Woodworking Network Podcast

Proactive or Reactive - Phil and Ben Cohen, Cohen Architectural Woodworking

Episode Summary

Do you have a proactive or reactive approach to your business? What do you do in a crisis? Phil and Ben Cohen of Cohen Architectural Woodworking in St. James, Missouri, developed an innovative seven-step plan to keep their plant open and all of their people gainfully employed despite the COVID-19 pandemic. They share their tips with Will Sampson, editor of FDMC magazine and Woodworking Network.

Episode Notes

The Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge has become the premier competition for creative woodworking in the world. With thousands of dollars in prize money, the competition honors the best veneer woodworking in furniture, cabinets, architectural millwork, and specialty products. There are even categories for first-time entrants and student work. In the interest of promoting veneer as a beautiful, natural, and sustainable product, the competition also honors not only creators of fine work but also the distributors and sales people who supplied the veneer. The deadline for entries is June 1, so don’t delay.

Woodworking Network is a home for professional woodworkers, presenting technology, supplies, education, inspiration, and community, from small business entrepreneurs to corporate managers at large automated plants.

Intro music courtesy of Anthony Monson.

Episode Transcription

Welcome to the Woodworking Network Podcast where we explore the business of woodworking and what it takes to succeed. I’m Will Sampson.

This episode is sponsored by the Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge.

Today, we’ll be talking to Phil and Ben Cohen from Cohen Architectural Woodwork about the amazing ways they transformed their 88-person company to stay open and prosper during the pandemic. But first, let’s talk about “Proactive or reactive.”

 

There are basically two models for business management, and there are successful versions of both. I’m talking about a proactive or reactive approach. Let’s explore the second one first.

Reactive business people constantly monitor trends and changes in the business landscape. They react by changing product lines, styles, and even methods of work to respond to the changes they see around them. Reactive businesses often get a bad rap, but the ones that react quickly and choose the right things to react to have very good odds of making their reactions into profitable business processes.

Proactive business people also constantly monitor trends and changes in the business landscape. But they take action in a different way. They don’t try to just keep up with trends. They look for clues to where the trends are going. Predicting that path, they try to make changes in their business that will put them a step ahead of the reactive folks. Many a pundit has lauded proactive decisions. The only problem is that predicting the future is a risky business by itself.

Now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to be either reactive or proactive. Things are just changing too fast and in a much too unpredictable manner. Who could have seen any of this coming? What could any business have done to lessen the fallout from the outbreak and related international economic shutdown? I recently put that question to highly regarded economist Dr. Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics. His answer was interesting. He suggested business people prepare for the next downturn surprise by doing now what they wish they would have done before the current disaster. 

Think about that.

It’s different from being either proactive or reactive. It’s more like building on our hindsight to weave a safety net that we hope we never have to use. But who will actually do it? It’s like the old Arkansas Traveler joke in which the traveler asks the farmer why he doesn’t fix his leaky roof. The farmer replies, “Because it don’t leak when the sun’s shinin’, and I can’t work on it when it’s rainin’.”

People talk admiringly of proactive businesses that always seem to be a step ahead. Similarly, they applaud those businesses that can turn on a dime to take advantage of new trends or dodge disaster. But just maybe we should also talk about a third alternative that informs those business models with some clear-eyed use of the rearview mirror. It won’t necessarily help us steer the road ahead, but it will give us something to fall back on if we suddenly encounter a bridge out.

 

Before we get to Phil and Ben Cohen, let’s pause for a word from our sponsor. The Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge has become the premier competition for creative woodworking in the world. With thousands of dollars in prize money, the competition honors the best veneer woodworking in furniture, cabinets, architectural millwork, and specialty products. There are even categories for first-time entrants and student work. In the interest of promoting veneer as a beautiful, natural, and sustainable product, the competition also honors not only creators of fine work but also the distributors and sales people who supplied the veneer. The deadline for entries is June 1, so don’t delay. Go to woodworkingnetwork dot com slash challenge and enter today.