2013 Year In Review

Although the CORE Communications, Inc. management team is spending a lot of time this week forecasting and setting goals for the new year, we would like to take some time to reflect on our accomplishments in 2013.  We had a record-breaking year, and estimate about 200% growth over 2013! We were asked to expand into a new market by our main client, we had a lot of fun, and we worked extremely hard to hit all of our goals. Here’s a snapshot of our year:

JANUARY: We kicked off the new year with our first charity poker tournament and raised money for Operation Smile, a non-profit that sponsors medical missions to third-world countries, in order to provide surgeries to children born with cleft lips or palates.

FEBRUARY: Keys to Success management conference in Atlanta, and celebrated Nikki Rinko’s promotion to Assistant Management.

JUNE: Our Houston office was the #1 producing office in the country for the entire month.

JULY: Our leadership team was invited to a conference and networking event in New Orleans, where we were recognized for growth, and got to meet a lot of great contacts in our industry. Also in July, CORE top leaders Trent and Ramy visited our client broker headquarters in Los Angeles. They snuck in a little beach time as well.

AUGUST: Nikki was promoted to Branch Management, and was asked by our client to handle the Indianapolis market.  CORE also celebrated our 2^nd Anniversary in business on August 15^th!

SEPTEMBER: Our client broker honored President of the company, Ryan Caugherty,  as a “Rising Star” in our industry. Ryan was invited to attend a business conference at Arizona Grand Resort, and was able to network and play golf all week with 21 other “Rising Stars.” He was also fitted for a snazzy new custom-made suit from a highly respected tailor.

OCTOBER: We held another charity poker tournament and raised more money for Operation Smile. Most of our team also decided to run in Houston’s Race for the Cure! So proud of our guys for having a focus on charity.

NOVEMBER: We participated in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. Our management team spent a weekend in Malibu for a little business, and a lot of team building competition! There was trivia, volleyball, dodge ball, and a ropes course.

NOVEMBER: We were honored as one of Houston’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in 2013. We are still so humbled by this achievement.

2013 was our best year in business so far, but we expect an even more impressive 2014. We project 400% growth next year, and our clients have asked us to expand into 3 new markets.

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” – Leonardo DaVinci

Top TED Talks of 2013

CORE Communication Inc.'s favorite TED Talks of the year:

Amy Cuddy: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

Amy Cuddy’s research on body language reveals that we can change other people’s perceptions — and even our own body chemistry — simply by changing body positions.

Why we chose this TED Talk as one of our favorites of 2013: because here at CORE, our core business is sales, business consulting, and leadership. All these areas require a certain confidence. We learned from Ms. Cuddy that just a few minutes of "power posing" can increase confidence before public speaking, holding a meeting, or even a sales presentation.

Ernesto Sirolli: If You Want to Help Someone, Shut Up and Listen

When most well-intentioned aid workers hear of a problem they think they can fix, they go to work. This, Ernesto Sirolli suggests, is naïve. In this funny and impassioned talk, he proposes that the first step is to listen to the people you're trying to help, and tap into their own entrepreneurial spirit. His advice on what works will help any entrepreneur.

Ernesto Sirolli got his start doing aid work in Africa in the 70's -- and quickly realised how ineffective it was.

Why we chose this TED Talk: Whether you are doing charity work, giving a sales presentation, or assessing problems within the team you manage, it is important to ask questions first! You can not offer a solution or provide a diagnosis without first gathering information.

Larry Smith: Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career

In this funny and blunt talk, Larry Smith pulls no punches when he calls out the absurd excuses people invent when they fail to pursue their passions. (Filmed at TEDxUW.)

A professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, Larry Smith coaches his students to find the careers that they will truly love. 

Why we chose this TED Talk: At CORE, we believe in pursuing our passions and being passionate about our goals in order to achieve success in business. We see that when people do not follow their passions or become impassioned by their goals, they rarely succeed.

Daniel Goldstein: The Battle Between Your Present Self and Future Self

Every day, we make decisions that have good or bad consequences for our future selves. (Can I skip flossing just this one time?) Daniel Goldstein makes tools that help us imagine ourselves over time, so that we make smart choices for Future Us.

Daniel Goldstein studies how we make decisions about our financial selves -- both now and in the future.

Why we chose this TED Talk: At CORE, we teach the principle of delayed gratification. Put in more work and time now, and you will cash in for greater rewards later. Why put in mediocre effort for mediocre results when you can put in extreme effort for extremely great results? 

Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers ... (Filmed atTEDxPugetSound.)

In 2009, Simon Sinek released the book "Start With Why" -- a synopsis of the theory he has begun using to teach others how to become effective leaders and inspire change.

Why we chose this TED Talk: This is our favorite TED talk yet! We first saw it in 2010, and continue to go back to this talk. Sinek's Golden Circle theory fully aligns with our business model. If a company knows WHY they want to achieve their goals, they are more likely to hit them. If you are focused on your WHY rather than just your WHAT, you will be unstoppable.