Author and spiritualist Frank Clark once observed “We find comfort among those who agree with us, growth among those who don’t.” It is often too easy to slip into a with-the-crowd mentality; we’ve all been guilty, at one time or another, of (initially, at least) embracing popular opinion. It is stepping outside of that comfort zone, challenging those ideas you’ve long held and allowing for the possibility that your thinking is incorrect or problematic.
Eschewing validation for the truth can be painful, maybe even time-consuming. Perhaps it’s not so much the search for the truth but rather the act of maintaining an open mind and curious nature that yields the growth Clark envisioned. The takeaway is when we part from the herd mentality and desire to know why people disagree with one another, our world is expanded.
As January’s trends and predictions State of the Industry report grinds to a conclusion, we asked our panel one last question centered on New Year’s resolutions. It’s a question you can ask of yourself as well…what will you do to step out of your comfort zone in 2025? We’ve got a ton of responses, so let’s cut to the chase.
Patrick Flesch, Gordon Flesch Company: At GFC, we intend to double down on diversification in IT and telephony while continuing to thrive in the print space. Our intention is to be laser-focused on overserving our most valuable clients while pursuing new business in areas where there is a true fit in terms of value for both sides.
Mike Marusic, Sharp: Personally, that will mean really diving into how I can better serve our customers and not be complacent. We have a great, diverse product offering, and we need to make sure we are thinking more like a dealer and less like the manufacturer in exploring how to leverage the product offering. That means exploring new product categories and service models that can offer real value to the market. We all understand AI will change the dynamic in every business, but we can’t hide behind the buzzwords. We are going to have to provide tangible value to the dealers so that they can bring that value to their customers. In short, we have to think less like a manufacturer and more like a dealer to provide the level of support that they deserve.
Chip Miceli, Pulse Technology: An interesting exercise is seeing your company from a different vantage point. Owners should take their management team off premises every now and then to look at their company from the outside. A business owner I know told me that once a month he goes across the street from his store, sets up a chair and watches what happens. That may not be practical for all, but you get the idea. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day rhetoric and lose sight of what you’re trying to accomplish.
Other thoughts: what will you try that you’re not now doing? Is it selling charging stations for EVs, is it, security systems or something else? Whatever route you take, though, hire someone with experience and a business plan to help you achieve it. You can’t typically just add something to the table without adding professionals to manage it.
Kuoying Wang, Katun: This year, I plan to keep listening to our dealer partners and to work closely with them to support their success. I aim to move beyond considering the traditional business model and embrace innovative approaches to offer meaningful solutions. As our industry evolves, it’s important to stay open-minded, explore new ideas, and be flexible in order to be the best partner we can be.
Tim Renegar, Kelly Office Solutions: I don’t have a comfort zone! Every day new and challenging opportunities come along—all with varying degrees of risk. Somehow, we just don’t have the luxury of a comfort zone.
Clark Bugg, Lexmark: Given the focus on AI, I will continue growing my data and AI literacy in 2025. At Lexmark, the foundation of our strategy is to grow the AI skills of our team throughout all business areas, as we identify new opportunities for application development. The Lexmark AI community has been described by industry experts as punching above our weight class due to our ability to develop the most advanced AI models throughout the business, our continued focus on skill growth and the use of GenAI in the next generation of solutions. We have a number of GenAI tools available to all Lexmark employees, including internally developed ones. As I grow my expertise here, these tools will help me and my colleagues better perform our jobs and support our customers.
Hunter Woolfolk, DOCUmation: We will challenge our team to think bigger by exploring and pursuing growth initiatives. We’ll also be dedicating more time to mentoring emerging leaders within the company, fostering a culture of innovation and growth.
Evelyn Pichardo, Brother International: Brother will continue accelerating its presence in the enterprise market in 2025, focusing not only on enterprise-level products but also expanding into the multiple-location environment. Brother will continue to cater to businesses with multiple locations, such as retail and restaurant chains and businesses with decentralized offices. We will continue to provide a printing service that is easy to install, monitor, and manage without a physical IT team.
Erik Braden, Braden Business Systems: In 2025, stepping out of our comfort zone means exploring new markets and technologies that align with evolving client needs. For instance, industries like retail and real estate are rapidly adopting smart technologies, and Braden is well-equipped to meet those demands. We’re also focused on leveraging emerging technologies such as IoT and AI-driven diagnostics to help clients work smarter and more securely. Additionally, sustainability is a frontier we’re eager to embrace, introducing energy-efficient devices and eco-friendly print solutions that resonate with today’s environmentally conscious businesses. These steps reflect our commitment to staying ahead of the curve while delivering even greater value to our clients.
Jim Hawkins, Toshiba: Adopt AI in all parts of our business in a manner that’s methodical and secure, but allows us to maximize the potential of our data, devices and resources. We will accelerate the development of hybrid solutions that combine traditional hardware with cloud-based, AI-driven capabilities to meet the needs of remote and hybrid work environments. We must also explore new pricing structures, like subscription-based models, and deepen partnerships with dealers to co-create value-added solutions.
Martin Golobic, GreatAmerica: Actively seeking new challenges is part of the GreatAmerica culture. We embrace learning opportunities, experiment with innovative technology and strategies, and adapt to changing trends while maintaining focus on our customers’ needs.
Stu Wise, United Business Technologies: UBT’s formula for focusing on hardware sales and providing unparalleled service amidst a weak competitive environment is our comfort zone. Taking advantage of struggling manufacturers to seize market share will not be something new; however a maniacal focus on NA will continue from 2024. Our comfort zone appears to be working and we will continue to tweak the recipe as long as the results continue to be favorable!
Laura Blackmer, Konica Minolta: Every day in the dealer channel gives me an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and I am often bringing our company to that place as well. Whether it’s beginning a new program that doesn’t reward for sheer size (REV’D UP) or looking for ways to engage the next generation of leaders, our first answer is usually the one that brings change, not just “that’s how we’ve always done it.” I will say that driving an RV behind the Patriot Pack this past September took me way out of my comfort zone and I can’t wait to find the next adventure!
Jose Estebanez, Kyocera: One way is through adopting new technologies. Actively integrating emerging tools and solutions into offerings. We need to explore new markets and diversify customer bases by targeting high-growth sectors like public administration and regional banking. Lastly, it’s our commitment to continuous learning. We must stay informed about industry trends and proactively adapt strategies to remain competitive.
Brent Martin, Arlington: I may finally try pickleball. Seriously, a willingness to adopt emerging technologies. Diversifying our product and solutions offering may be uncomfortable but necessary as we see our world and industry rapidly evolving around us. Rethinking our sales and support approach and how technology can assist us in better partnership with our resellers.
Jim Coriddi, Ricoh: We will continue to build upon our core business by investing in adjacencies aligned to changing customer needs and areas primed for growth, such as audio visual and intelligent document management. We are also exploring new services that our dealers can easily adopt into their business model.
Jacob Hardin, Epson: We will continue to listen to our partners, deliver more unique and relevant solutions, working quickly to satisfy the increasing amount of customization that is being demanded in the market. Working with partners and customers large and small to mass-customize versus standardize not only helps us step out of our comfort zone, but allows us to showcase our engineering capabilities and adaptability in meeting the evolving needs of our channel and customers.
Joseph Dellaposta, Doing Better Business: We have always prided ourselves on achieving growth while maintaining our family-based culture. However, over the last half-decade, sustaining that growth has become increasingly challenging. The impact of the COVID years was profound, affecting not only our industry but also our clients. The rise of remote work is here to stay, and the traditional office space, as we once knew it, no longer exists.
As we look ahead to 2025, our focus is on expanding our products and services to become more significant and impactful to our customers. To achieve this, we may need to pursue acquisitions or mergers that will allow us to quickly enter new markets and broaden our offerings. While this may push us outside of our typical business model and require us to embrace new technologies, I believe this change, although uncomfortable at times, is essential for our continued success.
