Planning for 2021 – A Bright New Future

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants or lectures or selling. We are not doing this for our employers, but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will make your business better, and our industry better. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

News

• Registration is officially open for Impressions Connect, A Virtual Trade Show Experience! Connect with suppliers, discover new products and techniques, and learn from industry legends and brands this January 25-29, 2021.  Discover more at ImpressionsConnect.com and register here: http://ow.ly/Q9UT50CATwT! 

  Dad Joke: Why can’t you trust a burrito?

  Cause it will spill the beans.

Success in 2021

Aaron: Intro – Good to be back. Thanks to Erich for filling in for me last year. It’s also good not to be working 100 hours a week, which we will talk about a bit more later. 

• Terry and I are a bit into planning. 
• A show we have done annually – love exploring this
• Nice mix of practical from Terry and the big picture, personal from me. 

Terry should we start by sharing just briefly the bullet points of the things we talked about 2 years ago, as well as what you and Erich shared last year?  

Terry – 2020: 

Be your own business consultant (again)

Be an order that travels through your process and facility

Map out by month how to improve your company culture

Erich – 2020

Know Yourself / Know your shop – Questions to ask yourself if you get stuck on planning/analysis

Prefigure/Prepare – Envision your year

Plan your actionable steps to get the resources you need and to make changes.

Terry – 2019

New mindset for a changing marketplace, the time is at hand

Micromanagement self-evaluation

Bonuses and rewards for your staff

Aaron 2019

Do you Have a Business Plan?

Be MORE Customer-Centric

Learn to Say No

Terry: {Summarize the past 2 years}

• What are we talking about here? All the things we know we should be doing but we choose to allow the day-to-day business to distract us from doing anything about it.
• Easier to get caught up in the current crisis than to make decisions about your business future. Bury your head in the sand.

Aaron: Check Work/Life Balance – Prioritize 

• Feeling this lack of balance with all the changes
• Work-life balance was forced/had gotten out of hand?
• Driven to make Our Success Group the best
  • Empowered by the mission and goal, 
  • Also more aware of the need to find the right balance

Don’t live to work, but instead work to live my best life. 

Terry: Purchasing new equipment, products and supplies in a continued Covid world

• Ask for samples
• Ask for references
• Video demos

Aaron: Are you checking the boxes for you? 

• Owners say they started their businesses to make money –  bologna
• There was a different harder to find a reason why you took the risk
• Just about the money – Find a J O B
• Is it fulfilling? 
  • I discovered they were not checking the boxes for me
  • I didn’t know what my boxes were
• Figure out what is fulfilling and putting words to what you truly value? 
• What do you want to be a part of or what do you want to create?

Terry: Let’s start firing! Customers, that is.

• Hard in downtime, whoever is suffering down time right now… but… maybe it’s the perfect time.
• Tightening your belt might also mean shedding a customer who consumes too much of your time.

Aaron: Discover or Refine Your “Why”

• All tie together – First defined your priorities, determined values/vision
• Why the heck are you doing this? 
  • 90 to 100 hours a week – into it, pay decent
  • It just didn’t work / no idea “why” we were doing what we were doing
  • About the money, found a job
  • Even with the support of my family / Wasn’t worth it 
• Without a “Why”, a guiding principle, a clear shared vision.
• Simple to find your “why” but not easy, Honest with yourself, Takes Soul Searching, Conversations our Animal brain doesn’t like
• Formula is simple – TO (The contribution) SO THAT (The Impact).
  • To provide resources that empower business owners to achieve their idea of success!

Terry: What worked and didn’t work during the Covid year?

• • Marketing, the products you offer, etc.
  • First, we should always be doing this, not just in a weird Covid year.

Should we even say “think outside the box”?

5 Things to do if you are slow in January

1. Clean your shop. Nothing gives a better first impression for customers than this!
2. Hold a year end review/plan for the new year meeting. It is fun to share with your team everything that you’ve accomplished in the previous year and to see how you are going to challenge yourself in the new year. 
3. Set goals for the new year and make an action plan. Try to plan out your marketing at least 3 months in advance.  Once we got back to doing this after Covid hit, our numbers returned to what they typically were.
4. Review procedures to see if there is a better way to do things. There is always room for improvement. The simpler the better!
5. Work ahead for projects that you know you will have in the future. Particularly for artwork for fundraisers that you have been doing for years.  If the work is already done, it’s easier for people to tell you yes. 

Contributed by Joe Ortinau

Be Part of #5Things

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