If you’ve been in this industry for any length of time, chances are you’ve been to more than a few trade shows and seminars. Looking back at all that invested time, what do you really remember? How much of that information have you used to improve your business?
A piece of advice from fellow fabricator Mark Lauzon is to prioritize one or two things that you can implement into your business immediately. “A couple good ‘nuggets’ of information, that’s all.”
Industry events have a way of getting fabricators all fired up about their business. With such a wealth of information and ideas, implementing vast sums of knowledge gets overwhelming when returning to their daily routine. Often things get put on the back-burner and no improvement gets made at all. Sticking with just a few manageable and easy-to-utilize nuggets adds up over time, and with that comes consistent growth and improvement to your business, rather than the innumerable “best intentions.”
There are many opportunities these days to acquire these nuggets, from educational series conducted by the Natural Stone Institute, or by specific company programs like Park Industries Digital Stoneworking Expo, for example. Perhaps the most candid of this type of education is a hands-on, Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA) workshop, which are held several times a year in various locations around the country. These workshops provide a realistic real-time view of the way other fabricators conduct their business, with best practice “nuggets” in plain view for the visiting fabricator to consume.
In June, the latest of these workshops was held in Carson City, NV, hosted by Perfection Connection. With over 200 people in attendance, an emphasis on techniques with newer materials like porcelain was the focus. This year will also include workshops in August and October, at Sambor Stone in South Holland, IL, and at AAA Stoneworks in Austin, TX, respectively. The SFA also has an international presence each September, with its annual Marmomac member networking in Verona, Italy.
Attending any of these educational opportunities will certainly result in acquiring quality nuggets, and if you have a big appetite for knowledge, super-size it and attend several.
Visit www.stonefabricatorsalliance.com for more information and current workshop locations and itineraries.
