I recently spoke to an industry guru about the fate of today’s business owner. He’s been a longtime contributor to our industry, and we were discussing the declining EBITDAs of some of the industry’s biggest commercial printers.

He was upset with some of the poor performers, noting that they’re terribly mismanaged by people who have never worked in the industry. He was very pessimistic about the future of the printing industry. Although he did agree that the label and packaging industry is doing well, I’m not entirely sure he felt it would last. In essence, there was a doom and gloom message, one I thought needed to be countered. 

Labels and packaging are in the material world, and that’s a good thing. While anything that can go digital likely will in our online world, there is a simple fact that we need to drink and eat out of something (packaging), and we have to be able to identify that something (labels).

As an analogy, I would use Thomas Friedman’s insights from his book The World is Flat. When the book was published, jobs were being outsourced overseas at an alarming rate. Friedman said that if your job requires a physical presence — doctor, firefighter, nurse — you didn’t have to worry about outsourcing. I would classify labels and packaging as having a physical presence.

Businesses are either growing or shrinking. The people who claim the sky is falling always forget the human factor. We have the ability to adapt and change, and if push comes to shove, even the most reluctant of us will adapt.

In his eyes, the printing industry looks abysmal now. But to believe that it won’t change is to underestimate an entrepreneur’s ability to change and adapt. Businesses are either growing or shrinking, and yes, a great many of them are shrinking. But the go-getters will do what it takes to make sure it is growing.

Negativity is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I don’t mean to get all new-age on you, but I do believe if you project negativity out into the universe, that’s exactly what you will get in return. = My disgruntled friend is not too fond of looking on the sunny side of life. That’s why a cloud is always over him. I’m not saying you should be in denial if your market is shrinking and your livelihood is threatened. By all means, you should adapt to the changing environment and hunt diligently to find a better way to do things. 

But if you believe the worst will happen, it will. And it will happen to you. Keep the faith, in other words, and keep working hard. There will be winners and losers, but your future is not predestined. Don’t let anyone tell you that it is.


Rock LaManna is the author of L&NW’s popular column, The Bottom Line. Rock helps printing owners and CEOs use their company financials to prioritize and choose the proper strategic path. He is President and CEO of the LaManna Alliance, and provides guidance on how to grow a printing business, merge with a synergistic partner, make a strategic acquisition, or create a succession plan. Rock can be reached by email at [email protected].