Even though I am no expert, I firmly believe that our country is in the midst of a "great recession". Feelings of hard times ahead abound. With our sagging economy, employees in the beverage industry are becoming more and more unsatisfied with their present employment. Many face cutbacks in salary and deductions in their paychecks from the rising cost of fuel, freight, insurance, and products. Beverage distributorships are facing tough times. Many are carrying a large amount of debt and others are trying to take added costs out of their systems. We will find in the future that a large amount of new beverage company suppliers will start losing distributors because of the higher costs of keeping inventory and low turnover of these smaller brands. Large beverage distributors today want brands and packages that turnover quickly, have decent margins, and are not labor intensive (or brands we don't have to hand sell). This is a tremendous opportunity developing for entreprenuers wanting to enter the beverage business.
If you are an employee with a beverage distribution company and you are unhappy with your present employment, you have a few decisions to make:
- Stay in your present position and be glad that you at least have a job.
- Go back to college and get the education you need to better yourself.
- Find employment in another field of work.
- Be proactive, go out on your own, and start your own beverage business.
I have some employees that do nothing but complain. Complaining gets in the way of progress. They are offered sales incentives and extra cash for driving results, and most can't (or are too lazy to) meet simple quotas. Why stay in a position that you are not happy in and waste not only yours, but everyone else's time? Is it a level of comfort, is it the only skill you know, are you lazy, do you like to be miserable and make the people around you miserable. I think it's a combination of all the above with a high level of insecurity and unsuredness about themselves mixed in. If you don't want to be a part of a team in a sales-oriented, results-driven business then you need to seriously consider the other three decisions I mentioned above.
Going back to college to learn a new technical skill or get an advanced degree will pay dividends for the rest of your life. Go into a field that you are passionate about and excel. I've always liked the quote that "you should find a job that you would like to have if you were a millionaire". This can be defined as doing something that you love, enjoy, and feel good about.
The third one about finding another line of work goes without saying anything.
I love the fourth one though. The opportunity for small, nimble beverage distributors that hand sell products and build small, niche brands is exploding. If you want to stay in the beverage business and believe in yourself, why not start your own beverage distribution company? You can do it better than anyone else can, can't you? The best source for information is the total beverage package. Everything you need to get started in the beverage business is in there and it will save you a ton of time and money. Why not let a beverage industry professional give you the direction you need to start your own beverage distribution or production company?
Remember everyone has choices to make as to whether they better their place in society. When you don't take the opportunity of getting or doing something better for yourself, you make sacrifices. Your decision to make these sacrifices determines your job position and title. In other words, if you don't take the time to learn and be the best at what you do, then it's your own fault and not anyone else's.
