THE STERLINGINSIDERT H E S T E R L I N G L I G H T I N G , L L C N E W S L E T T E R

W W W . S T E R L I N G - L I G H T I N G . C O M Experience the Difference! 703-997-5514

VOLUME XVIIIWINTER 2019

IT'S TIME TO MAKE PLANS FOR 2020T he end of the year is

a lways a busy t ime with hol idays coming one after the other. However, around this t ime every year, I a lways make a point to br ing the en-t ire team together so we can spend a couple days celebrat-ing our successes and plan-ning for the year ahead. I ’ve found that i t pays to be prepared, which is why when it comes to growing your busi-

ness, i t ’s important to set a day or two aside, step back from the day-to-day responsi-bi l i t ies of running your business, and f igure out what ’s working wel l—and what ’s not .

I a lways compare i t to the story of the two lumber-jacks.

The story goes that there were two lum-berjacks who were both wel l-known for their ski l ls . One was

older and experienced, the other new and ready

to prove himself. One day, they decided to hold a contest to see who was the better lum-

CONT’D. PAGE 2

IT ONLY TAKES A

COUPLE DAYS TO DEVELOP A PLAN

FOR 2020 AND GET YOUR COMPANY ON THE RIGHT

TRACK.

THE STERLING INSIDER VOLUME XVIII | WINTER 20192

berjack. When the day of the contest arr ived, the entire town came out to see who would be the victor. In the beginning, they were neck-and-neck. However, after downing two or three trees, the experienced lumberjack took a seat and began to sharpen his axe. The younger lumberjack, on the other hand, continued on and began to pul l ahead. When asked why he did not stop to sharpen his axe l ike his competitor, he said, “ I don’t have the t ime!" The day continued and after every few trees, the older lumberjack would s it down and sharp-en his axe whi le the other continued on. How-ever, i t was not long before the younger lumber-jack’s axe became dul l and useless and f inal ly broke. And although he had been ahead init ia l ly, the experienced lumberjack surpassed him be-cause he had kept his axe sharp. At the end of the contest , the older lumberjack was hai led the winner. The moral of the story is s imple: work smarter, not harder. If you don’t take the t ime to f igure out what ’s working in your business and what ’s not , i t ’s l ike trying to chop down trees with a dul l axe. If you’ve never held an annual company meeting before, you may be wondering how to structure i t . I had to try a few different ways before I found one that worked wel l for both of my com-panies. For both Ster l ing Light ing and Enl ightened Lighting, our meetings are focused around a SWOT analysis . SWOT stands for Strengths,

continued from page 1

Weaknesses, Opportunit ies , and Threats . A SWOT analysis looks at both internal and ex-ternal factors that affect your company. We start by analyzing our company internal ly by looking back over the past year and seeing what we did r ight (our Strengths) and what we didn’t do as wel l (our Weaknesses) . Then, we look at external factors that wi l l affect us in the year to come, such as upcoming Opportunit ies for growth as wel l as potentia l Threats that wi l l chal lenge us. I ’ve found that not only does having an annu-al meeting help keep our company on track to continual ly improve, i t a lso helps motivate our entire team for the year ahead. If you want to achieve your goals , i t ’s imperat ive for everyone in the company to have the same vis ion. So keep your axe sharp: i t only takes a couple days to develop a plan for 2020 and get your company on the r ight track. I think you’ l l not only f ind that an annual meeting can be produc-t ive, but a lso a fun way to bui ld team unity. From everyone at Ster l ing Light ing, we’d l ike to wish you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and an amazing year of growth in 2020!

-Patr ick Harders , Co-Owner

W W W . S T E R L I N G - L I G H T I N G . C O M Experience the Difference!3

Helping You Grow By Keeping Our Hands in the Dirt

S uccessful landscape l ight ing manufacturers

must understand the pain points of their c l ients and ful ly immerse themselves in the industry for which they’re providing f ixtures. That ’s why it ’s been so important for us to have our Northern Virginia-based s ister company, Enl ightened Lighting, continue to do instal lat ions even as our manufactur ing arm—Sterl ing Light ing—has grown nat ionwide.

Enl ightened Lighting is on its way to $2 mi l l ion this year and next year, we’ l l set our s ights on $3 mi l l ion. This growth has given us a platform to reach more and more contactors who are in the same industry and are looking for pract ical advice to help them grow their own smal l business.

J ust in t ime for MANTS’ 50th anniversary, our Ster l ing Light ing team wi l l be exhibit ing

for the f i rst t ime at the Mid-Atlant ic Nursery Trade Show! Come vis it us at MANTS January 8-10, 2020 in Balt imore, Maryland. Stop by Booth 2892 to say “Hi!” to our team members, check out our latest products , and see what f ixtures we’ l l have coming out in 2020! For more information vis it www.MANTS.com

Being direct ly involved with a local instal lat ion company has helped us keep up-to-date with the industry, f ie ld-test new f ixtures, and has given us f i rst-hand experience in growing a landscape l ight ing company—experience that we can then pass on to other smal l businesses l ike yours. We understand where you are because we’ve been there!

In addit ion to our own experiences in the f ie ld, we lean on a number of our customers to give us feedback on our products. If you’re interested in f ixture design or have ideas on ways we can improve or create new f ixtures, we’re a lways interested to hear what you have to say!

As we approach 2020, our goal is to continue to f ind new ways to help you grow your business, and we can’t wait to see what the new year has in store for you as wel l !

Light Travels: See You at MANTS!

W W W . S T E R L I N G - L I G H T I N G . C O M Experience the Difference! 703-997-5514

IN THIS ISSUE

1 | It's Time to Plan for 2020!2 | Cover Story Cont’d3 | Come See Us at MANTS Keeping Our Hands in the Dirt 4 | The SL01 and SL04 Get a New Look!

CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURSOpen M-F 8:00am ET to 5:00pm ET

info@sllights.comEmail us 24/7, we are always eager to hear

from our customers!

CALL US AT703-997-5514

W W W . S T E R L I N G - L I G H T I N G . C O M

The Same Powerful Inner Components with a Modern New Look!

Two of our most popular fixtures are getting an update!

We’ve redesigned the SL01 Up Light and SL04 Mini Flood Light to improve upon the old designs and give them a new, more modern aesthetic. These two fixtures are stronger than ever, and we can’t wait for you to get your hands on them and see the improvements for yourself.

Call your sales rep today or give our office a call at 703-997-5514 to learn more!

SL01 Up Light • Elegant, modern redesign. • Tripled the strength of the fixture's base. • More surface area for better heat dissipation.

SL04 Mini Flood Light • Sleek, modern redesign.• Marine-grade through-bolt to strengthen fixture's "weak point." • 1/4" raised knuckle for increased durability.