National S'mores Day

It's that time of the year again! Who is ready to celebrate National S'mores day and eat some s'mores?

BUT, there is a problem; after eating a delicious, gooey, chocolaty s'more, the guilt follows.

What if.. you can eat a s'more and feel great afterward?! 

Introducing the s'more substitution; a blog that will give you alternatives to a sinful snack.

First; the banana boat!
Take a banana and slice it, with the peel, down the middle, length wise. Throw in some dark chocolate chips, marshmallows and some almond butter. Wrap it up in foil and put it on the grill. YUM!


Next, the gluten-free s'mores bar
Simply replacing the graham cracker with gluten-free graham crackers. Take a look at the recipe here.

Lastly, the s'more smoothie
In a blender, add almond milk, a frozen banana, low-fat marshmallow dip, dark chocolate, gluten-free graham crackers and blend it all together for an AMAZING experience for your taste buds!

Let us know if you have any alternatives; we always love hearing from you!

Learn to listen!

Working in a small business can be a little crazy. There is always a lot going on. Having to pay close attention to different aspects of the business, such as: customers, employees, vendors, operations, etc. can be a challenge, but rewarding. In order for these aspects to perform at their highest possible level, certain skills need to be used on a daily basis.Among these skills is listening. Listening is one of the many skills that help run a small business. All people that have made a small business work have this skill. Now, I know what you’re thinking, how is listening a skill? Everyone listens.The thing is, everyone hears, but are they really listening? Listening involves comprehending what you hear, not simply hearing. Because listening is a skill that needs to be practiced, I thought it would be helpful if I went over a few listening tips.

1.       Face the person you are talking to you. This forces you to look at the person, automatically making it easier to pay attention to what they are saying. It also helps you block out distractions.

2.       Respond to what the person is telling you. This helps you pay attention and comprehend what you are hearing because you have to actively respond. DO NOT murmur. So no “mhm” and “uh huh.” Try saying things like “Really” and “Interesting.” You can also ask questions to be an active member of the conversation.

3.       Focus on what the person is saying. Don’t worry how you are going to respond to what the person is saying. That can greatly distract you, and distractions lead to not listening.

4.       Do not interrupt the speaker. Wait for them to completely finish their thought and then respond. Even if the person is negatively criticizing you, wait for them to finish speaking and then defense yourself.

I hope you all will enjoy these tips to help you become better listeners! They can be use in the work place or at home. And remember, these tips will only help if you put them into practice. 

Samantha's Goodbye

So, today is my last day at A Royal Flush, for now at least. I am off to school, but I have so much I want to say to the amazing people I have had the honor of working with this summer. So, as my goodbye, I am posting a Blog to tell the world how much ARF and its hard workers have impacted me.

Sheryl: Thank you for always helping me if I needed it. And thank you for sharing your love of cats with me. Murphy appreciates it, he told me.

Judy: Thank you so much for being the way you are. You always try your best and know exactly how to speak to people. Thank you for always bringing in those beautiful flowers AND feeding me every once in a while. 

Brianna: Although I barely speak to you because you are on the other side of the office, which feels like the other side of the world; I admire how quickly you pick up on things. You are the youngest of the group I personally think you have a bright future.

Natasha: I am so happy I had the chance to work with you. You were always there with a Starbucks coffee when I needed one. I want to apologize for talking calories constantly, but like I said, I’ve lived a lot. 

Brenda: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You are the most patient person in the world. I know I can ask a lot of questions, but you were always willing to help me, no matter how busy you were. You also fed me, constantly, and were my support during my ‘healthy living’. 

Sharon: You thought me the ropes, and for that I could never thank you enough. You always find a way to teach me, even last week you taught me something about our system. Thank you for always helping me.

Igor and Albert: I know I bother you two A LOT, but you always respond and make the impossible, possible. So thank you for that. I was a pleasure working with people that get things done.

The people upstairs: Although I work downstairs and don’t spend as much time with you all, thank you for always helping me if I needed something done.

Bill: I’d like to thank you for giving me an opportunity to work for A Royal Flush. If you ever need me to make you another spreadsheet, Alex has my number.

Debbie: I’d like to thank you for always making me feel like a part of the team. In any other internship, I would have probably been placed at a desk, in a corner doing some monkey business. But you, Bill, and Alex, have always given me important projects and have made sure I understood every aspect of the projects. I look forward to working with you in the near future.

Alex: Alex, you have been the BEST boss I’ve ever had. You challenge me and trust that I will do a good job. You have taught me to be a better, more efficient worker, which is crucial in my career. And most of all, thank you for caring. You have shown me how much you care for your employees and I can’t thank you enough for all the things you’ve done. I’m going to miss you!

I want to thank every single one of you. You have made my experience at ARF truly amazing. And remember, this is not goodbye; it’s see you later. 

You didn’t think you could get rid of me that easy, did you?

Staying healthy and active in an office

At ARF, everyone in the office is watching what they eat and trying their hardest to get a workout in. But working in an office can be a place of great temptation and workout laziness. On that note, here are a few tips to help you stay healthy and active.

1.       Have a stock of healthy snacks at your desk. There is always someone in the office that loves bringing in treats for everyone else. Usually, those treats are not exactly the healthiest option. Having a snack drawer give you options and the opportunity to make a good decision.

2.       Feel free to fidget. Did you know that fidgeting can burn up to 350 calories a day? That’s right! 350 calories. So go ahead, tap your feet and talk with your hands.

3.       Pack your own lunch. Doing this gives you control over what you eat. Also, you save TONS of money.

4.       Replace your chair with an exercise ball. Balancing yourself on an exercise ball workouts your abs, helps you with balance, and relieves stress from your lower back. So what if you look a little funny, at least your back will feel AMAZING.

5.       Drink lots of water. Not only is water extremely good for you, but the more water you drink, the more you have to get up and use the bathroom.

6.       The power of a water bottle. While at your desk, you can do a few bicep curls. Just use a water bottle as dumbbell and if anyone catches you, pretend you were just having a drink.

7.       Take the stairs. Skip the elevator and take the long way. This helps you get in a few extra burned calories.

These are just a few tips, but they are sure to set you on your way to feeling healthier. They may be small, but add up when they are used together.

Communication Tips

Whether you work for a local business, or a fortune 500 company, communicating is a huge part of everyday office life. From internal phone calls, to emails, to face-to-face communication, being able to talk to your coworkers is essential to any business’ success.

Each of the communication methods mentioned above are different from one another. The most casual method would be the internal phone call, or a call made to someone else in the office. Although it is the most casual of methods, it does not mean you can ‘go crazy’ on the phone. Even if you’re truly comfortable speaking to someone, you should never answer the phone like you would if it was your best friend calling. In order words, the words ‘hey girl’ or ‘sup bro’ should ever leave your mouth.

                                  

Another tip. When you’re taking internal calls, keep it short and stick to the point. To help you remember this concept, refer to the acronym above. You are at work and I can guarantee that the person on the other side of the conversation has plenty of work to keep them busy. Therefore, they do not want to hear about the amazing shirt you bought or what you are going to eat for lunch.

Now, lets discuss emails. My personal email pet peeve is incorrect capitalization. There is nothing worse than having run-on sentences, with no punctuations mark, incorrect spelling, and horrific grammar. It is an email, therefore you have a chance to review the email before sending it. It does not take an hour to quickly read it over before clicking the send button. So as a favor to yourself and the recipient, use spell check and give your message a quick read.

Lastly, the fastest, but sometimes most difficult, method of communication is face-to-face. The reason why, it is very difficult to hide your reactions to certain things. When you are talking on the phone or sending an email, it is easier to hide your initial reaction, which in certain situations, may offend the person you are speaking to. Also, do not stare a person down. It will make them feel uncomfortable, and that is obviously not a good thing. Here’s a tip. Looking at their nose will make it seem as if you are looking at their eyes, but not staring profusely.

The most important tip, in any of these methods, is to listen. Listening to what your peers have to say, whether it is criticism or an idea. Those things are being said for a reason. That being said, here are a few things you can do to better your listening skills.

• Try to take notes
• Focus on the main idea of the conversation
• Block out anything that isn’t part of the current conversation
• Practice

As we all know, practice does make perfect.