As the industry enters 2020, I am a bit concerned about the state of it. We continue to see many outside factors continually eating away at the margins — issues such as recalls, labor, technology, consultants and sustainability, to name a few.
Growing up as a child in this industry, I always remember getting to meet all of my father's friends. What I remember was interesting was that most of these friends happened to be his daily competitors.
The times were different back then, and I think and believe that business owners were more content and satisfied with what they had. They were secure in their lives and focused on the important things in life. I believe I have always lived by the saying "gratitude turns what we have into enough."
Somewhere this concept and the way of thinking in the industry changed. Did our society change, or did the competition get too fierce? Did we all get insecure? Why have we become afraid to be friends with our "enemies" off the field?
I believe that it is in times like these that we must value the relationships we have with our competition. I can think of quite a few reasons that I believe in being friends with foes, but here are a few things that I think are the most important.
Therapy
One of the reasons I enjoy talking to competitors is because they can be a soundboard to help me realize I'm not crazy. I want to know that we all deal with the same issues daily. It doesn't matter what industry we are in; the problems are the same. When you talk to your competition, you realize have so much in common, often more than you think, and most of it isn't business-related.
Often the people in similar industries are pretty identical down to the core when you dissect all the aspects of their character.
I have learned so much about my own business, as well as other lessons about life, talking to individuals that I battle on the playing field daily. I believe they, just like me, look forward to our chats.
Networking
When you find mistakes or things that didn't seem to work very well for your competition, take note of it. Work to avoid making the same mistakes you see your competitors making. When you have friends in the same field, you ultimately can learn things that work for some and not others.
Often we can look among our "friends" for strategies they are putting in place. Maybe this can give us ideas on how we can make our own companies even better. Shouldn't everyone be about an industry or a market segment rather than being selfish about themselves?
Friendly competition
A little healthy competition challenges entrepreneurs to develop ongoing methods to evolve and grow the business. Keeping lines of communication open between you and your competitor can help establish benchmarks by which you can measure your success.
You'll also see where you are falling behind or not. Remember, this is valuable information, not a measurement of how smart or capable you are; every situation has its variables and a multitude of factors that influence them.
Lastly, when you work with others, good things can happen that can impact a community. When you have these direct relationships with your competitors, you can work collaboratively to gain press, host events, and raise general awareness about the industry or product within the community.
In the produce industry, this can be very valuable with issues such as nutrition, homelessness, and food safety. There is always strength in numbers, and no one wants to stand alone on an island. Never should any company feel like an enemy stranded alone, unless they put themselves there.
Although we and our competition can co-exist in the same competitive landscape, there are differences between everyone. Every company will have their niche they excel at that sets them apart. When you both recognize that fact, your relationship will move from a contentious one to one of mutual support. We should always feel like partners and friends.
Always remember that some of your competitors may refuse your invitation to connect. Don't take it personally — and it may take them time to open up. Some people may not understand your motive for the action. If you do catch resistance, be patient, and maybe they will come around. Often, in the beginning, it will take open-minded people who understand the benefits of a little friendly competition.
Brent Erenwert is CEO of Houston-based Brothers Produce and Houston Cold Storage.