From the Editor
Every industry has its share of difficulties and challenges. For those of us in the distilled spirits space, it often feels like our problems are disproportionately large, but after exchanging experiences with professionals in other industries, we quickly realize that things are equally bad for most.
Luis Ayala
Our challenges are not new either: what makes the current climate appear to be catastrophic, is that many of these known challenges are knocking on our doors all at once, like a flock of birds moving in unison.
Throughout history, anyone who has manufactured or supplied a good has had to react to consumer’s changing preferences, to supply chain limitations and to distribution logistical nightmares. Unfortunately, facing all three of these obstacles simultaneously, in a politically unstable world, has been an undefeatable adversary for many.
When I am with my consulting clients or teaching classes to future distillers, the message for my audience is always the same: business plans are important, but they should not be carved on granite! The sooner we embrace the notion that change, even vicious change, is the norm and not the exception, the faster our mindset will allow us to “roll with the punches” while we adjust our survival strategies.
The perfect storm -with all its vicissitudes and chaos- has arrived, and it will probably become a recurring weather pattern in all of our industries. But our job remains simple: build a business culture strong enough to survive the storms, yet flexible and smart enough to grow between them. Japanese writer Haruki Murakami cleverly encapsulated this:
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm is all about.”
Cheers!
Luis Ayala, Editor and Publisher
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant