McMahan Law Firm - January 2022

McMahan Law Firm - January 2022

(706)-525-5900 www.mcmahanfirm.com

January 2022

The 3 Best Business Resolutions for the New Year And How to Achieve Them

As we enter 2022, many business owners are setting goals or resolutions for the new year. If you want to take your business to the next level, make sure you are committed to your goals so they don’t just become wishes. That’s the biggest problem with personal and professional New Year’s resolutions: You have to be proactive and stay committed to your ideals if you want to achieve them. Simply saying what you want to happen is not enough. You also need to be deliberate with your goal setting. Nothing is going to change if your goal is simply to grow the company or increase profits. These are vague and unobtainable without a plan. Your goals and resolutions should instead include smaller goals along the way, leading to the end result. If you work the plan, then your business should see growth and success. Here are our three best resolutions if you want your business to grow and succeed in the upcoming year. HIRE AND TRAIN THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR YOUR COMPANY CULTURE. One of the best things you can do to increase business success is hire employees who buy into the company culture. Sometimes the best candidates on paper are not the best fit for your business. When you’re interviewing potential employees, tailor your questions around your company culture and what you want from this position in the future. Pay attention to their answers and make sure they align

with your beliefs and what you are working toward. Hiring people who believe in the company will enhance employee morale and customer satisfaction. Your company culture should also be incorporated into training to ensure everyone is unified. If your training ties into the culture, then new employees will be more aware of what to expect when they officially start. You should also make an effort to run your current employees through training at least once a year. Everyone is more likely to stay committed to the culture you put in place. DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES. As a business owner, especially a small- business owner, keeping things running smoothly is vital. But it can be difficult to delegate some of your tasks and responsibilities to others. You may think they can’t meet your expectations or you may have just gotten used to doing all the tasks yourself. But this could also be preventing your business from growing. You need to trust your team and give them the opportunity to do some of the work. You can still oversee their tasks, but you do not need to do everything — this is the quickest path to burnout. Hiring the right people can make delegation a lot easier.

Companies that were unable to afford marketing campaigns or television/radio spots can now turn to social media to market their brand and products. But the most important thing is to target your prospective clientele. You will not attract everyone with your marketing campaign, so figure out who your customers are and target them. If you’re new to the world of social media marketing, many valuable tools can help you on your way. Planning programs like Buffer allow you to draft and schedule posts in advance. Beginner graphic design apps can help if you are concerned about how your content is presented. Do your research and find the best tools for your business so it serves your larger goal to grow and increase profits. When it comes to setting up your business for success, many smaller goals can help pave the way. Whether it’s hiring, training, marketing, or something else entirely, you can do plenty of things to take your business to the next stage. As long as you’re deliberate and committed to your goals, anything is possible.

MARKET YOUR BUSINESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

Successful companies get the word out! And social media has made marketing more accessible to just about everyone.

Please call us at (706)-525-5900 to find out how we can help you!

— Seth Holiday

www.mcmahanfirm.com

| 1

Bringing Back a Lost Art

Your Guide to Writing a Thank-You Note

A 2019 survey by Ask Your Target Market showed 80% of respondents appreciate receiving thank-you notes — but only 22% of respondents report regularly sending them. That’s a pretty big discrepancy. During the holiday season, you probably received several gifts and may have been hosted at a family member’s house, so now is the perfect time to revive the dying art of the thank-you note. If it’s been a while since you last wrote one, fear not. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

interviews. Notes should be sent as soon as possible, ideally within one month of the gift or event.

Use Paper . It may seem old-fashioned, but that’s exactly what makes it special. In fact, the Ask Your Target Market survey found that 72% of respondents thought handwritten notes were more meaningful than electronic ones. Even if your handwriting is messy, your recipients will appreciate the personal touch. Exceptions apply for thank-you notes sent after job interviews — due to time sensitivity, these are best sent via email. Be Specific. Especially when you’ve got a large stack to get through, it’s pretty tempting to write the same note over and over again, changing only the salutation. Don’t give in! While it’s fine to have a template, recipients will recognize when the note you sent them is generic. Be sure to mention exactly what you’re thankful for (not just “the gift”) or how you plan to use the gift. Now, you’re ready to let people know how much you appreciate them in a way that’s both simple and classic. Your family, friends, and colleagues will be impressed, and who knows, you just might start a trend.

Know When a Note Is Needed. You should strongly consider sending a thank-you note any time you receive a gift, but they are

particularly expected after big events like weddings or showers. It’s also good form to send a note whenever someone has done you a big favor or hosted you at their house. Professionally, thank-you notes should always be sent after job

The Street Vet Saving the Lives of Homeless Individuals’ Pets

Veterinarian and animal advocate Dr. Kwane Stewart, known in his docuseries as “The Street Vet,” has his own veterinary practice in Modesto, California, but still makes a point to help the pets of the homeless population in town for free. He began this selfless act of heroism in 2011 after the Great Recession hit and has since helped well over 400 animals, even tending to a Burmese python at one point! About 25% of Modesto’s homeless population own a pet, and back in 2011, Dr. Stewart noticed that many needed medical attention. This tugged at his heart strings. Knowing that many would come for free pet medical attention if he set up a table near a soup kitchen, Dr. Stewart jumped at the opportunity. What he thought would be a one-time event eventually turned into a regular act of heroism. Now, Dr. Stewart has the ability to step in and save the day for both the pet and owner at no cost. Dr. Stewart has found that the bond between homeless individuals and their pets is unlike any that he sees in his office. “Keep in mind that they are with their pet every minute of every day,” he says. “That’s not the case with most of us.” He notes that seeing these special pet patients makes him feel as if he has a superpower. Dr. Stewart recalls that growing

up, he wanted to be either a vet or Batman, and now, he gets the best of both worlds!

Dr. Stewart often spends his spare time wandering the streets in search of pets that need his help, offering free vaccinations and medical care. He notes that the homeless population is just like us, but they have fallen on hard times, and their pets are their companions and lifelines. In helping the pets, Dr. Stewart builds a special bond with their owners. To be able to make a difference in the lives of sweet, innocent animals and their owners is the most rewarding type of work — the dream job Dr. Stewart could have never even conjured up before he selflessly started living it.

2 |

(706)-525-5900

TAKE A BREAK

CHICKEN WITH LEMON HERB SAUCE

Blanket Carnation Cold Emmys

Football Garnet Janus Mittens

Parade Resolution Snow Workout

Ingredients

Inspired by FoodNetwork.com

• 1/3 cup and 2 tbsp olive oil, divided

• 4 boneless chicken breasts

• 1 clove of garlic, minced

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

GLADIATORS: THE ORIGINAL CELEBRITY ATHLETES?

• 1/3 cup mint, chopped

• 1 1/2 tsp pepper

January is a busy month for sports, which includes football playoffs and the NBA and NHL seasons. Stars from each of these leagues have cultivated a global fan base and become celebrities, but this is nothing new. Thousands of years ago, many gladiators reached untold levels of fame, too. For the most part, gladiators were not born into nor did they receive much wealth. In most cases, they were originally slaves who became so indebted they had to sell their bodies. Many slaves were chosen and sent to gladiatorial schools, where they trained to become the best, too. For their fights, the Colosseum in Rome was built almost 2,000 years ago and could seat up to 75,000 people. For comparison, the largest U.S. stadiums hold a little over 100,000 people. Back then, there were no Jumbotrons or screens to see from far away. Tens of thousands of people would happily watch gladiator fights with nothing but eyes.

• 1 lemon, for juice and zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.

2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil.

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper if desired and sear it in the skillet for 3 minutes on each side. Bake chicken until its internal temperature is 165 F. 4. In a blender, add 1/3 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, parsley, mint, pepper, and lemon zest and juice and blend ingredients until coarsely mixed.

5. Top chicken with sauce and serve!

The story of gladiators prove athletes are and always have been influential.

www.mcmahanfirm.com

| 3

700 S. Thornton Ave. Dalton, GA 30720

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Making the 3 Best Business Resolutions Achievable

1

The Original ‘Celebrity’ Athletes Chicken With Lemon Herb Sauce The Lost Art of the Thank-You Note The Street Vet

2

3

The Case of the $54 Million Pants

4

HOWMUCH ARE YOUR FAVORITE PANTS WORTH? One Man Estimated His at $54 Million

Everyone knows that the perfect pair of pants can be hard to come by, but are they worth $54 million? Administrative

Pearson originally sued the cleaner’s owners, Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung, and Ki Y. Chung, for a whopping $67 million in damages but later reduced the claim to a far more reasonable $54 million. In his suit, Pearson requested $3 million for mental distress, $90,000 for a rental car to visit another dry cleaner, and $500,000 in attorney’s fees (Pearson represented himself). At the heart of his claim, though, was the company’s failure to live up to their “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “Same Day Service” signs in the window. The media had a field day, joking about the case as a “pantsuit” and inspiring a “Law & Order” episode called “Bottomless.” Pearson seemed to relish the spectacle, calling his lawsuit “an awesome responsibility” in court and breaking down into tears on the stand. He also called a

witness who compared the Chungs to Nazis. Even though the Chungs offered him a $12,000 settlement to make the case go away, Pearson persevered. He ultimately lost his case. At the end of the trial, the judge declared that no reasonable person would consider the signs at Custom Cleaners to be an unconditional promise — and also that Pearson had failed to prove the returned pants weren’t his. The Chungs ultimately recovered their court costs via a fundraiser, and Pearson lost his judicial appointment. Unsurprisingly, this prompted another lawsuit, which he also lost. In 2020, Pearson was suspended from practicing law for 90 days as a result of his actions in Pearson v. Chung . But for bringing new meaning to the phase “I’ll sue the pants off of you,” his place in legal history is secure.

Judge Roy L. Pearson had a favorite pair of pants, but in 2007, he claimed that Custom Cleaners lost them and returned a completely different pair instead. It all began when Pearson took his pants to the Washington, D.C., dry cleaners for alterations worth $10.50. The pants were sent in error to the incorrect dry cleaner, so Pearson’s pickup was delayed by several days. Once the pants were

returned, despite bearing all the correct tags and matching his receipt, Pearson declared that the pants were not his. When the dry cleaner refused his demand for $1,000 compensation, he decided it was time for legal action.

4 |

(706)-525-5900