On the way to work......

...this morning I got excited! Not about going to work but at the realization that a decision I made was actually going to pan out. Yet again.

A few weeks go I attended a conference and in the course of that conference I sat in on a panel discussion by industry leaders. They were questioned and offered opinion upon opinion. The best they offered was the obvious. Business is off and the response is cut expenses. We all know the quickest way to the bottom line is through people as in layoffs. No mention of proactive strategies just cut expenses!

Conventional wisdom dictates that when the economy declines you need to be more proactive in all aspects of your business. 

I was looking for a game changer but something that complimented what I do. Many of my colleagues were turning to direct to garment digital printing. The barrier to entry was minimal so you can imagine how many folks went that way. Laser decorating had a higher barrier due to the cost of the equipment. However, as I suspected, it brought about an increase in embroidery and opened up new markets. The learning curve has been challenging but it appears as though we're headed in the right direction.

While business was slowing, throughout 2008, no one could have seen what happened in early 2009. For all intents and purposes business came to a halt. As it turned out we were already in a recession but no one had the courage to mention that.  It's clear that the economy is now moving in the right direction.

So it was, this morning, when I realized that I had followed the conventional wisdom and put my business in a position to capture market share and prosper.

stay on the offensive and celebrate the small victories................