How ready are you for 2024 and beyond? by Jeff Smit
Are you really ready to tackle 2024 and beyond? For the answer, I draw a comparison between a workshop and an oak tree. Remember the old quotation “When is the best time to plant an oak tree? Twenty years ago. And the second best time is now”?
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t’s all about planning. To generate the best potential for your workshop, your staff and yourself as owner or manager, planning ahead is the only answer — and not just for 2024. You want long-term success? Now is the time to plant the oak tree. The first step is to look back at the past few years and analyse your business. What went well and what caused issues? Understanding what caused these highs and lows is critical if you want to determine what needs changing and what doesn’t. So step back and evaluate your business critically. Only then can the right changes be made for the future. Traditionally, the start of a new year is a great time to develop a fresh outlook and fire up enthusiasm and ambition for the year ahead. And I don’t mean a frivolous New Year’s resolution that you have no intention of keeping. It helps to break your future planning into different time periods — short-term (one year), medium-term (three to five years) and long-term (seven to ten years).
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Those who would argue that trying to look a decade ahead is unrealistic need to have a closer look at the industry in which they live and work. The pace of vehicle technology is so fast that a decade is a mere blip on the calendar. All workshops must consider what they want to be doing in ten years’ time. What technology will be your workshop’s point of difference in a competitive market? The time to prepare for your position in the aftermarket chain is now. What must be accepted by all is that the one-stop shop is on the way out. For this reason alone, long-term planning is vital, and like the oak tree, the workshop must begin growing its knowledge base right now. Delay will mean being left behind. This is not to downplay short- and medium-term planning. Working on improving the business month by month and year by year is important not only for profitability but for peace of mind for management and staff. A well-run, profitable business is a healthier and happier workshop than those that ignore planning.
