I love this time of year. As I write this, I’m headed to San Francisco for the PBES Conference and Auto Care Association Fall Leadership Days. In just over a month, it’s the SEMA Show and AAPEX. These gatherings are mainstays of our industry, and many of the trends, opportunities and new products are starting to be revealed now for 2018.

But wait, what about consolidation, the internet, autonomous cars, globalization of the aftermarket and every other thing we can possibly worry about? Well, read my previous columns on nearly every one of those and take the advice given in them. We need to do what we can to affect each of them and then keep doing what it is we individually do for our businesses. I do not mean to dismiss any one of those subjects or many others, but at the end of the day, we supply parts that fix cars. They crash and break and we are in the business of supplying parts that fix them. That function is not going away anytime soon, or possibly ever.

Business is about change by its very nature. Some new ideas work and survive and some don’t. Many are displaced by newer technologies and others are just poorly managed. There are countless examples of businesses that started out as one thing and ended up as a completely different entity. Our job is to look for these opportunities to grow and change.

A leader leads. It is way more fun to be in the front of the train than it is to follow along in the caboose. I urge you to utilize these times to map out the future. The SEMA Show and AAPEX are excellent examples of where to go see the future and work your way into it. There won’t be a sign on anything saying “this is the future” – you just need to look around and see what you can work into your future. Opportunities don’t just come in one flavor. There are unlimited combinations of opportunities out there.

So yes, this is an exciting time. Opportunities are there for those who choose to take them. I hope that’s you.

See you at the opportunity store!