Hardwood Floors December 2024/January 2025

Special Content (Continued)

effectively use networking as a cost-effective means for meeting potential customers, sharing information about what your company does, and how to make meaningful connections that can help sustain business growth for years. I had the opportunity to speak to the group about the importance of turning these ideas into action in order to get results. I asked attendees to take a moment and schedule a one-hour time block for themselves the following week to review the ideas from the Summit and decide which ones they were going to put into action. One of my top recommendations is having a five-year business plan. One-year planning was good, but it misses the need to adjust one year after the next to be sure that the end goal was met over a reasonable period of time. Financial statements are the best measure for how a business is doing on its success journey. Finally, when it comes to marketing,

distinguish your company from others and the value you bring to the customer; otherwise, the only differentiator would be on price alone. The Small Business Workshop closed out with a panel discussion featuring Steve Brattin of SVB Wood Floors, John Lessick of Apex Wood Floors, Kevin Mullany of Benchmark Wood Floors, and Chris Zizza of C&R Flooring. The audience asked an array of great questions about planning, technology, staffing, and many of the topics

from earlier in the day. Each panelist offered honest and insightful answers that left attendees with actionable information. These were “real world” answers from four leaders in the industry who have achieved considerable success, but also had many challenges as they built their businesses. Attendees left with clear, actionable ideas and the motivation to put them into practice. If you missed it, you can listen to the series of NWFA Real Answers podcasts that Zizza and Michael Martin, president and CEO of NWFA, recorded ahead of the workshop, as they interviewed experts on a variety of tips for small businesses. Additionally, you can visit sba.gov for business plan templates, an online learning platform, information on how to obtain local assistance, and more resources. Doug Howard is the president of Growth Team Strategies, based in Sykesville, Maryland. He specializes in helping wood flooring contractors develop strategic plans, streamline processes, improve profitability, and navigate growth. For more information, email him at doug.howard@growthteams.com or visit growthteams.com.

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