn’t miss.  The walls and ceiling of this place are “decorated” with over 1.5 million dollar bills.  You have to see this place, it’s quite incredible and you certainly don’t leave hungry.  She had raved about the “Senate Bean Soup” so of course I had to try a bowl.  It was as good as she said, and if you order an entrée, you can get it for only 18 cents, the same price that the US Senate charged for it back in the 1970’s.  When I asked for my bill, I ordered an extra bowl to go, for Smiley.  I once again called my new friend, to pick me up and take me back to the hotel after dinner.  She was thrilled when I got into the van and told her that I had brought her a bowl of soup too.  Often it is the small things that can bring joy to someone rather than the grandiose gestures we feel compelled to do, but rarely find the time or resources to complete.

On our drive back, she recommended some more restaurants and activities for my day off on Tuesday and said that she had the day off as well.  When she picked me up this morning, she arrived 15 minutes early in the lobby, to ensure she was on time, and wouldn’t have to rush or be stressed; and of course she once again greeted me with a smile.  I told her about my walk down the beach to Pegleg Pete’s, her recommendation, and the great catfish I enjoyed and she told me about spending some time with her granddaughters.

It’s been a wonderful couple of days in Pensacola.  I knew I’d love the day with John Maxwell and I also knew I’d enjoy a day to myself relaxing and exploring in Pensacola; however I didn’t know that my trip would not have been as bright had I not met Smiley!

From March 2009 to May 2011, the top 7 publicly traded direct selling companies averaged a 268 percent increase in stock price.

In 2010, direct selling companies generated over $125 billion in revenue in 150 countries through more than 75 million men and women who are changing lives serving others. This is the story of direct selling.

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