After a week spent with family and enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday, it is time to get those running shoes on and make the next three weeks really count for your business. These weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are critical not just for retailers, but for all businesses. 

Here is how you can connect with your customers, employees and community to make the year-end  a positive one.

Holiday greetings, parties and giving back are all ways to connect with your customers, employees and community.  Take advantage of this time of giving to say thank you, show your appreciation and give back.

When your company is growing as fast as ours, you often find yourself short-staffed. We feel as though we are constantly in catch up mode, yet somehow we deliver for our clients and continue to produce work of a high standard.

Behind the scenes it's a different matter. Not only are there demands to create strong marketing plans for our clients, there is the demand to do the same for ourselves.  The need to find staff that are nimble, creative and deliver is imperative.

I am a strong believer in culture and finding the right fit. I'm lucky, because I started the Dallas office utilizing Marketing Eye staff that was already established and bringing on board  a few people who I had worked with in the past.  I knew everyone could deliver and I knew what strengths they brought to the team. Now, as I continue to build my team, I will need to find people who are not so familiar, but are a good fit.

Old school marketers are dead. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that.

Marketing no longer resembles the textbooks of the 90's.  Old-school marketers no longer have a advantage over young marketers since the rules of game have changed. If your firm is still conducting marketing of the past, you are missing out on real opportunities. Doing the same will not result in the same results, you may not get any results at all.

How goods and services are researched and purchased has, and continues to change.  Even industries that have existed on personal networks alone are needing to re-evaluate their sales and marketing approach. If your marketing department hasn't changed the way they do business in the past five years, it's time to re-evaluate this department.  Here's why you may need to take a fresh look at how your reach and sell to your target market.

As a daughter, granddaughter and employer of a veteran I can say hiring a veteran makes good business sense.  The military teaches and instills in its service personnel skills that are both valuable and desirable to American businesses.  

No matter your personal feelings about the U.S.'s involvement of international conflicts; men and women who volunteer to serve their country come with a different level of commitment.  One that for those of us who have not served, did not make.

Here is why hiring a vet makes good business sense.

We often get so caught up in our lives that we forget to stop and evaluate where we are and where we are going on our life journey. This week was big for me, I ran 10 miles (stopping only to fill up my water bottle), I reorganized my office, I had a positive sales call which I feel confident will turn into a sale, and I sold a business I have owned for over seven years.

The week came with a flood of emotions from  proud, to relieved, to sad, to excited.  It also made me stop and think about what is important in life and how I really want to shape my journey ahead.

Small to medium-sized businesses typically come with a small sales force, many times it's just the owner. It's important to know how to encourage your network to generate sales for you with limited time and resources. Often your own network can be the greatest source of sales if you just create advocates for your business. These sales advocates will sell for you and be your walking testimonial.

The first step is to think about who can be your advocates. Current customers, business and personal acquaintances, and even people you may not know, but wish to add to your network.  To get started you must reach-out and connect.