We all nod knowingly when anyone talks about the importance of vision, mission and business planning—and then most of us go back to what we were doing before the interruption. The same is true when developing business plans: Most people believe such plans are important but few actual create them.

There is no doubt customers coming out of the recent recession are fundamentally different than they were before. Even customers not directly impacted financially were emotionally shaken by the uncertainty, anxiety and adverse impact on family and friends.

The difference between success and failure often comes down to the smallest details. For example, the 1986 World Series may have had an entirely different outcome if the ground ball that made its way under the glove of Bill Buckner in game six had been stopped.

After more than four decades of experience providing day and evening janitorial and related-facility services, it’s probably safe to say that McLemore Building Maintenance has seen it all. Services magazine recently sat down with owner Curtis McLemore to discuss some of the more challenging—and unique—projects that the company has undertaken.

Having had to weather the storms of recession several times in my business career, I learned some very useful lessons that may be beneficial reminders to all of us. Positioning for a possible financial crisis is very similar to preparation for a hurricane—watching latitude and longitude and mph until it “hits.”

Since the so-called “pundits” have declared the recent recession long over, perhaps it’s as good a time as ever to take stock of its effects, past and current.