The More Things Change

I’ve been active on various paint contractor forums for 8+ years. During that time I’ve seen changes within the industry. And I’ve also witnessed several constants.

The most glaring constant has been resistance to sound business practices. The resistance is expressed in numerous ways—“You don’t understand my market”, “That won’t work in a small town”, “Nobody around here does it that way”. All of these claims have the same hidden meaning: The principles that successful businesses use all around the world simply do not apply in a given town.

This is akin to claiming that the law of gravity doesn’t apply in Topeka, that supply and demand only works on Wall Street, or the sun sets in the east in Laredo. Despite the absurdity of such claims, they persist year after year.

Another constant through the years has been the parade of names associated with these claims. Refusing to embrace sound business practices, the claimants invariably go out of business, only to be replaced by a new group of ostriches.

I can only shake my head when I see someone start making claims like the above. I’ve seen where that attitude leads. I’ve seen the outcome for those who refuse to learn business skills. I’ve seen it every year this decade, and I will continue to see it. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008