The benefits of community association strategic planning: If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It… Is That Really the Best approach? When talking to board members, I often hear, “Things are just fine, we really don’t need to change what we’re doing.” Here’s a simple translation for that tired old refrain, “Strategic planning is a lot of work. Why should we bother with it?” There are times when I don’t push the matter, but if I think it’s appropriate, I sometimes share a story that helps to illustrate the benefits of long-range planning.

The Farmer and the Egg Stand

A number of years ago, I was on a road trip in a rural area of Florida. A few miles east of a quaint town, I passed by a roadside stand with a sign that said, “Fresh Eggs and Peaches”. An old farmer was carefully placing eggs in straw baskets. I stopped and walked over to the stand to check it out. It was worn, rickety, and didn’t leave much room for more than a few baskets of eggs and some peaches. The farmer stopped what he was doing and came over to chat with me. As I looked at his peaches he said, “Son, I have a chicken coop and a peach orchard out back. Everything is fresh. The peaches are twenty-five cents each, two dollars for a dozen, and advice is free.” He could tell that I was curious, so he continued talking. “I’ve seen that look before. When city boys like you stop here, it seems like the first thing they notice is the condition of my old egg stand, then they check out what I’ve got to sell. Sure, my egg stand may be past its best years, but it’s still in one piece, and it gets the job done… There’s something I learned a long time ago. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” We talked a bit longer while he shared some home spun wisdom with me. I enjoyed the conversation, so I purchased a dozen peaches, handed him a five-dollar bill, and told him to keep the change. He refused and replied, “Nope… Its two dollars for the peaches and the advice was free. As I turned to leave, we shook hands, and I decided to return the favor. It was the least I could do. I acknowledged that he really didn’t need to do anything if he was happy with the way things were. On the other hand, I suggested that he might want to give the matter some thought. His farm and stand were located on the only road into town. On the weekends, that road was well traveled since the town was a tourist destination. Things might not be broken, but with a little bit of effort, he might be able to fix up the stand, make it a bit larger, and attract more business. If he planned things right, this effort could make a positive change in his life. He thanked me for my advice, said he’d “think on it”, and we parted ways.

Hickenlooper’s Produce Market

A few years later I decided to visit the area again. As I headed into town, I drove by the roadside stand. Things had changed in a big way. The old rickety stand had disappeared, and it had been replaced with a large open air roofed over market. A sign emblazed with the name “Hickenlooper’s Fresh Produce” stood proudly at its entrance. People were working at stands selling fresh vegetables, fruit, craft goods, sandwiches, pastries, coffee, and soft drinks. Cars lined the road and patrons were seated at umbrella covered picnic tables enjoying lunches that they had purchased. After reminiscing about my conversation with the farmer, I decided to purchase some more peaches. I was about to leave when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. It was the old farmer. He introduced me to his wife, and they invited me to stay for dinner so that we could talk again. By now, my curiosity about the stand’s success was running wild, so I decided to stick around.
After the market was closed, and the shopping crowd had cleared out. The locals who were working there that day headed to the back yard and made themselves comfortable at large tables that were filled with all kinds of delicious food. The farmer introduced me to his neighbors, and to my surprise, everyone began to clap and smile as if I was some kind of visiting dignitary. As I sat down the farmer turned to me and said, “Son… In a way you helped to get this whole thing started. Everyone here knows who you are.” At that point the farmer and a few of his friends shared their tale with me.

A Local Success Story

The first time that I spoke with the Farmer, he told his wife about our conversation. She suggested that he run the idea about fixing up the egg stand past a young man who owned the neighboring farm. Hank, the young man, had business experience working for a major insurance company in Atlanta before he bought his farm, and it turned out that his wife worked in the accounting department for the very same company. Among other things, Hank’s work responsibilities included long-range planning. After a few conversations, they invited a few neighbors to sit in on their discussions. It didn’t take the group long to come up with the beginnings of a plan to turn the farmer’s egg stand into a full-blown farmers market that could be open on weekends. That would allow the volunteers who worked at the market to continue their “day jobs” during the rest of the week. The volunteers started out small, putting half of their profits into improving and increasing the size of their little market, and sharing the rest of their profits.

Things took off during the next few years. As the market’s success grew, it seemed like everyone in the area wanted to participate. It wasn’t long before they formed “The East Side Farmers Market Association”, a fully incorporated volunteer run non-profit organization. More than twenty families, most of them from neighboring farms, helped out on the weekends. The town recognized their success, local newspapers published articles about the market’s success, and Hickenlooper’s Fresh Produce had turned into a major attraction. By the time of my second visit, the group was following a formal long-range plan that had been put together by Hank and a few of the founders of the association. One of their goals for the coming year was to begin holding blue grass music festivals and annual Halloween and Christmas fairs.

Now it was the old farmer’s turn to chime in. He was absolutely glowing with pride when he said, “My wife Emma and I were never lucky enough to have children. Before we started this whole shebang we were pretty much out here on our own. Now we’re part of a community that has come together in a big way. My neighbors are my family. This isn’t just about money. Hickenlooper’s is a place where we come together to socialize and share our friendship. We all look forward to being here on the weekends. On Saturdays, everyone brings a covered dish. After work, we share a potluck dinner, and it’s my hope that my neighbors and friends can go on like this forever! Emma and I are getting on in years. Once we’re gone, we’ve arranged to leave the farm and everything that goes with it to the town. The town council has agreed that so long as Hickenlooper’s is open, they’ll rent the property to the association for one dollar a year. The council wants to see this last as much as my wife and I do.”

When the old farmer finished his story, there was just one more thing that I wanted to know… I turned to him and asked, “Your name isn’t really Hickenlooper, is it?” He looked at me, smiled, and winked, but he never answered my question.
People kind of like this story. Sometimes they ask me if it’s really true. I just look at them, smile, and wink.

The Moral of the Story

Remember… Things may not be broken, you may be getting by, and you may think that things are just fine the way they are, but you never know… With a dose of common-sense planning and a bit of hard work, you might bring about positive change that could serve you well for years to come.