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Articles by Michael Biwer
Building a Distribution Business That Outlasts You
Years from now, when you’re looking back on your career, what do you want your legacy to be? Do you want to be known as the firefighter who did just enough to keep your company alive? Or the person who built a company with a great culture and a strong foundation for continued success after you’re gone? Chasing growth over everything may get you some nice awards. But real legacy is built when you have stability, clarity, and most importantly, the freedom to finish what you started.
For Distributors, Falling Behind on AI Isn’t the Biggest Risk
Walk into any distribution conference these days, and you won’t go more than a minute before encountering the term “AI.” You’ll meet dozens of AI vendors, many of which may be brand new, and they’ll all claim to offer the perfect product to carry your company into the future. When you combine that with the pressure you’re already feeling from your board to implement AI-powered solutions, it’s a little overwhelming. Where do you even start? Are you already behind?
The Only Customer Turnover That Really Matters
Imagine you’re packing a backpack for a long hiking trip, and you have room for one more item. One option is a water bottle. The other is a bag of rocks. In a situation like this, it’s easy to recognize value. But when you’re caught up in the day-to-day of growing a business, it’s hard not to focus on holding onto every customer, even when some add more weight than value. Many distributors focus on preventing customer turnover without asking a more important question: Which customers create profit?
Why day-to-day firefighting douses distributors’ profit
Market SectorsPlumbingPHCP and PVF Technology & Operations Firefighting may feel productive and rewarding, but it will inevitably chip away at the bottom line distributors depend on. Ask a distributor to describe their day-to-day, and there’s an excellent chance that they’ll use the term “fighting fires.” It makes sense that this term has become so popular – the work sounds urgent and important, even heroic. And when you put a fire out, it delivers a psychological high.
Top vs. Bottom: Which Line Really Matters in Electrical Distribution?
Key Highlights Revenue growth can mask operational issues, while focusing on profit provides a clearer picture of business health. Operational decisions, such as pricing and customer management, directly impact profit margins daily. Prioritizing profitable customers and reviewing margins at the order level can improve overall profitability. Shifting your "Success Metrics" from revenue to margin quality helps distributors build sustainable, long-term businesses.
Profit Creates Freedom: The Path to a Better Valuation for Distributors
Approaching his sixties, an owner of multiple distribution companies told me he’d come to a sober realization: The habits that fueled his growth for decades wouldn’t deliver the retirement he envisioned in five years. What he needed wasn’t more revenue – it was a stronger business. He’s not an outlier. Many distributors are facing the same truth as they get closer to succession or exit. Most distributors chase the top line: more orders, more revenue, more locations, more trucks. Growth feels good.
How Profitability, Not More Sales, Gives Distributors Freedom
Five centuries ago, Leonardo da Vinci began work on “Il Gran Cavallo,” a massive bronze horse commissioned by the Duke of Milan. He spent years perfecting the design, but war stalled his progress, and the molds were destroyed. Then, in the 1970s, his detailed drawings were rediscovered and used to finally complete the statue in Grand Rapids, Mich. Centuries after the horse was conceived, it was finished by people who finally had the tools, capital and freedom to do so.
Mappazine - Mapp’s Digital Marketing Blog
I’ve been asked a lot of questions since the Teradata Marketing Applications (TMA) acquisition was closed on July 1, 2016. If I were to create a word cloud from the universe of those questions, the word change would be exceptionally prominent. Depending on a number of possible factors—including one’s personal belief system, context, and current situation—the word change can take on many different meanings and/or evoke a multitude of emotions.
Mapp – Behind the Scenes of Launching a Leading Digital Marketing Brand
I’ve been asked a lot of questions since the Teradata Marketing Applications (TMA) acquisition was closed on July 1, 2016. If I were to create a word cloud from the universe of those questions, the word change would be exceptionally prominent. Depending on a number of possible factors—including one’s personal belief system, context, and current situation—the word change can take on many different meanings and/or evoke a multitude of emotions.
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