Editor's Forum

Lonely at the Top? It Doesn’t Have to Be

Our industry has great resources for owners. And we’re going to tell their stories.

You’ve heard the term about either running a business or a having a business run you. It’s a simple concept to say and spread around…if you’ve never run a business. But if you are a business owner, you know that the two are not mutually exclusive. There are times—many times within the same day—that you go from one to the other and back again.

The reason? Because everything comes in packages. The energy, passion and drive that it takes to start a business comes part in parcel with the ingrained need to perfect every aspect of that business, even if you have other people assigned to those tasks. You’ve learned to trust your own instincts; that’s what got you here.

But as a business gets bigger or more complex, and bigger decisions need to be made, your instincts get overshadowed by the need for more information. And frustration arises because it may be information that comes from experiences you don’t have.

So what’s next? Stubbornly move forward and take chances that could put your business (and the livelihoods of everyone who depends on the business) in jeopardy? Or do you put your pride aside and ask for help?

If you are at this crossroads right now, I will tell you that, in this industry, we are fortunate. We have a lot of avenues to find peers who have been in the same positions and are willing to share their opinions and experiences.

But sometimes this isn’t enough. One person’s experiences may differ from yours because their customer demographic, price points, or business structure may be markedly different from yours. Or, it could be that another person’s opinion is simply his or her opinion and may not take all of your specific factors into consideration.

Business owners who have successfully staved off being sucked into the day-to-day minutiae tell me that they count on advisors who regularly visit several retailers. By working with these retailers to solve their problems, they form experience-based, educated conclusions on best practices and mistakes to avoid. And with each retailer they visit, their experience becomes more valuable.

In our industry, these retail superheroes lead regular lives as traveling sales representatives, distributors, trainers and consultants. It’s just that they go beyond representing their clients to invest time and efforts into helping their customers become successful, one challenge at a time.

These are the people and companies that Mobile Electronics is celebrating in 2019.

For the past five years we’ve done what has always been considered a no-no in the editorial world: We wrote stories about individual manufacturers. It didn’t matter if they were advertisers or not. The criteria we used is that they had the potential to become great business partners with you.

Our goal with these articles was to take you beyond the product to show you how they do business, to help you make the decision on creating a long-term partnership. Hence, the original articles were named “Behind the Scenes.”

Two years ago, we transitioned the article to a more specific aspect of a manufacturer’s business—one that dealt more with post-sale services. “The Support Team” highlighted the often-overlooked individuals who are on the front lines with your staff, assisting with installation, troubleshooting, problem solving and warranty resolution. And in this process, we learned that many of you found this part of the business just as valuable—if not more—than the product itself when determining a vendor partner.

This month begins the next evolution. We’ve termed the new article series “Difference Makers.” Even with two businesses that have great locations, qualified staff, great product lines and strong management, they may be going in two different directions. Their differences in profitability, store culture, repeat business and finding new revenue streams can come down to a little extra help from the outside. They commiserate, offer advice, suggest tactics and resources, work with staff, and even roll up their sleeves to help with special events. And they come through in a pinch.

Our article series starts with a company that has won Rep of the Year from our magazine for the past four years. I’ve seen firsthand how Pete Daley and his staff invest in their retailers, and it’s led to phenomenal accomplishments. There are many more such stories out there, and we want to tell them.

I am excited about this new article and want to hear from you about the “helpers” who have made the difference in helping you run a fulfilling business— instead of the other way around.