BUILDING BRIDGES
Supporting businesses by lending good money to good businesses.
October 2010 - Vol 3, Issue 10 |
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| Greetings! | |
Pumpkins in the cornfields
Gold among the brown
Leaves of rust and scarlet
Trembling slowly down
Birds that travel southward
Lovely time to play
Nothing is as pleasant
As an autumn day!
The author of the above poem is unknown, but with the change from summer to fall, I thought it fitting to share with our readers. The lull between the two seasons is a rather quiet, reflective and cooling down time of year, ending three quarters of 2010, and soon approaching the busy fourth quarter shopping season. The economy appears to have stablized, at least for the time being, and the influx of client invoices to Mazon for funding has increased in recent months. Our best wishes for everyone's continued successes in the month of October.
Happy Halloween!
Lisa Mazon
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$$$ Refer & Earn $$$ |
 You never know when someone you know might benefit from Mazon's factoring services for their business. Our referral program just might put some additional cash in your hands! View details at the end of this newsletter, and forward this issue to a friend. |
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| Entrepreneurs of the Month: Celebrating National Candy Corn Day, October 30th! |
 George Renninger was a candymaker at the Wunderle Candy Company in the 1880s and sold various sweets to local customers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Perhaps the offerings included an assortment of jelly candies made of a citrus, honey and rose water gel, maybe even hard candies and mints, all certain to put smiles on children's' faces. It was about this time that George experimented with a new type of candy he called candy corn made of a special buttercream recipe and molded in the shape of a kernel of corn. It became an instant hit, especially with farmers, because of it looked like an actual piece of corn. The penny candy craze came along in America during this same time and, seeing the popularity of candy corn, many other candy makers jumped on the bandwagon and began making their own versions of the candy.
 Shortly after the Civil War ended in 1862, Gustav Goelitz (24) and his younger brother Albert (21) immigrated to the United States from Germany and settled in Belleville, Illinois where they opened Goelitz Brothers Candy Company. Gustav made the candy and handled store operations, while Albert sold the candy to surrounding towns and villages from a horse-drawn wagon. In time, Gustav's sons (Adolph, Gus Jr. and Herman) worked in the business learning the trade. Then the Panic of 1893, one of the worst depressions in American history, plagued the country for the next four years. Paper money was double the value of the gold backing it. Widespread unemployment, falling prices and labor unrest affected the Goelitz Brothers Candy Company, as it did thousands of businesses, and Gustav and Albert were forced to sell their company. Gustav never recovered and he died in 1901, a week short of his 56th birthday. Albert stayed on the road selling candy for another company until his death at the age of 80 (1921).
In 1898, Gustav's eldest son, Adolph Goelitz, and joined later by his brothers Gus, Jr. and Herman, continued the family candymaking tradition by establishing their own company, Goelitz Confectionery Company, in Cincinnati, Ohio and added candy corn to their product line this same year. Candy making was mainly seasonal; March through Thanksgiving they hired double the workers in preparation for the big autumn candy season, cooking up to as many as 50 batches of candy a day, in kitchens without air conditioning or electric fans. The typical worker in put in six 10-hour days per week and earned about $5.22 per week; in 1917 the weekly salary rose to $11.18. By 1912, the company was booming and turned away orders for lack of production capacity. To remedy this, they moved the plant to a factory town along the north shores of Lake Michigan in Illinois, which offered rail service and affordable land. When the income tax was introduced in 1913, many smaller businesses were forced to close, but Goelitz was firmly established and prevailed. Candy corn and what were called "buttercreams" (later known as mellocremes), were the primary products of the company. While licorice, chocolates and peppermints were also available, candy corn (the single best seller) and buttercreams kept the business growing for the next five decades and became known as the finest candy corn on the market.
World War I (1914-1918), and anti-German sentiment in America created a time of turmoil within the company. Each family member took a turn at the helm. Gus, Jr. left the business altogether, and Herman went West to open his own candy company in California, The Herman Goelitz Candy Company, making what he knew best: candy corn. Since the confectionery industry was regional, his business was not in competition with the rest of the family.
The 1920s were good years for the two companies, but the Great Depression (1929-1941) forced the sales of candy corn to plummet from $.16/pound to $.085/pound ten years later. Although the penny candy boom waned a bit when America fell in love with chocolate in the early 1900s, there was a huge chocolate shortage during World War II (1941-1945) when most chocolate went to overseas troops. So, patriotic Americans once again discovered their urge for non-chocolate sweet treats like candy corn, jelly beans and cinnamon sticks. Business was good again for Goelitz which was making candy in the face of all obstacles (sugar rationing, transportation difficulties, manpower shortages and price controls), and they sold as much as they could make. After the War, demand went up another 60%. Herman Goelitz's 19-year-old grandson, Herman ("Herm") Goelitz Rowland, joined his grandfather's candy business in 1960 and soon began expanding beyond candy corn with the introduction of Dutch Mints, jelly beans in all sizes and flavors, jells and other "mellocreme" candies.
Skyrocketing prices for sugar in 1975 squeezed the candy business, forcing many candymakers out of business. The North Chicago plant closed for a couple of months to weather the storm, and in California, Herm Rowland borrowed heavily to buy sugar to continue to produce.
 In early 1976, a Los Angeles candy distributor had an idea for a jelly bean made with natural flavorings. He presented his idea to Herm Rowland, beginning an historic collaboration between the candymaker and the marketing guru, by cooking up a recipe for a new kind of jelly bean, intensely flavored in the style Goelitz had developed with flavors in the shell and in the center, and using natural ingredients for flavoring whenever possible. In late 1976, the first eight flavors were born.
Today, descendents of Gustav Goelitz continue to cook up some of the best loved candies in the world under the brand name Jelly Belly. The company still makes candy corn and more than 100 other mouthwatering candies, including such delights as chocolates, gummies, sour candies and confections for all the major seasons. Jelly Belly Candy Company is headquartered in Fairfield, California with a manufacturing plant in North Chicago, Illinois and a factory store and distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The original Goelitz candy corn recipe has changed very little since Gustav Goelitz, Jr. first made it in 1898. The company has been making candy corn longer than any candymaker in the business today. Great grandpa Gustav would be proud.
A 30-piece serving size of Jelly Belly's candy corn contains only 140 calories (fewer calories than a cup of raisins) and no fat. Candy corn pieces are traditionally cast in three colors: a broad yellow bottom, a tapered orange center, and a pointed white top. During the 1980s, the company was the first to expand its offerings of candy corn to include Giant Corn for the autumn season, as well as Cupid Corn, Bunny Corn and Reindeer Corn for other seasons. According to the National Confectioners Association, nearly 14 billion candy corn kernels are sold annually. Although candy corn is available year-round, 80% are sold during the months of September and October. October 30th is National Candy Corn Day!
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| How does Mazon establish factoring fees? |
Mazon's fee structure is based on a combination of the following criteria: Anticipated monthly factoring volume; customer creditworthiness; number of factored customers; number of invoices sent to customers; average invoice amount and the average days to pay an invoice.
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A Success Lesson From the Past |
 The large block of marble stood in the center of the open-air workshop. The officials who had purchased the block were eager to get their project underway and began looking for an artist who could transform the stone block into a work of art. A suitable artist was identified and work began on the project, but as time passed, the artist gradually lost interest and eventually walked away from his commission. Another artist was found and work commenced once more, however, this second artist also lost interest and the entire project came to a grinding halt. The block of marble then sat neglected in the yard of the workshop for over 25 years!
Then one day, a young man in his twenties heard about the marble block and visited the yard. When he gazed upon the stone, the young man did not see a weathered old block of marble. Instead, he saw an opportunity waiting to be realized. He negotiated with the owners of the marble block and in due course received permission to try his hand where others had failed. For three long years the young man chipped away at the block of stone and tap by tap he transformed his dream into a reality. In January 1504, the young man whose name was Michelangelo, unveiled his statue of David. The secret of Michelangelo's success was that he was able to combine two seemingly conflicting virtues.
The first of these virtues was Vision. Whereas most people looked upon the marble block and saw a neglected slab of stone, Michelangelo saw a magnificent statue trapped within the rock just waiting to be released. "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free,"
he said.
In addition to having the ability to visualize his ultimate desire, Michelangelo also developed the virtue of Patience. He knew that long lasting success did not come quickly or easily, but rather, it was the result of patiently chipping away at his goal each and every day. "Genius is Eternal Patience," he said.
Today, some five hundred years later, many of us spend time to develop a grand vision for our life, but then we quickly become impatient to make our vision a reality. All too often we become frustrated with our lack of progress and eventually give up on our goal entirely. It is a rare individual who can combine the ability to visualize their goal with the patience to take the small daily steps necessary to transform that vision into reality. I would like to encourage you to approach your own goals in the same way that Michelangelo approached the creation of the statue of David. Even though your current reality may resemble the worn out block of marble, challenge yourself to look deeper to find the hidden opportunity that is waiting to be realized. Once you have identified your objective, resist the urge to become impatient. Instead, develop a mindset of quiet anticipation and chip away at your goal a little each day. By combining the power of Vision with the virtue of Patience, nothing will stop you from creating your own masterpiece.
(Reprinted with permission from Dr. Anthony Fernando, www.anthonyfernando.com)
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| Tips for Concentration |
 Filling routine assignments or studying can be the toughest task to do when you don't have inspiration to do it. Here are some tips for helping you to concentrate on the task at hand:
Clean up your desktop. Never work in a messy environment. The mess can slow you down. Write notes of the things you have to do. Write the tasks you have to do so you don't have to remember them in your head.
Turn off your cell phone. If you can't, just silence it. Don't be stressed for the next phone call or text message.
Use the 5-minute rule. Tell yourself, "I will start doing it for 5 minutes, if I won't like it, I will quit. That will ease your difficulty to start.
Schedule a time for work and break. Place an aim, such as studying two hours and then taking a break. This will encourage you to complete your tasks.
Analyze the task and prepare it for work. See what you have to do in order to get it done. Divide the task into small chunks that you can do one after the other. Get the right materials and tools ready before you start to concentrate.
Don't disappoint yourself. You are your own best friend. Once you promise to do something, do your best to complete. That way, you will build your concentration for the long run as well.
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| Notary Facts |
The National Notary Association would like to make folks aware that flash drives make it easy for insiders to steal identities. They are as small as a fingernail and fit on key chains, charm bracelets or in the smallest of pockets. Despite their diminutive size, USB flash drives are becoming the bane of the corporate world because they make it easy for insiders to pilfer enormous amounts of data without anyone being the wiser. In 2008, Countrywide Home Loan discovered that one of its employees used a simple flash drive to walk off with the sensitive personal information - including Social Security numbers - of approximately two million mortgage applicants over a period of about two years. The case underscores how insiders often pose a threat to consumers' most sensitive data as great as outside hackers. In office environments, everyone from senior executives to Notaries needs to be mindful of securing access to their computers - even when they step away for a coffee break.
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| Product Recalls |
The following recent recalls were issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Char-Broil vertical gas smokers (Imp: Char-Broil LLC, Columbus, GA); Coleman WaterBeam 4D Water-Activated Floating Spotlights (Dist: The Coleman Company, Wichita, KS); Black & Decker Random Orbit Sanders (Mfg: Black & Decker, Towson, MD); Wading Staffs (Imp: Simms Fishing Products, Bozeman, MT); FIXIT One Million Candlepower Rechargeable Spotlights (Imp: Innovage LLC, Foothill Ranch, CA); Paradigm Cinema 70 CT Subwoofers (Imp: Paradigm Electronics, Ontario, Canada); Satellite T135 and Satellite Pro T130 Notebook Computers (Mfg: Toshiba America Information Systems, Irvine, CA); Slow Cookers (Imp/Dist: Sensio Inc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada); 32-Inch Sharp LCD-TVs (Mfg: Sharp Electronics, Mahwah, NJ); Flat screen television wall mounts (Mfg: Milestone AV Technologies LLC, Savage, MN). More details on these recalls can be found at www.cpsc.gov. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at 800-638-2772.
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| October 2010 Holidays, Observances, Celebrations and Events |
 Oct. 4: Child Health Day; Oct. 6: National German-American Day, Physician Assistant Day; Oct 8: National Children's Day; Oct 9: Leif Erikson Day; Oct. 11: Columbus Day; Oct. 14: Peace Crops Birthday; Oct. 16: Boss' Day, Sweetest Day; Oct. 24: United Nations Day, Mother-In-Law Day; Oct. 27: Navy Day; Oct. 31: Halloween, National Magic Day.
Notice: Mazon offices will be closed on Monday, Oct. 11th in observance of Columbus Day. We will resume normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 12th.You may still submit invoices during our closed hours via fax, e-mail or drop-slot to be processed on Tuesday
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| Play It Safe |
More than 38 million boys and girls, ages 5-18, participate in organized youth sports across the country. And while sports can be a fun way to socialize and instill values such as teamwork, physical activity can also mean potential injuries. We need our coaches, parents and athletes to recognize and manage injuries - especially concussions - if we want our kids to be a part of a safe, winning team.
Concussions are one of the most commonly reported injuries in children and adolescents who participate in sports and recreation activities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year. A concussion is caused by a blow to the head or body that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull. Even a "ding," "getting your bell rung," or what seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious. Concussions can occur in any organized or unorganized sport or recreational activity and can result from a fall or from players colliding with each other or with obstacles, such as a goalpost.
 In response, CDC has developed the Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to increase awareness and knowledge among youth sports coaches and administrators about concussion and the need to manage concussions appropriately. As part of the campaign, CDC developed practical, easy-to-use information for coaches as well as sports administrators, athletes, and parents, including fact sheets, a clipboard, magnets, and posters available at no cost.
It's important for coaches to become familiar with the signs and symptoms of a concussion so that they can respond appropriately. To help recognize a concussion, coaches should be alert for any athletes who experience a forceful blow to the head or body that results in rapid movement of the head and any demonstrated changes in an athlete's behavior, thinking or physical functioning. The "Heads Up" materials provide a comprehensive list of signs and symptoms of concussion as well as important steps to take when a concussion is suspected. To participate in the campaign (at no cost!) visit: www.cdc.gov/ConcussionInYouthSports.
(Reprinted with permission of CDC.)
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| Thoughtful Thoughts |
Being a good person is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all of the yucky stuff - including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a bright new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.
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| Top Signs That You're Too Old to Trick or Treat |
 10 - You get winded from knocking on the door.
9 - You have another kid chew the candy for you.
8 - You ask for high fiber candy only.
7 - When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance
and fall over.
6 - People say, "What a scary mask!" but you're not wearing a mask!
5 - When the door opens you yell, Trick or . . ." and can't remember the rest.
4 - By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.
3 - You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.
2 - You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
And last but not least . . .
1 - You avoid going to houses where your ex-spouses live.
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Earn 10% Monthly Referral Fees! |
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No Expiration Date!
 
Most of Mazon's clients have come to us through referrals of current and former clients. We rely heavily on word-of-mouth marketing to bring in new clients. Our monthly referral payment to you is 10% of our monthly factoring fee (determined at the time of client sign-up) and continues for as long as the business remains with Mazon Associates.
Potential clients include start-up businesses, high-growth businesses, undercapitalized businesses with historical operating losses, businesses with tax liens, turnaround situations. Other potential clients could be businesses who have been turned down for a bank loan and/or do not currently meet a bank's credit criteria; have delivered a service or product to other businesses and have invoices that can be independently verified; expresses cash flow problems and have a cash flow need; and/or companies expecting rapid growth. The potential client can be located in any of the 50 United States.
Prospects are usually businesses that are manufacturers, distributors and service companies. Traditionally, Mazon has had businesses in the following areas: advertising; apparel, courier/delivery services, environmental service companies; manufacturing; printing; start-up and early stage/growth companies; staffing companies; telecommunications; and transportation.
We do not accept businesses which have a majority of consumer receivables such as retail businesses, progress billings, third party pay medical receivables and certain construction-related businesses.
For more information on our referral program, please contact Lisa Mazon at 972-554-6967 ext. 238 or 1-800-442-2740, or by email lisa@mazon.com.
(You are not required to be a Mazon client to refer a business and receive a referral fee but we will require your information to send you a form 1099-MISC for paid fees at the end of each year.) |
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 If you liked this issue of Building Bridges, please forward it to a friend. We invite you to share your newsletter thoughts with us. If you would like to submit an idea, article or joke for consideration in a future issue of Building Bridges, or just want to tell us how we are doing, please email our creator and editor, Linda Burson, at MazonNewsletter@Mazon.com.
Building Bridges carries no paid advertising. All articles, images and links are for our readers' knowledge and enjoyment only.
Mazon Associates, Inc.
600 W. Airport Fwy., Irving, TX 75062
P.O. Box 166858, Irving, TX 75016
Telephone: 972-554-6967 Toll Free: 800-442-2740
Fax: 972-554-0951
Business Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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