CEDIA Expo has come and gone for another year and it was a great reminder of why we choose to play in this industry as our means for jobs.

From members of the press, brilliant engineers, sales and marketing people, installers and entrepreneurs from around the world, we all converged together in Atlanta and shared the best we have to offer one another.

While this was going on, I heard many rumors that my company was going out of business and that I should worry about my future.

These are both false statements.

The reorganisation of our parent company Nortek could be stressful for me, and my life as the CEO of SpeakerCraft, I could freak out and worry about the unknown. After all that is what most worry is about, right?

However, I trust that my partners are doing the right things. I trust myself and what I can accomplish as a willing and able man.

This past week caused me to reflect on some key fundamentals for dealing with change, worry and life in business. Whether your business is booming or reorganising I know the below ideas will help you and your team perform better regardless of the situation.

I taught a class on these principals last week and reflected upon them multiple times daily during CEDIA and they helped me launch our biggest product offering ever, deal with all the excitement of the show, manage stress and keep moving forward.

Capitalist zen rules

1. Do one thing at a time. You can only focus on doing one thing perfectly at a time and to try to do more is setting yourself up for failure.

2. Slow down and be deliberate in thought. Everything changes and you are better off being deliberate and initiating change as opposed to waiting for it.

3. Do everything you choose to do 100%. Sit back and assess yourself. If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing right, period there is no half, either you do or you do not do.

4. Do more with less. We have become dependant on so many material things as well as people and communication. Make a decision, yes get input from advisors, be flexible and move forward. You don’t need everyone on your social networking site to tell you what to do, as Phil Knight at Nike envoked in millions of people, “just do it.”

5. Create rituals that you repeat that work for your success. Success doesn’t happen by accident, it happens by being deliberate on a regular basis. Continue doing the work that creates success for you.
6. Only think about what is necessary now. We harm our minds and bodies by thinking too much about the unknown. Think about what you can do that will create forward progress. Keep your goal in mind at all times.

7. Live and think simple. We have a tendency to complicate life by making things more difficult than they should be, keep it simple and live simple. Do your work, serve others the best you can, step back and live in this moment.

While training in the martial art of Kung Fu San Soo I was forced to read The Art of Peace by Morihei Ueahiba and this passage has stuck with me since the second grade.

Progress comes
To those who
Train and train;
Reliance on secret techniques
Will get you nowhere

Business is a great game that we are lucky to play every day. You are choosing your future every moment by who you surround yourself with, what you learn and do. Do what is necessary and enjoy the journey.