Rebuilding

I watched a program on linear television (#gasp #oldschool #luddite). A pair of perfectly wonderful sisters were running a restaurant that was unprofitable. The sisters didn't want to change. They served gigantic meals at unrealistically low prices ... paired with ridiculous monthly rent, they were flying their plane into the side of the mountain.

Something had to give.

They had to serve less food.

They had to raise prices.

They had to reduce expenses (i.e. fewer people).

In other words, this restaurant needed to "rebuild". They were like the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Utah Jazz, the Vancouver Canucks, the Wisconsin Badgers Football Team.

Our Country needs to rebuild. No need to go further.

A generation of ecommerce businesses (founded 1995 - 2015 ... think legacy brands like Stitch Fix) are ready to rebuild, if they haven't already begun to rebuild. They're like that house you built in 2011 ... it needs to be painted, floors need to be replaced, appliances don't work, bathrooms are tired. We know this is true when growth stops. We know this is true when merchandise productivity erodes. We know this is true when email marketing hasn't fundamentally changed post-COVID. We know this is true when somebody says "Facebook isn't delivering quality names".

My catalog clients? Forced to rebuild. It's like your Hall of Fame quarterback just retired, except in your case your paper / printing / postage partners keep increasing costs to the point where the discipline they love is ending because of their cost increases. You get to rebuild as a digital marketer.

Like the NFL Team rebuilding after losing a Hall of Fame Quarterback, it can be hard to understand "what" needs to be rebuilt. A great quarterback covers a multitude of sins. Now your defense is on the field more often. Your new quarterback holds onto the ball too long, making it look like the offensive line is bad. Are they bad?

If you are rebuilding, you likely need analytical guidance, so you can tell if your defense / offensive line / etc. is in need of fixing. Same thing in ecommerce. You have to know "where" your rebuilding efforts need to be emphasized.