Sid Raisch is president of Horticultural Advantage. Today we’re reprinting some timely commentary from him that appears on the ANLA Management Clinic blog. To get more details about the Clinic, click here.
When was the last time your company ventured out to encounter the future? Was it the 1980's? 1990's? Or earlier in the 2000's?
The aspects of horticulture where we provide do-it-for-me and finished products are clearly in the forefront while the majority and the core of our product line of the past 40 years—pansies, petunia, impatiens, geraniums, mums, poinsettia, and more have become commodities. New items have limited significance—about three years now. The margin boost from 4 ½” specialty annuals has evaporated. Increased sales of larger containers do not contribute all of the margin dollars of items they replace. New packaging and marketing consolidation under brand umbrellas such as Proven Winners, Simply Beautiful, Stepables, Plants That Work, etc. has provided sales and market share gains for smaller and regional growers. However, their retail partners continue to suffer erosion of transactions, margins, and profit.
We decide which course of action to take when we reach defining moments. One choice will be to continue pretty much as we have before. While this choice is more comfortable, it is also perhaps the most dangerous course. John F. Kennedy once said, "There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." While our industry thrives on independence, history shows we have not been so free. We too often choose the comfort of doing what others are doing or what we've always done and sacrifice our future freedom in the process.
Consider these six defining encounters…
Read more from Sid on the ANLA Management Clinic’s blog.
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