Year’s end is characterized as a time of reflection … a slower pace … a moment to catch a much-needed breath. Fall and early winter recall cozy moments by a fire, warm sweaters, and quality time with loved ones.

And yet, as we open the fall season and head into what many consider to be the closing out 2024, it’s the perfect time to share simple advice that has enabled AAPL to grow year over year.

When everyone else is winding down, that’s your cue to start making moves.

To be clear, this isn’t about hustle culture that one-way-ticket to burnout notion that asserts if you just spend X more hours in the office, take Y more calls, and send Z more emails, you’ll open magical doors to greater profits and success.

It’s about using the time you have strategically and wisely, especially when you know what your competition is—or isn’t—doing.

It’s why we host our Annual Conference in November. It’s not the final, largest private lender gathering of the year—it’s the first (still best-attended) industry event heralding collaboration and planning to come.

It’s the time to put pen to paper and formalize casual conversations you’ve had with potential partners. The time to look under the hood of your operations and close the gaps … to lay the groundwork for new products, a needed pivot, or an exciting new idea.

Ask yourself what your mindset is really like heading into this “closing” quarter. Is this your year end—or your 2025 beginning?