A Time to Plan, and to Think Big

Milestones are Meant to be Celebrated. They are also Intended to be a Time of Reflection

By Mark Trowbridge

Winter 2020

As 2020 dawns, we stand at the precipice of opportunity, embracing a chance to reset the clock, hone our objectives and bring our vision into sharper focus.

While I believe that we should be doing this every day of the year, we are all creatures of habit and thus, taking time out of the business to work on the business – a seeming contradiction – requires a change in thinking and point of view.

Our Chamber is no different. We are a small business with audacious goals and even loftier aspirations. The start of a new year, and a new decade, encourages us to re-prioritize and re-energize for the future, as well as prepare for the knowns and unknowns.

That is the beauty of business – whether you work for a company or are the owner or something in between – you play an integral role as one of the many keys to achieving success. Every player has a position and a role.

We are a mere five years from our Chamber’s centennial, engaged in conversations around the upcoming Census; local, state and national elections; business growth and prosperity; and more. I suspect your business is, as well.

We have just completed both our financial audit and an HR audit, two important exercises that will help make our organization stronger, our employees more focused and our membership more engaged. And we have spent the last quarter thinking about and planning the next four quarters. Our over-arching theme of engagement this year has also required us to up our social media game, especially our Chamber’s Instagram account, something that has not typically been a focal point for our peer organizations. We have seen significant growth in this as our members share their own business stories and engage with timely information and opportunities.

This is an important way to keep our members, especially our younger professionals, in the know and in the mix – not for Chamber-related content, but for opportunities that position our membership, explore current issues and of course, help us devour all that we love about Coral Gables.

In 2020, we will also launch a Podcast to augment this focus on engagement. Known right now as TrowBiz, this will be a bi-weekly look at the most heralded business headlines, as well as a deeper dive into the leading voices closer to home. Of course, there will be some local flair mixed in for effect and a hearty slice of yours truly for good measure.

There is much to look forward to as the new decade begins, not only within our Chamber, but in our business landscape and in all of Coral Gables. I encourage each of you to think big, check-in on your neighbors, support one another more passionately, and continue to grow. We have the talent, the ideas, and the tenacity to make it happen.

Mark Trowbridge is the president and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce