I like this article that I just read in the Grand Rapids Business Journal. In Grand Rapids MI this weekend you see..
The point of the article written by Jake Himmelsspach is that cutting jobs now will spur economic and creative growth.
How.. well in the furniture industry big companies like Herman Miller and Steelcase cut back on production and laid off employees @ all levels. Suppliers, instead of continuing to play 100 percent supply role in the industry are starting to look for opportunities to launch small brands of furniture that, basically they can sell and market underneath the radar screen. Each product that goes out the door is double profitability. As larger companies are forced to shed talent, smaller companies are reaping the benefits. People are moving from the big guys to a smaller firm where initially they take a 20% pay cut but within a couple years they make it back. Then all of a sudden you have a smaller firm with Fortune 500 firepower. And some of the laid off talent are taking the opportunity to start their own companies.
Take a look @ Silicon Valley… you originally had large companies out there. There is an awful lot of innovation. Someone inside one of these big companies gets a great idea and says ” I want to go outside and do it myself!” Or somebody gets kicked out and sitting across their kitchen table decides, “ok well I’m going to do something a little bit different. The next thing you know you have another quarter or half a billion dollar technology company.
Does this apply to you & your industry? Good stuff.
