October 2015: Editorial Advisory Board

The best time to plan for the following year is…

Landscape Professionals

Richard Bare

Arbor-Nomics Turf, Norcross, Ga.

“…in the fall.”

Chris Joyce

Joyce Landscaping, Cape Cod, Mass.

“… constantly. Though you may have your scheduled planning time at some point in the year, the process of  proper planning is a continuous effort.”

Adam Linnemann

Linnemann Lawn Care & Landscaping, Columbia, Ill.

“…early December. We have many key-person and all-team-member meetings over the winter months to prepare for next year.”

Jerry McKay

McKay Landscape Lighting, Omaha, Neb.

“…in the fourth quarter, the moment things settle down. For us that’s early December.”

Industry Consultants

Kevin Kehoe

3PG Consulting, Laguna, Calif.

“…December through January.”

Phil Harwood

Pro-Motion Consulting, Farmington, Mich.

“…several years ago. While fall seems to be the best time of year for strategic planning retreats, planning for an upcoming year is best done well in advance as part of a comprehensive planning process.”

Frank Ross

3PG Consulting, Alpharetta, Ga.

“Begin the process in August, and update it continually until you lock in place in January.”

Jeffrey Scott

Jeffrey Scott Inc!, Trumbull, Conn.

“… Now. You should always be writing down ideas to implement the following year. Keep a notebook where ideas go monthly on how you could do better next year same month. As a company, review your annual strategic plan results formally in July or August and again in October or November. If you wait to January 2016 you are too late.”