Somehow, someway 2018 has nearly gone by and we’re about to kick off a new year. It’s a time when many of us look ahead to what we want to accomplish in the coming months, what we want to change, and where we want to get better. And this time around it may be especially important to do this, with the wild fluctuations in the market we’ve seen in recent weeks and analyses from leading economists that we may soon be headed for a downturn.

Obviously no one has a sure lock on what will happen in the future, but for those of us who were hit hard by the last recession now know, the best time to plan for the possibility of difficult days is when things are good. In other words, do it NOW.

This is what the smartest landscaping companies do: They have a plan, and they work their plan. They know what they’ll do if they see the market softening. They know what steps they’ll take to pivot, recalibrate, survive, and—if they’re shrewd—thrive. What’s more, they have the discipline to execute.

As my mentor Frank Mariani, who’s led Mariani Landscape to become one of the largest privately held landscaping companies in the country, frequently reminds me: “Marty, the economy is going to change. Make sure you have a strategic plan for when it does.” At Mariani, they literally have it mapped out from A to Z. We all should.

Or, as the wildly successful animator and shrewd entrepreneur Walt Disney famously put it, “I’ve heard there’s going to be a recession. I’ve decided not to participate.”

What’s your plan for 2019, whether it brings a recession or a flush market? How are you going to participate, or not? Do you have it mapped out from A to Z?

If you need help charting your course, join us—together with Frank Mariani and a whole host of other industry leaders—at our GROW! 2019 Annual Conference in Denver, CO, February 20–22. With sessions devoted to sales forecasting, hiring, strategic growth, and operational efficiency, we’ll get you where you want to grow in 2019 and ready for whatever comes next.

Have a great week and plan for a wonderful new year!

P.S. Register by Monday, December 31, for our GROW! 2019 Annual Conference and take the tax write-off in 2018.