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PUBLISHER'S NOTE BY MONIQUE TERRAZAS Back to school AUTOMATIC MERCHANDISER EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD If you stop learning, it hurts you and your business. Scott Guardino S Paramount Automated Food Service Pompano Beach, Fla. chool is back in full force again. I have to be honest. There are some days when I miss grade school, high school and yes, even college. Life was so much easier then. We were given one task, and that task was simply to learn, so that we'd graduate onto the next grade or milestone, which could be a diploma or degree. What was the big reward after we fnished all of that schooling? Remember? We couldn't wait to get out into the "Real World" and leave school behind forever. Well, now that we have all been in the "Real World" for some time, what have we learned? I could probably write a book with everything I've learned throughout the years, but one thing is very clear. Education doesn't stop with formal school. Sure, you don't have to worry about getting all your school supplies, or being assigned to the meanest teacher on campus. You don't even HAVE to continue to learn more if you choose. However, what suffers if you don't? You and your businesses do. GROWING your mind will help grow your business No such thing as luck You might have heard the buzz about a recent acceptance speech that the Hollywood actor, Ashton Kutcher delivered at the Teen Choice Awards on August 11. I admit, I didn't catch the program, but saw the video being passed around on social media quite a few times. Mr. Kutcher makes a very strong statement to the crowd, "Opportunity looks an awful lot like hard work." He couldn't be more right. More often than not, new locations just don't fall into your lap. 8 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com Randy Parks Looking for training? Check the Events section of VendingMarketWatch.com for a list of upcoming conferences, seminars and other educational opportunities. www.vendingmarketwatch.com/events ProStar Services West Carrollton, Texas Paul Shlossberg DFW Consulting Goshen, N.Y. Mike Nugent Compass Group USA Middletown, Pa. Brad Ellis Nor do your customers just suddenly start buying more product from you. However, if you are out there learning more about things like consumer snacking trends, or merchandising, or how to gain a new account, then you are taking the steps to create more opportunities for you and your business in the future. Crane Merchandising Systems St. Louis, Mo. Tom Siciliano Integrity Recruiting & Consulting Inc. Huntley, Ill. Tom Britten Make time for education If you haven't already been doing so, now is the time to start taking advantage of all the great learning opportunities in the industry. Partner with your manufacturer representative, your distributor, a consultant to the industry or NAMA. Read your industry newsletters, reports, magazines, attend trade shows or get active with your state association, sign up for learning events either in person or online. Make a commitment to yourself and to your business to read at least one item a day that can help you run your business better. I know we are all very busy with our day-today activities and sometimes our budgets don't allow us to spend money to travel or pay the fees to attend, but you still need to fnd a way to make the time to continue learning. There are plenty of resources available to you at no cost as well that you can take advantage of. Again, as Mr. Kutcher said, "Opportunity looks an awful lot like hard work" and it is. It's work that will separate you from those that left school a long time ago and continue to skip out on their education. September 2013 Britten Management Services Zephyrhills, Fla. Brad Bachtelle Bachtelle & Associates Inc. Tustin, Calif. Glenn Butler CTO Services LLC Boston, Mass. Gene Ostendorf InOne Technology Hunt Valley, Md. Paul Schindelar Mondelez International East Hanover, N.J. Chuck Reed MEI Malvern, Pa. Anant Agrawal Cantaloupe Systems San Francisco, Calif.