Doing what everyone else does is a recipe for mediocrity. Unfortunately, being the innovator requires a high tolerance for failure. How do you balance incorporating promising but unproven methods while not becoming the deceased guinea pig?

"Early Adopters" is the term for organizations that successfully navigate this landscape. Forward thinking and open minded yet practical and cost conscious. Enthusiastically embracing superior but novel solutions while the broader market waits on the sidelines.

Someday I will make a list of all our failed experiments. It is lengthy. You might conclude we'd be better off to stay with the tried and true. My response is that through this process, we became better decision makers. Every maxim has exceptions. By challenging conventional wisdom, we have discovered its limitations. Knowing what everyone else doesn't becomes your competitive advantage.

Our feed mill has been in operation ten months. It is the first of its kind. Doug and I had spent over two years studying this opportunity. We visited facilities throughout the Midwest, talked to mill owners and general contractors. In the end, we chose an entirely new concept. We believed it would have significant economic and operational advantages. Less expensive to build and run, better uniformity of blend, and improved performance for our animals. We concluded the combined potential benefits justified the risks.

Admittedly, there were moments during the start-up phase when we were not so sure. After ten months of use and tens of thousands of tons of feed made, our feed factory is exceeding expectations. More time is needed to be certain, but at this writing, we are confident we made the best choice.

In the future I will describe in detail and explain what makes our feed manufacturing process unique. However, the point of this blog is one I've articulated before. You cannot become extraordinary by mimicking your competitors. You need to be willing to go places they are unwilling to go. With practice, your confidence and ability to negotiate the unknown will improve.

Jim

The Path Less Traveled