Breaking down the fortress
In a business world where each day brings news of cost increases and supplier delays, self sufficiency is an alluring ideal. Being able to grow all the apples right on site, press them ourselves, bottle the resulting final product without needing to rely on anyone is a tantalizing concept. To be in control of our own destiny, price increases be damned. Fortress Dominion vs the world! Tough. Grit.
The problem is, it’s really hard to do. Its also pretty lonely.
While self sufficiency might be achievable for some cideries, it is not for us and probably never will be. But that's fine, because a strong competing philosophy that we also subscribe to is collaboration. Supporting friends with adjacent or even competing businesses means giving up some autonomy, but trusting and relying on others can actually make us all stronger.
We’re fortunate to be a part of a tight-knit maker community. Recently, we were able offer our pasteurizer design to pals Annelise and Alyssa at Creek & Gully. Mike and Brad at Nomad let us use their keg washer when we were in an hour of need. We do most of our apple pressing with Ted and Lauren at Summerland Heritage, which helps them afford the capital investment in equipment that would not make sense alone. Next door, Jordan, Tyler and James at Pamplemousse Jus have kindly lent us their forklift in exchange for our tractor. Not to mention trading for some tasty wine. These are just a handful of examples too numerous to list. We may be on our own, but we're also all in this togther.
In each case, reaching out and asking for a hand helps us to see our competitors as people. People with their own challenges, juggling kids and family and daily stresses, all trying to make it happen in a tough industry. This kind of interaction lifts the Instagram-perfection veil, and helps everyone realize we each have our respective strengths and weaknesses. There is something sincerely real and comforting in that.
Asking for help is not something that comes naturally to me. More often in my life I’ve driven myself into the ground before picking up the phone and conceding I can’t do do something. Deep down, I know this is due to my fear of admitting I don’t actually have it all together.
Something I’m slowly learning is my failure to reach out is actually a missed opportunity to let others in. It deprives them of the opportunity to assist when they would have gladly done so. Showing vulnerability is also deeply disarming and allows others to feel more comfortable asking for help with thier own struggles. We all win.
From author Shawn Achor:
“We think asking for help is a sign of weakness and that being self-reliant is the key to success. But the opposite is true: Realizing we cannot do something and need help shows both humility and strength. Relying on others can help us better reach our goals.
It's something I’m still working on. However, I know there is no Fortress Dominion, and never will be. That doesn’t mean we can’t show grit and determination, but that we’ll do it in good company.
Until next time.
Mike
