Be a Sponge!

Be a Sponge! A wild thought.

You’re heading to AAPEX, VISION, or ASTA. You’ve got your schedule packed — breakout sessions, networking events, maybe even a few supplier dinners. You’re ready to soak up every idea, insight, and best practice you can.

During the event, you’re engaged. You’re taking notes, highlighting ideas in your workbook, swapping stories with shop owners, and discovering new ways of thinking. You feel the energy. It’s like being in a room full of sponges, all absorbing new information and inspiration.

Then, you get home.

Reality hits — back to the shop, the team, the customers, the workflow. Suddenly, that sponge starts to dry out. The pages of your notes stay closed for a week. The handouts collect dust on the corner of your desk.

Here’s the challenge: What good is a sponge if you never squeeze it?

When you return from an event, the real work begins. The squeezing part means releasing what you absorbed — sharing it, applying it, teaching it. Your brain soaked up all that knowledge for a reason. Now it’s time to wring it out into your business.

So how do you do that?

• Debrief with your team. Don’t just say, “I learned a lot.” Instead, tell them what you learned. Hold a quick 15-minute huddle to share your top three takeaways and discuss how they might fit your operation.

• Take one idea and implement it. You don’t need to overhaul your shop overnight. Pick one actionable idea and put it into motion. Momentum builds from small wins.

• Stay connected to your network. That business card you collected? Reach out. The shop owner who shared a great hiring tip? Follow up. Staying connected helps you stay accountable.

• Teach to retain. When you explain what you learned to someone else, you reinforce your own understanding. The best leaders are teachers.
  

You can’t drink from a dry sponge, and knowledge doesn’t create change unless it’s shared, practiced, and lived.

So next time you head to a conference, remember: be a sponge — but don’t forget to squeeze.