by Andrew Pelkey
January 2024

The days are long, but the years are short… Perspective is certainly interesting. Those with kids have probably heard this saying a time or two and we all know it to be true. The same for our professional careers. In our industry the days are certainly long, and when we finally come up for air another season or in this case another year has come to a close.

January is a perfect month for reflection in your personal and professional lives. In my personal experience I let our industry get the best of me for several years dealing with a face paced growth. It took a toll on my mental and physical health. About 18 months ago, I said enough was enough, and I worked to deal with the stress and get in better shape.

Doing so has made a tremendous difference in both my personal and professional lives. I share this with you because I know I am not alone and in hopes that maybe there are one or two of you reading this who might be inspired to do the same. My ability to perform for my family and my NPO team is drastically better than it had been prior. Without health and wellness, we can’t perform to our potential.

In our operation we are reviewing next year’s budget with our sales and production teams, evaluating the previous year’s efficacy and how to improve. There is a saying: “If not you aren’t growing, your dying.” Growth doesn’t need to be measured in top line dollars. It can be measured on professional growth, team growth, and certainly bottom-line dollars. Taking the time to figure out how to squeeze more juice out of what you already have can be easier sometimes than adding to the whole.

NHLA is poised to offer you events this off season to aid in this effort. This month (January 17) we are presenting a panel discussion with local industry leaders discussing the concept of growing and scaling your business. Following that is a tentative workshop in February to help build your budget and understand your costs to price for profit. This February event’s success stems from interest if we can get enough of you on board!

I hope that you all had a great season and are looking forward to the next. Take time to evaluate and review to move forward for next season. We will continue to work hard to provide you with the resources to do so. If you have input or are looking for something we haven’t offered yet, please reach out to me or any of the Board members to provide your feedback for us to take it into consideration.

Be well.