When You Come to a Fork in the Road - Don’t Take It?

I have never witnessed a time during my 27 years in this industry when more printers (and other small-business owners) feel like they are at a fork in the road. They have, no doubt, faced similar divergent choices over the years, but this one is more agonizing.

• One road takes them down the same path they have been on for many years—staying a traditional printer with basically the same type of customers.
• The other road, or roads, leads down a new path of diversification into new markets, new customers and even new ways of running a business. Take your pick—there’s the most talked about path of becoming a marketing services provider or a sign business, packaging printer, promotional products provider, fulfillment house and a host of other options.

So what’s the message in this? Based on my observations, the above headline’s “don’t take it” kicker from one of my favorite philosophers, Yogi Berra, may be interesting—but confusing—advice. If you don’t pick one of the paths, can you successfully take another or follow multiple paths? Do you have the resources and staff to take more than one path successfully?