Time Flies....

...When you're busy. It seems that the long hot (and they've been particularly hot recently) days of summer are no reason to slow down. If you find that summer is a time when your business slows down, take advantage of the break. I have learned that it is a great time to start your planning process for the next year. Don't wait until fall to start thinking about the future and your business priorities, no time is better than the present.

You don't even have to start putting anything formally down on paper, just take the time to start collecting and organizing your thoughts. What factors are going to be different next year, are there any new competitors on the horizon or game changing technologies that could transform your business model? I tend to think in long terms and plan in time frames of 6, 9, 12 months and more. It has driven many of my colleagues and clients nuts over the years when they first hear me talking about what we need to do to be successful in 2 or 3 years, but in time most seem to understand that thinking about it now will help when we actually start planning later.

So take the time now to look at your business, the business climate and the broader world in which you live, work and compete and see what you can do to start thinking about the future.