Last week was a whirlwind of social engagements and a throwback to my twenties.
During and around the COVID-19 pandemic, I purchased three businesses from women in their 70s who were ready to retire. Two were flag companies, which I merged into FlagandBanner.com, and the third was OurCornerMarket.com, a website specializing in plaques and memorials. At the time, I was in my late 60s and thought, “I will never retire” …
Not sure if that title will make men more or less eager to read this blog. Menfolk, consider yourself warned.
Every now and again, I get asked to tell my story in front of an audience. When I get these kinds of requests, the first question is always, “Which story of mine do you want to hear?”
Because so often our names fit our personality, I have often wondered if we pick our baby’s names or if, somehow, from the other side of the universe, our naming is sublimely picked by who-knows-who (or what).
This past week, I have laughed myself 10 years younger. It started during my Miami work week, when my daughter and granddaughter visited me at the beach for Spring Break. We did the usual things; dined on stone crabs, cruised South Beach, took an everglades tour, and went to Mai Kai, a tourist show of hula dancing ladies and fire throwing gents, all in grass skirts.
I’m old enough to remember life before birth control, when abortions were illegal, and when women died from breast cancer. We have come a long way in women’s healthcare and lifestyle choices, since then.
Not to be part of the sheeple, but if everybody else is, I guess I, too, must weigh in on the Smith/Rock altercation at the Oscars.
Whether you’re running a small company in America, starting a war in Ukraine, or defending your property, the requirements for success are the same.
To project the power needed to attract talent, motivate people, and promote good-will, you need three things: economic strength, technology sophistication, and a compelling story.
As the weather changes, you may be like me and begin to feel the effects of seasonal depression. The phenomena is so prevalent that healthcare providers have even given it a name and an acronym: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This is a type of depression that happens around the end of October with the symptoms being a lack of energy and feeling of hopelessness. Many connect it to the reduction in sunlight, but I think my onset is more from being cold. I don’t like to be cold.
Last week, in my blog titled “Cuba’s Secret World” I shared a customer’s flag story and video. In doing so, I realized I never wrote a blog about my 2016 trip to Cuba.
For a person who likes change, I’m in a rut.
FlagandBanner.com is over 45 years old, I’ve been married for over 35, and I’ve lived in the same house for three decades. This rut, I don’t want to change. I love my life. But I would like a new creative project to work on. For me, business is my creative outlet. I like building things and solving problems in groups but only if I have the final say (self-awareness is a virtue).
It has been almost three months since FAB expanded to Miami and many of my readers have asked for an update. I am happy to report that the Miami team met their sales goal in both September and October and this November looks to be the same.
I’ve been a longtime proponent of a global economy. But after the glaring absence of China from last week’s world Climate Summit, my opinion may be changing.
Well, I finally did it. I’ve talked about it, dreamt about it, and needed it for years; I hired an assistant!


