Risks and Rewards

Did you do anything special on July 31, 2015? It was a blue moon, the second of two full moons in the same month.

While it is not as rare as finding a black pearl in an oyster, this lunar event is just uncommon enough to inspire the advice that you should take a risk when a blue moon occurs, whether it is in your personal life or in business.

This suggestion is telling; we actually need reminders to take risks every so often. That’s because it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, isn’t it? Especially in businesses, routines are often comfort zones. We continue to do tasks A, B and C in a certain way because we’ve always done them that way. And that’s fine, right? Why fix something that isn’t broken?

The problem is one really cannot grow without breaking the mold and taking risks, no matter how uncomfortable it may feel to walk straight into the deep, dark unknown. Perhaps, it’s worth it to do so from time to time as those that take the biggest risks are often the ones that reap the biggest rewards.

Who’s Who

This adage came to mind while preparing our first-ever endeavor to honor leaders in the natural products industry as the Who’s Who of Manufacturers and Suppliers (see page 24). These leaders from five separate natural products businesses are inspiring for not only what they do to better this industry, but also the road they took to get here. All of the honorees have stepped far outside the box to run their businesses differently and create unique solutions that we can all learn from.

Can you imagine breaking open a new product category that didn’t exist before?

Or, trying to reinvent what it means to be “transparent” in one’s business?

How about bridging the gap between product innovation and retailing in new and exciting ways?
Well, our honorees did all these things, and they did them well. So well, in fact, that WholeFoods Magazine believes they deserve to be acknowledged for their accomplishments.

While we chose to honor just a few of all those nominated by readers this year, we fully acknowledge that there are likely hundreds and hundreds of other industry members that could well have been deserving of in this honor. We look forward to recognizing many more men and women like them in future years as this distinction grows over time.

The Ball Is in Your Court

So, what can you do to step outside your comfort zone in your business and help make this world a better place? If you have any ideas percolating on the subject, be inspired by the leaders receiving our first Who’s Who of Manufacturers and Suppliers distinction. Calculate the risks and make a game plan for moving forward—and don’t wait for the next blue moon to do it. WF