Harrison Law Group - June 2021

Harrison Law Group - June 2021

June 2021 The Contractor’s Advantage

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Back to the Museum!

As our community slowly returns to a sense of normalcy, many of our local museums have reopened to the general public. Baltimore is home to many great museums, and our family has long been looking forward to returning to these great establishments. One of our favorites is the Walters Art Museum. When we got wind that they were reopening this spring, we planned our visit. On our inaugural “post-pandemic” visit, we went through an exhibit we hadn’t previously spent much time in: the ancient Egypt exhibit.

In one instance, we were looking at a statute, and my daughter correctly identified it as Hermes simply because of his winged helmet. My son identified a painting of Jesus — the artwork itself features rather nondescript characters, but the central figure had a crown of thorns. As a dad, it’s fun to see my young kids point these details out on their own and take an interest in the art world. As things continue to normalize, we may start to take longer trips out of state to visit other museums. My personal favorite is the Philadelphia Museum of Art. While we don’t have a trip planned yet, it is definitely on the horizon. I’m reminded of the Philadelphia Museum of Art every time I step into my office. I have a great print of Monet’s “View of the Thames.” It features a foggy view of the Thames from a vantage point on the shore near a bridge. The blues and the purples make this impressionist painting. The original is housed in Philadelphia, and I look at it every time I visit. Even though I see the painting nearly every day, there is something about seeing the original. You could say that about any artwork. It’s one thing to see a print or copy of an image in a book or online. When you are able to see it in person, it’s magic. I find this to be especially true of impressionist paintings. To see what the artist has captured up close and personal is nothing short of remarkable. When it comes to modern art, however, while it’s great to see in person, I do appreciate a plaque or guidebook cluing me in as to what it is I’m looking at.

The kids loved it. It was fascinating to see the many ancient artifacts and artworks, not to mention the mummified people and animals, including baboons and crocodiles. It’s great to get up close to objects you typically only see in books. In our return to museums, the kids and I have started playing a game. It’s something I’ve done in the past, but it’s a way to make the museum-going experience a little more immersive and interactive. We try to “decode” the painting without looking at the plaque or guidebook. European artworks often feature allegorical themes or motifs that call back to Christian biblical events or ancient myths. Works from the Renaissance are particularly full of details that call back something else in history.

With the arrival of summer, we’re looking forward to doing more of what we love to do. It’s still important to take precautions, but it’s great to return to many of the places where we love to spend our time.

-Jeremy Wyatt

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Entrepreneurs drive the economy forward with innovative solutions to big problems in business. How different businesses have weathered the pandemic this past year is proof of that. However, while entrepreneurs generate success for their businesses, one aspect of that role isn’t discussed enough: their mental health. According to Dr. Michael Freeman, a psychiatrist who studies how entrepreneurship affects the brain, entrepreneurs are more susceptible to a number of mental health conditions than non-entrepreneurs. They’re 30% more likely to suffer from depression, 29% more likely to live with a hyperactivity disorder, and 11% more likely to fall on the bipolar spectrum. The confidence of your customers and workforce depends, at least in part, on your mental health, which is why every entrepreneur should consider seeing a mental health professional. However, abiding by a few basic principles can also help you nurture a healthy mental state. Nurture a Healthy Mind If You Want a Healthy Business

to grow your business, make contingency plans as well. Just because you have those back-up plans does not mean the worst will happen. If something unexpected does happen, instead of immediately considering all the possible negative outcomes, think of the potential positive outcomes instead. Remember that just because the steps to achieve your goal might shift, it doesn’t mean your goal has to change.

Schedule time to do things you find restful.

We have a pretty good idea of how to improve our physical health in various situations: If we’re cold, we throw on an extra layer. If we want to lose a few pounds, we exercise and eat some vegetables. However, when it comes to improving our mental health, we might be at a loss. According to the Harvard Business Review, the best way to rest your mind is to force it to work on a singular task, such as a puzzle, craft, or exercise routine. So long as you find the activity restful and it takes your mind off work, you should set aside time to do it for the sake of your mental health.

Pivot well and stay positive.

The unexpected will happen. Ironically, that’s all you can expect as an entrepreneur. So, when you put together plans

Limit the time you spend on social media.

The world is a chaotic place — it always has been. The only difference is that now, we have the means to see everything happening on our planet through our computers and smartphones. It’s good to stay informed, but when we let the media noise dictate how we feel on any given day, it might be time to curtail social media exposure. The world will continue to turn, even when we’re not looking. The above tips are by no means prescriptive. You can take parts of one or a couple of them and leave the rest. The point of sharing these tips, however, is to encourage you to do something . As an entrepreneur, you can’t afford to ignore your mental health and hope everything is okay. So, take some of this information and use it to build success in your business and your life.

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HAVE A Laugh

Drowned by Beer: The 1814 London Beer Flood

In St. Giles, London, in the 19th century, the Horse Shoe Brewery had 22-foot-high wooden fermentation tanks held together by massive iron rings. These vats held over 3,500 barrels of brown porter ale.

On Oct. 17, 1814, an iron ring around the tank snapped. An hour later, the whole tank

broke open, releasing hot, fermenting ale with such incredible force that the back wall of the brewery collapsed. It also crashed open several more vats, releasing nearly 320,000 gallons of beer into the area. It created a 15-foot wave of beer and debris, and eight people were killed. Consequently, a ninth death was reported days later due to alcohol poisoning among those who scooped up the flowing beer. The streets of St. Giles smelled like beer for many months afterward, and the flood cost the brewery over £23,000 pounds (£1.25 million pounds today). But no one was held responsible for the deaths.

Can ‘Defining Moments’ Be Created? According to ‘The Power of Moments’ by the Heath Brothers, Yes!

Why do we remember our best and worst experiences and forget pretty much everything else in between? Why are we most comfortable when things are certain, but we feel so incredibly alive when we plunge into the unknown? These are the moments that stick with us — the moments that define us. They’re an organic part of the human experience, and they can’t be purposely created. Or can they?

answer these questions and ultimately discern why specific moments can define us. They also explore whether those moments can be purposely created. According to the Heath brothers’ research, positive moments share four characteristics: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. When you look for situations in which you can foster those characteristics, you can create moments that you and the people around you will remember for years to come. “The Power of Moments” is great for anyone looking to leave a lasting impact on their employees or work team. Rather than have your next meeting be about unity — and leave your team grumbling about how that information could have been sent in an email — create a meeting that has, in the words of the Heath brothers, “drama, meaning, and connection.” You can’t bring your team together for a defining moment by just talking about unity; they have to experience it. While the characteristics the Heath brothers describe may seem a little vague at times, rest assured that “The Power of Moments” will give you a fantastic playbook for creating moments that define your team and stick with them. Check it out today!

In “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact,” brothers Chip and Dan Heath seek to

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Jeremy Wyatt [email protected] HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000

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Inside This Edition

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Back to the Museum!

How You Can Improve Your Mental Health as an Entrepreneur The 1814 London Beer Flood Understanding ‘The Power of Moments’

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How This Entrepreneur Found Success

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Level With Me: Never Underestimate A Phone Call

The Story of Lungile Mhlanga The Founder of Treats Club

Following your passion can take you to some pretty unexpected places, but few entrepreneurs can personally attest to that as well as Lungile Mhlanga, the founder of Treats Club. This innovative company offers a unique approach to getting customers freshly baked goods, even when COVID-19 spread across the world. During college, Mhlanga had a part-time job as a makeup consultant with Benefit Cosmetics. She loved this work so much that she dropped out of college to work there full time. A few years later, she took a position working for MAC Cosmetics at Harrods, a famous London department store. Honing her customer service skills, she soon ended up becoming a manager and trainer for MAC, working in Dubai, the Middle East, and India. After she quit her job at MAC, Mhlanga found herself back in London, wondering what to do next. She recalled the praise she had received for some of her baked goods, and that was when her foray into the baking business started. Mhlanga began posting some of her baked goods on Instagram, even scoring her former employer, MAC Cosmetics, as a corporate customer. Then, as fortune would have it, she got a chance to go on “An Extra Slice,” a sister TV show to the popular series “The Great British Bake Off.” On the show,

Mhlanga was selected as “star baker,” validating her desire to turn her passion for baking into a “proper business.” And so, Treats Club was born. Mhlanga made tasty treats, including hot doughnuts, for customers at markets all over London — and not even a pandemic could stop her. Mhlanga simply pivoted into her new circumstances without much fuss, putting together kits that customers could use to make her hot doughnuts themselves. After being featured on popular morning TV show “Sunday Brunch,” she had over 200 orders for the kits. Mhlanga continues to gain notoriety for her baking prowess, and as long as she’s willing to adapt and follow her passions, that success won’t stop anytime soon.

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NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A PHONE CALL

FROM TEXT TO TALK

These days, communication is easier than ever with numerous methods and platforms available. When I’m working with a client, an attorney, or anyone else, there’s often a lot of back and forth between email, text, or even old-fashioned letters. However, in my experience, sending emails, text, and letters — all of which rely on the written word — there is a lot of meaning that can be lost.

I’m currently involved in a case going toward a settlement conference. All parties will gather in a room as a judge mediates the proceedings. It’s a big case. As we approach the date of the conference, I’ve been conversing with the opposing counsel. As you might guess, we have deeply divergent ideas of how the case should play out. In short, our email communication has gotten heated at times. While arguments are something to be expected in certain circumstances, the email format has allowed the conversation to become interpreted as tense. Recognizing this, I decided to call the opposing counsel to pick up where the email left off. We had a nice conversation and were able to reach an actual resolution regarding the topic we had discussed in the email.

THE ‘LOST’ ART OF THE PHONE CALL

When you’re dealing with an email or text, you cannot represent or express tone or inflection. You also lose the immediate reaction of the other party. You cannot hear their voice or their breath. You lose wordplay. That isn’t to say emails, texts, and letters don’t have their place — they absolutely do — but for some matters, a phone call can make a difference.

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The situation, as it was presented via email, was diffused, and it helped preserve our relationship as colleagues. We could hear one another’s voice, so tone and meaning were clear.

It’s entirely possible that a phone call can alleviate the misunderstanding and no lawsuit will be filed.

If you find yourself in a situation when email or text isn’t enough, like if you need details to diffuse a situation or to reach a resolution quickly, pick up the phone and make that call. With that, I’ll leave you with my phone number: 410-842-0145 . I specialize in construction and business disputes, and I’m here to help you get your matter resolved.

THE POWER OF THE PHONE CALL

A phone call has the power to prevent misunderstanding. In an email or text, all information may not be present or properly conveyed. I’ve run into this situation with construction clients. They receive a written notice that someone is threatening to file a lawsuit against them. However, they don’t call the person or the counsel of the person threatening to sue, and the situation has the opportunity to escalate.

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