Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/235863
FROM THE PUBLISHER Why You Should Mind Your Own Business … and Help Others to Mind Theirs I t's not unusual to see specialty food businesses operating on no firmer foundation than a creative idea, a wonderful product and a lot of passion. The cast of characters is large and varied, and we're drawn to these charismatic people. It's fun to work with them: They're interesting, almost always upbeat and constantly creating and engaging. They are passionate advocates for their products and often great storytellers. I've visited their homes and factories, embraced their quirky behaviors and helped to share their legends. Highfliers tend to fall hard, and too many of these same big personalities have seen their businesses become insolvent, unscalable or unsellable. Or they've been surprised to discover, one day, that their companies and brands have been hijacked by investors, business partners or soon-to-be ex-spouses. Companies fail for all kinds of reasons, but too often it's because the entrepreneurs ignored, abdicated or delegated attention to managing their business. Only recently did I think about how we as a community of businesses might share some responsibility in their downfall. In fact, every failed business might have hundreds of enablers, in any number of direct and tangential ways. How do we enable business failure? Perhaps by cel- ebrating great products without concern for the businesses behind them. By extending or accepting credit. By not dissuading people who think they can sell their way into profitability. By allowing our friends to ignore business fundamentals, or ignoring them ourselves. You don't need an MBA to make it in the specialty food business, any more than you need to have a degree in parenting to raise a happy, healthy and productive human being. But if you are going to succeed at either business or parenthood, you have to pay attention, to nurture and grow along the way. We should always celebrate creative souls with interesting personalities and exciting new products. But the "Care" in the Specialty Food Association's "Craft. Care. Joy." brand has to mean more than just being passionate about our products. It has to mean caring about building sustainable and successful enterprises. Here at the Association, we'll continue to tell your stories, celebrate colorful personalities and promote products and innovations that draw customers to specialty foods. But we are also committed to delivering programs and material to help you manage, operate and grow your businesses. We are working hard to develop new resources and new ways to deliver them to you, and will look forward to rolling them out in the years ahead. Chris Crocker Senior Vice President, Content & Media ccrocker@specialtyfood.com facebook.com/craftcarejoy HAVE A COMMENT? Visit specialtyfood.com/ ccrocker/mindbusiness WINTER 2014 5