Royalty Rentals has come a long way and we’re continuing to grow and add new inventory to our arsenal. Two months ago we moved into a new office down the road at 561 E. Elliot Rd. Suite 168. If anyone is ever in the area you should drop by and say hello. We love walk-in visitors!

My oldest brother John is engaged and getting married on the 3oth of this month and Kylie and I are excited to pay a visit to St. Johns for the reception and a few weeks later for the 24th of July celebration (always a good time).

Patricia graduated and is now working in Gila Bend on a welding project for a big company. She just got a new cat and named it “Tig Rig.” Cool name, I thought. Apparently it has reference to a particular type of weld that they do.

Heeder graduated as well and is selling pest control in Geneva IL. Mike and Ganes recruited him and Cody out for the summer before he does a semester of school at CGCC and puts in his papers.

Kylie has girls camp this week so she’s been preparing like crazy for that. They called her to be the ward camp director and she has been working tirelessly to make sure everything goes well and everyone has a good time. She’s excited to get up there and be with the girls… I’m not as thrilled

Tatum and Collin are waiting on a new addition to the family and will find out if it’s a boy or girl in a couple of weeks. We’re excited for them!

All in all things are just great. And, since today is Father’s Day I’ll end with a quote from Kenny. Whenever someone asks him how he is doing he replies, “I’ve never had a bad day!” I think we could all learn a little something from his example. I know I can.

The post Family Update first appeared on Joe Mangum.

So let’s look at all of the downsides to this decision.

• The economy is in shambles. Not necessarily the best time to quit a well paying job
• Two really young kids in a third world country might not be the safest thing healthwise
• Both him and his wife are thousands of miles from their families
• It’s a risky operation that could fail and leave them broke to start over anew in a few years

I think we could all go on with additional drawbacks to forging the path they’ve chosen. But, let’s now take a look at some of the good reasons for doing this. A few of these only make sense if you actually know my brother Willie and how he operates. He’s probably the hardest worker I know and I would even venture to say he’s never done anything bad in his entire life. The guy is straight as an arrow and I look up to him as an example of everything that is good. So let’s see here:

• Though the economy is in shambles, the price of gold is $1383.15 as of today and hovering around it’s highest prices ever.
• He’s lived in Guiana 2 different times in his life. The first was for 2 years serving a mission for his church. The 2nd was for an additional 2-3 years doing what he is going to be doing… mining gold!
• Thus, he has experience doing what he’s going to be doing.
• His wife is on board and totally supports him. They made the decision together as a family.
• He’s refused to give up on a dream of doing what he loves to do. HE ACTUALLY ENJOYS IT which means it’s not just for the money.
• If it happens to not work out, he has a CDL and several years of managerial experience. Finding a job might be difficult but not impossible even in this economy.
• …and finally, he’s doing something that 99% of the people in this world don’t have the guts to do… he’s taking a giant step into the dark AFTER having fully thought through everything that is possible to plan for something like this.

I know that no matter what happens, Willie and his family will be okay. I know this because they live righteously and they work hard and are honest in all of their dealings.  The lesson here for me, I believe, is the importance of taking that big step… into the dark.

Trying something new and something big is the only way to make a BIG difference in life. I think President Obama said it fantastically (just because he’s good at saying things doesn’t mean I’m an advocate of his actions) when he said, “We do big things!” It’s what the American dream is all about… even if he is leaving America for Guiana.

Willie is doing something BIG because he has the guts to take a leap of faith. He’s digging for gold and he may just find it. So what am I looking for? What are you looking for? Whatever it is, I suggest you start digging.

The post Mining for Gold in a Third World Country first appeared on Joe Mangum.

• They give out coupons for free chicken sandwiches like mad
• They send you text messages with deals and coupons when you’re in the area.
• Buffalo sauce and ranch… enough said
• Waffle fries
• Closed on Sundays (makes you feel good inside)
• When I called the branch, I spoke directly with the franchise owner and he didn’t seem rushed or annoyed
• They throw a sweet shindig for Valentine’s Day
• Friendly people
• Clean
• They have almost 4 million likes on Facebook
• They sell chicken but the cow is their mascot
• My wife loves it!

All in all, I just like going to Chick-fil-A more than I do most other fast food restaurants because I don’t FEEL like it’s as “fast foody” as other places. Please feel free to disagree if you do. Thank you, and “it was my pleasure” to bring this to you today (that might just be the one thing I DON’T like about Chick-fil-A).

The post Valentine’s Day at Chick-fil-A first appeared on Joe Mangum.

So, we’re in the process of hiring employees for our business to help lighten some of the heavy workload and we’ve had, it seems like, hundreds of discussions on how the process should work, what type of person would be the right fit, what attributes are we looking for, and how will we manage them once they are on board. One I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is how to manage new employees. I’ve wondered how I would teach them our processes, help inspire them to do good work, and how to let them know, in a positive way, when they’ve done something wrong or not the way we need it to be done.

On Christmas day, My sister-in-law got a backpack for Christmas. This was something that she wanted, however, you could tell immediately that she didn’t like something about it. Usually, at Christmas, a gracious recipient would say something like, “oh I love it, thank you so much.” Even though deep inside they absolutely hate it and want to exchange it for a different color. Well, Tessa doesn’t roll that way. She feels too bad about lying that, when asked if she liked it, she said… almost crying, “I… don’t like it. I’m sorry.”

I was stunned. I couldn’t believe it. Then I thought about it. She was just being honest. She new what she wanted and THAT wasn’t it. It’s easy enough to exchange the backpack for the one she really wanted. By lying, she has to live with something she never wanted and it will be painful everyday she has to leave for school. Since she was honest, she only endures a few moments of awkward silence on Christmas morning, and the next day she gets to exchange it for what she wants.

So what does this have to do with employees and or friends/relationships for that matter. It has everything to do with it because, by being honest, progress is made faster. When an employee does something you don’t like, better to let them know, lovingly and kindly, than to fake like it’s okay and then be upset with them day after day as they continue to do things the wrong way. Then, after letting them know you don’t agree, offer a better alternative without (and this is sometimes the hard part) sounding “stand-offish” or accusing.

A few moments of slight awkwardness is always better than a prolonged period of digression. How do you deal with your friends, employees, classmates when they do things that you don’t agree with?

The post “I Don’t Like My Christmas Present” first appeared on Joe Mangum.