PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE Plan Your Future and Improve in 2018 hope and prosperity. I would like to encourage each and ev- I ery one of our members that are reading this to take some time to reflect. Reflect on this past year of business and the in- dustry as a whole. Ask yourself: What direction is our industry headed? What kinds of work are our customer base ask- ing to be done? Do we have the training and equipment to handle these requests, or are we turning work away? If the lat- ter, are there enough requests for this specific type of work to justify making an investment in acquiring the education and equipment needed to perform this type of work? Could we generate enough of this kind of work if we actively sought customers who needed it? These are just a few questions that are helpful for us to reflect upon. Maybe 2017 was a record-breaking year for you, and you are doing everything exactly right. However I think if we are honest with ourselves, we can always find ways to improve. It’s also particularly helpful to keep up with changes and trends within our industry so that we are better pre- pared to handle the needs of our custom- ers and offer new and improved solutions WWW.ALOA.ORG hope that everyone has had a very merry Christmas and is looking forward to a brand new year full of to meet these security needs. I don’t think it wise to dwell on and/ or drive yourself crazy thinking about these things. However, I do think it is wise to develop a good strategy for mov- ing forward. Whether you want to grow, sell, downsize or close your business, it’s a good idea to develop and a plan and follow it. Don’t let things happen to you or become a victim of circumstances. Be proactive and develop a plan for what you want out of your business. Be flexible and willing to change as this industry changes around us, and — above all — be deliber- ate in your choices and actions. “Whether you want to grow, sell, downsize or close your business, it’s a good idea to develop and a plan and follow it.” b t to keep up with the most current prod- ucts our industry has to offer, please plan to attend this year’s ALOA Convention and Security Expo in National Harbor, MD, just south of Washington, D.C. Also plan on attending this year’s SAFETECH in Milwaukee, WI. Both events will be a great benefit to you and your business. Hope to see you there! For all of those institutional locksmiths among us, tell other institutional ‘smiths about AIL (ALOA Institutional Lock- smiths). As I finish writing this, I am getting ready to pack and head to Salem, VA, for an AIL board meeting, where we will be working on even more pro- grams and benefits for this segment of our membership. Best regards, Jim Wiedman, CML President ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc. [email protected] JANUARY 2018 KEYNOTES 5
