CNGA Looseleaf Oct/Nov 2018

3 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  October/November 2018 MESSAGE FROMTHE BOARD By Dan Wise, CCNP CNGA Board President Winter is nearly upon us, and hopefully you all had a successful sea- son. Success can mean different things to different businesses—growth in sales, revenue, profitability, a successful launch of a new product or service, or even the execution a succession plan. No matter how you measure success in your organization, the upcoming downtime is a critical period, and it provides a great opportunity to reflect on the past year and plan for the future. A unique facet of being in an industry with such a seasonality is this chance we are afforded to pause, review the past year, and plan for improvements while we are not faced with the multitudes of daily pres- sures we see in season. I still remember early in my career wondering how I could stay productive and occupied during the winter months. Now I view this time of year as if it were a fast-moving hourglass, with each passing day bringing me closer to the upcoming season, filled with critical tasks that must be accomplished to keep our business on track. Whether you are in retail, re-wholesale, or are a greenhouse or nursery producer, winter is a great time to review your product mix. Are there gaps in your offerings, or even whole categories you could try out to make your business stronger? On the other side of that coin are the products that may need to be pruned out of your mix—whether it is due to declining demand, improved varieties that fill the same niche, or those plants that seem to always have trouble surviving despite best efforts. It may be time to do some addition through subtraction. Winter is also an opportune time to meet with you team and reflect on your operations. When everyone has a bit more time in their day, some great ideas come out on how to improve and streamline your business. No matter how you do this, don’t miss out on this chance to reenergize your operations. The in-between weeks of winter are a great chance to do financial and business planning as well. Important internal tasks like budgeting and cost accounting can take center stage without getting pulled away by other urgent matters. Key services like banking, insurance, telecom- munications, and IT can also be given a proper review as well. One constant thing in business is change—reacting to it, managing it, even creating it takes planning. Be sure to use this “off season” to get your operation ready for 2019! Use the Off Season for Reflection & Planning

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