The holidays are upon us, and life is beyond hectic. It is easy to get bogged down in the busyness and forget the good stuff. Last week, we all sat down with our families or friends, and probably went around the table to say what we were thankful for. It got me thinking about the 12 industry-related things that I am grateful for in the land of AV.
1) HDMI. Yes, the connector may not be the best design, but who remembers when we had to deal with Component, S-Video, and Composite at the same time? I’ll take HDMI any day.
2) TV Weight. Get the 75-inch panels off the truck? No problem, I’ve got it! I’m sure installers throughout the land appreciate the lightness of today’s LEDs as well, especially when installing above that large fireplace.
3) The Cloud. There is no longer the pressure to get everything done while in the office. It can be saved to the cloud, whether that is OneDrive or Dropbox. You can pick up the task from where ever you end up.
4) VoIP. VoIP was a new add-on to our business this year. I am a big believer in a human answering the phone, but now, if someone is alone at the store and another call comes in, the system will pick it up and ask them to wait. That is one of the many cool features of the upgrade.
5) Key Code Lock. I love that from home to work I do not have to remember a single key. Plus, should an employee move on, we do not have to switch out the lock, we just change the code.
6) Dual Screens. I had no idea that proposals could be so much simpler with two screens. Why didn’t someone tell me earlier?
7) Music. From sun up to sun down, music is playing in my life. I ask Alexa to start the Sonos in the morning and the pickup Pandora at work in my office. If I were stuck in a cubical farm with no music, I surely would wilt.
8) My ‘Smart’ Car. Although it does not drive itself, it is pretty darn close. Six cameras outfit the vehicle telling me when someone is in my blind spot, or the car is too close to someone else. It can also read my texts I receive while driving and will allow me to text back. It certainly isn’t perfect, but it’s kinda neat.
9) Industry Community. This industry is fantastic. Enough said.
10) My clients. We have some of the most remarkable clients (okay, not all of them, there is the lady that keeps paying only $56 of her $560 bill each month for no good reason, but that is a story for another day.) From small to large, we have honestly met some great people along the way.
11) My Team. I cannot do this alone. There are many parts of this crazy machine we call a business. Times are not always sweet, but at the core, my team believes in the cause, and they will do what it takes to get the job done.
12) My Tribe. We live close to family, and without their support there is no chance I could survive this crazy life. Everyone needs a tribe, a support system in their life.
Of course, I cannot forget you, my faithful reader. For without you, these articles do not exist. What are you grateful for this holiday season?
