In over two years of writing nearly 100 blog posts here on Hyding Out, I have avoided personal topics and stayed focused on mergers & acquisitions, business valuation, and restructuring, serious front-burner issues affecting owners and senior managers of print and graphic communications companies. The two exceptions were one blog post talking about the football Giants and one dedicated to my father two Father's Days ago.
So, it is with careful consideration that today I walk the fine line between "business" and "personal", but I feel compelled to share with clients, friends and colleagues a wonderful book called Turn It Around. It just came out earlier this month and is available on Amazon or Borders.com.
The author provides uplifting wisdom and insights from his own personal experiences of crisis and transformation. I am sure that many owners of print and graphic communications companies can relate to the author's sleepless nights, pondering 25% revenue decline, high fixed costs to maintain quality operations, betrayal by a trusted business partner, and the looming threat of personal bankruptcy.
What makes this book about transformation unique is that its author, Frank Santora, is a pastor and President of Faith Ministries, a Christian ministry based in New Milford, Connecticut.
Being of Jewish heritage (a son of Holocaust survivors) and totally ignorant of all things religious, I did not know what to expect two weeks ago when I accompanied a loved one to these spirit-based services. I came away highly impressed with Mr. Santora's candor and grounded perspectives to overcoming life-changing problems. It made me think about the scores of people facing enourmous personal challenges caused by the printing industry's structural changes and economic woes.
NAPL client-members tend to be "real people", reflecting that over 95% of the 30,000 establishments in our industry are privately owned by entrepreneurs and family businesses, as opposed to corporate or institutional shareholders. Given that 90% of these firms are "treading water" or worse, it is not rocket science to realize that there is real personal trauma affecting these people ranging from lost jobs, shattered dreams, failed businesses, and broken promises.
While NAPL offers excellent services and products to help owners manage business transformation, solutions for navigating the personal impact of transformation are found outside the wall of our management association. I am pleased to reach over the wall today to recommend Turn It Around by Frank Santora as a valuable support for individuals in transition. The print and graphic communications industry surely has enough personal pain and trauma to make this book a popular read this summer and beyond.
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