Last week I expressed the belief that we are about to get harsher digital media wave than we did in the 2008-2009 period. I urged print business owners to act. The urge to act does not mean that this is a “do this or die” moment where is one single choice to save your business. That is definitely not the situation. There are many choices to make, and they were outlined in the three books that are still available for free download: "Renewing the Printing Industry," "Disrupting the Future," and "Getting Business." "Disrupting," the second book, provides a broad overview and justification for change. "Renewing" outlines seven strategy alternatives. "Getting" is the hands-on and tactical follow-up to "Disrupting." They are probably best reviewed in that order. The change in media is happening constantly, and it will not stop. That may seem ominous, but in times of opportunities, it means that the trend ride will always be available, and you can step onto the ride at a time of your choosing. There is no best time. There is no bad time. There is only being prepared or unprepared. If you miss the first time, you'll get another chance. Don't do everything at once, or try to. Pick a niche, a medium, or a client. Assemble the right skills and people. Work with outside resources. The most important part is that you need to demonstrate competence in what you are doing, which means to use the media or business processes you are proposing in your own business. I still believe that our industry's opportunity is in the reliable deployment, management, and measurement of digital media. Be sure to review the “Renewing” chapter about “communications logistics.” “Disrupting” builds on those ideas. There are printers who decide not to get involved in digital media. Review the chapters on “offline media” and “commodity printing” in “Renewing.” “Getting Business” is helpful in figuring out the tactical options. * * * This was really funny: financial analysts were really unhappy with Apple's quarterly report. CNBC reported it with the headline “Apple Posts Rare Earnings Miss; Outlook Disappoints.” “Bad” financial results? What were they disappointed about? They didn't beat the financial analyst forecasts. That made the analysts look bad. Apple's bottom line was a meager 22.7 cents profit per revenue dollar. It's selling about 6400 iPads per day, or nearly 1.8 every second. Sure the analysts were disappointed. After all, sales were up only by 27%. # # #