I was recently invited to be a guest on The Flywheel Podcast, which is hosted by Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and VITAL’s Matt Bernath. It was a gracious invitation, but I accepted it with some trepidation — after all, I am the one who usually asks questions from the experts, and I am not used to the experts interviewing me.
It turned out to be a good time, and we covered my long professional history (spoiler alert: I am old), the state of business-to-business publishing, and current trends in the industry.
When we got to the trends section, I offered that I thought the industry was strong, basing that opinion on the results of last month’s “State of the Industry” story, discussions I had at CEDIA Expo, reports from the Fall buying group events, and other anecdotal conversations.
And while I remain steadfast in these beliefs, I apologized for being optimistic. Matt was quick to correct me, stating that optimism doesn’t cause problems, but pessimism can.
I suppose the reason why I am sheepish about my optimistic viewpoint for the industry is that I am not normally a glass-half-full kind of guy. I am more of a let’s-lower-expectations-so-we-don’t-get-disappointed person. So, sunny-side up doesn’t feel all that natural to me. Plus, after years (and years) of being an industry journalist, I know accusations of “cheerleader” get affixed rather quickly.
Not that there is anything wrong with that: Cheerleaders are awesome, and they keep cheering for the team even when there is no chance of winning. As a NY Giants fan, I know this all too well. I am certainly not for encouraging losing strategies or poor performance, but, when discovered, I work with Resi’s expert contributors for solutions. And if it works, then we cheer…
In the more than seven years that I have directly managed this brand, we have seen some strange stuff. A pandemic that first shut us down and then quickly made us essential to homeowners. A hopefully once-in-a-lifetime supply chain nightmare where pandemic port closures teamed with a blocked major shipping lane to grind distribution to a near-complete halt. A chaotic tariff plan that for a while there was changing on a daily basis.
Whew.
Not only has this industry managed to survive, but it has thrived. Matt and Brent correctly attributed this to the resiliency of dealers in keeping their businesses going to support their employees and their families. But we have seen many small businesses close over the past few years, so there must be more to it than that.
There is: ingenuity. I am constantly impressed by the leaders in this industry and the ways owners adapt to changes. When the supply-side nightmare finally subsided, there were new, streamlined inventory management systems that delivered products not just where they were needed, but when, at just the right time. New product categories like lighting and power made the dealer more important not only to homeowners, but also to architects, interior designers, and builders.
That’s pretty smart.
So, thanks for the shot of optimism. I will try and pay it forward for as long as it lasts.
