Sherri May & Co.

The Sherri May & Company team recently visited Iraq, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nepal and Bhutan. Okay, not literally, but on a recent Saturday morning, we did have the opportunity to meet with several refugee families who fled from those countries. The experience was both enlightening and humbling.

As friends of SMCO may know, we support The Welcome to America Project, a local non-profit that delivers furniture and household items to refugees relocated to Phoenix. We were happy to attend a delivery as a company and speak with the refugees in their homes.

What is a refugee? By definition, a refugee is someone who crosses an international border to escape persecution because of their race, religion, nationality or other components of their social identity. This was the case for each of the three families we visited.

“…you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.”* Most people have heard some variation of this quote, but that Saturday just by visiting with these refugees and listening to their stories, we had a deeper appreciation for the plight of these families.

The first family left Bhutan because of political persecution and civil war. They lived in a Nepali refugee camp for over 10 years. The second group consisted of two young men who had fled Ethiopia to Eritrea and also lived in camps. And the third family was from Iraq and told us about their oldest son, who was kidnapped and murdered by the Taliban.

These stories were both heart-wrenching and eye-opening. But rather than being colored with sadness, the day was painted with laughter and hope. I was encouraged by each person’s positive attitude and the gratefulness they expressed for opportunities they now have in the U.S. – both big and small. The Iraqi family was thrilled just to have air-conditioning in their small apartment and a chessboard to play with, and one of the young Bhutanese adults was excited to pursue his MBA in the U.S.

Our cross-cultural experience proved insightful for everyone involved. I was inspired by the resiliency of the human spirit that I saw so clearly in the eyes of each person we met. This experience was a reminder that there’s a lot we can do to provide help in our local community— and you don’t even have to step foot on a plane to help families from all over the world.

Find out how you can get involved with The Welcome to America Project at wtap.org.

*To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

When it comes to the economic downturn, chances are good that you or your business has been affected by it. But the purpose of this blog isn’t to highlight the negatives and it doesn’t attempt to predict the future of the downturn, the purpose is to use the past as a guide. If you’re wondering how that’s possible, keep reading.

First, it’s important to note writing a blog that highlights the benefits of a recession warrants some admitted tiptoeing. Lay offs and salary cuts are difficult topics to discuss. But despite these negatives, there are some advantages that allow individuals and businesses alike to learn and grow from these challenges.

For example, an article from Time Magazine describes how:

Industry’s top executives are learning dozens of ways to improve operations. Sylvania Electric Products Inc. was poking along with one of its lighting products because several companies were all scrambling for the same market. Then President Don G. Mitchell decided to mechanize his operation; he cut costs and hiked production so successfully that he ran way out ahead of his competition. Says he: “What we did was spend a little more money in bad times, and we won 60% of the market where we had only 15% before.” To stay competitive in its auto-supply business, Detroit’s C. M. Hall Lamp Co. had to cut prices on a lamp bracket below what it considered a rock-bottom $17.76 per 1,000. Solution: it redesigned the bracket in reinforced nylon, sold it for $9 per 1,000.

If you’re thinking something here seems a bit off, you’re right. This article is from June 9, 1958. In a time when corporate America was still recovering from the Korean war. Despite the archaic language, the article had several gems waiting to be uncovered. Using the past recessions, here are a few ways companies thrived during tough times:

Diversification
Breweries in 1920s are a great example of how to thrive using diversification. Given the fact prohibition placed a damper on the sales of their main product, these breweries worked hard to diversify by selling meat and creating “near beer,” ginger beer and other non-alcoholic alternatives. The outcome? Eight out of 10 of the top breweries today were established prior to prohibition.¹

Trimming Expenses
By using the formula that C.M. Hall Lamp Co. employed, businesses can establish new, less expensive ways to create a similar product. According to the author, “the boom larded corporate muscle with fat. Now, in working off the fat [we] are finding some of the benefits of adversity.” Even though the imagery here is close to graphic, it highlights an important concept that unnecessary expenses only get in the way of the greater goals of businesses.

Strengthening Relationships
Martin Guitars, founded in 1833, is one of the best examples of a company that worked hard to strengthen their relationships despite a faltering economy. The decisions they made in the 1930s solidified their role as the oldest guitar company in the world. According to BusinessWeek² “Sixth-generation CEO Chris Martin credits his company’s resiliency…to its pricing and founding principle of remaining fair and equitable while maintaining its strong relationships with dealers.”

So take comfort in the fact there are ways to stand out and strengthen your business even when times are tough. Any obstacles that arise will force your company to grow to overcome those challenges, which means you will only get stronger. And when in doubt, use the past as a guide to lead your business into the future.

¹Source: Mental Floss: http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/22519.html
²Source: Business Week, 2008: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2008/sb20081016_825689.htm