Nearly 90,000 Print Industry Employees lost their jobs in 2009 (footnote 1)
Trends indicate almost 7,000 less printing establishments by end of 2010 (footnote 2)
Online advertising to pass print ad spend by 2011 (footnote 3)
1 Trillion Unique URLs on the Web (footnote 4)

 

This industry is rapidly changing, and from my vantage point it will be very difficult for companies under $5m to survive if they don’t change to meet the challenges and opportunities. They will not have the critical mass to compete in an industry that is becoming increasingly price driven. Their size makes it hard, if not impossible, to invest in the automation needed to profitably produce print at a price the market will bear. Add the expense of a sales team that are little more than order takers and you have a going out of business strategy. 

 

I just got back from a conference. There were a lot of reasons I didn’t want to go before I got on the plane:
• I had too much work to do here
• I didn’t want to spend the money
• I didn’t want to get on another plane
Obviously a lot of other people felt the same way because this conference which is usually attended by approximately 600 people had only 300 for this event.
But here are the reasons I’m glad I went:
• I learned a ton and it wasn’t just pie in the sky stuff it was things I could use immediately upon my return to make my business stronger and help it survive the recession.
• I interacted with other business owners who, while scared of the current economy, are not paralyzed by it. I felt energized by their visions and determination to not only survive but thrive.
• I was reminded that as the owner of my company, I am the primary keeper of the vision. If I see it, my company will too. If I am paralyzed, my company will be too. It is my number one job to learn, to think and to plan.
A conference with other thought leaders is just what I needed…even if I didn’t realize it when I got on the plane.