From the Editor
Luis Ayala
In business, as it is in nature, organisms/organizations must adapt to changing environments in order to survive. And just as it is in nature, inadequate survival strategies will lead to reduced growth rates and, ultimately, inability to compete against those equipped with better strategies.
There has been considerable disagreement In the scientific community as to how evolution proceeds: is it by gradual accumulation of small changes (microevolution) or does it occur by large major changes (macroevolution) interspersed with times of relative stability? Both views have proponents, and it is also possible that sometimes evolution proceeds one way, and at other times, or in other groups of organisms, in another.
The same applies to the world of business. Companies like Amazon can evolve by leaps and bounds, expanding from retailing only books at the beginning to a present-day model that includes just about anything imaginable. Single-commodity traders, like companies that only sell paint, struggle to survive, focusing only on adding gradual services (like delivery) to their offerings, rather than exploring changes to their perceived core.
For us in the alcohol industry, adjusting our operations to survive in a changing environment is an exercise between small, gradual changes and fundamental, major transformations.
I am still surprised by the number of craft distillers not taking advantage of the growth in Ready To Drink (RTD) beverages and the cash flow they can represent.
Time, however, is the surest way to determine which survival strategies were the most and least appropriate. I hope to see as many of our fellow distillers on the other side of the finish line!
Cheers!
Luis Ayala,
Editor and Publisher
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant