April 2015 Digital Issue: Just Get Started
Whether it’s in life, or at a professional level, starting from scratch can be a scary ordeal. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to tackle, you have to muscle up some courage, act on a gut instinct (or a combination of both), and take action.
In this month’s cover story, I had the pleasure of learning about nine extraordinary brands in the consumer goods industry. Even though they are considered midmarket companies, the work they are doing is tremendous. What I love about covering their stories is that they’re still hungry. They may not know how to compete with the many established giants in this industry (yet), or what technology to use, but they know they have to start somewhere — even if it means starting small. Whether it is changes in the supply chain, coming up with new products, or embracing business change initiatives — they make mistakes, adjust, and keep moving.
In 2013, Talking Rain made its debut to us as an SMB market award winner, and now the company is gracing this issue because of its category growth, by arming its retailer partners with the right insights. Similarly, Findus Sweden AB put its data to work, helping it to take back control of its inventory. These two companies started small, turned their insights into action, and are achieving major results.
I’ve learned a lot from this industry over the years, but the greatest (and most simple) advice I’ve gained from companies both large and small is this: Just get started.
Alarice Rajagopal