Remember the ship that got caught in the Suez Canal? Up to 50 ships carrying goods ranging from animals or oil to automobiles or consumer goods pass through the canal daily.
Ever Givengot stuck for six days before salvage crews freed it. It’s one of the largest container ships ever built, and it would be longer than most skyscrapers if it was positioned vertically. The consequences? About $400 million per hour in terms of impact to the global economy. Business Insider reports that on average, $9.7 billion in goods travel through the canal, connecting Asia and Europe, every day.
The Ever Given presented us with an unpredictable event that’s beyond what we normally would expect. Statisticians refer to these as black swan events.
The right kind of luck?
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who’s attributed to coining the “black swan” term, offers up five ways to beat black swans. He leads with, “accept unpredictability.” Random events—like a ship as long as a skyscraper—can and will interfere with your plans. Yes, you can create scenarios and plan, but what happens if you transform randomness into opportunity? How can you turn a house of cards into a fortress?
Taleb believes that we can actually make ourselves luckier as individuals or as a business when we approach the risk to which we expose ourselves with an eye on opportunity. You might say he believes luck is something you grow based on decisions.
Growing and courting opportunities
We’ve got no crystal ball, and much of what couldhappen in 2022 is beyond our control. What is within our control is how we approach the risk to which we expose ourselves with an eye on opportunity.
- We’re investing in our capacity. We’ll be able to run larger and more high-capacity jobs that speed up orders—which are already speedier than overseas competitors because we do it all on-site.
- We’re testing new product material. More to come on this in the near future, but you’ll appreciate this if impact and sustainability is a direction for your business in 2022.
- We’re making investments in people who thrive in an environment of transformation, who will keep our 42-year-old company at the forefront of innovation.
It’s a good time to be working with us. If you haven’t checked out Vinyl Art recently, now’s a good time to do so. Here’s to what you can do in 2022!
We’d love to connect with you!
Contact the Vinyl Art Team at 1-800-569-1304or sales@vinylart.com
