Growing up, as the seasons turned, so did the sports the neighborhood gang played. Fall was soccer and football. Winter, street hockey, basketball, and ping-pong. Spring and summer, tennis and baseball (stick, whiffle, and ballfield). During my teen years, bike racing stretched from early March, with piles of snow still melting, deep into November. We played to win, and we took our lumps, physically and emotionally. A bad hop, a hard foul, a late hit, a tumble, pushing and shoving (things could get heated), a bloody lip…you were always told to get back up, get back in the game, and “Shrug it off.”
That tough love advice from the sports world applies equally well to the great game of life. We take our lumps in business, incurred at the hands of fierce competition, economic blows, and, of late, a trade war. The latter has many in our industry up against the ropes. The punches are coming fast and furious. It makes matters worse when you don’t know how to defend against an onslaught because the rules (tariff rates) seem to change with the mood swings of President Trump. What might the rates be when the temporary agreements are scheduled to end? How do you even set prices amid such volatility? What will the reaction be as consumers absorb the higher prices that have already been passed on, with more expected?
Whatever the answers to those pressing concerns, pulling a Roberto “no mas” Durán isn’t a viable option. You have to shrug it off as well as you can and press forward. That’s the strategy of many heading to The Atlanta Shoe Market next month. In our Special Report (p. 10), leading wholesalers and retailers lay out their fight plans. While they’ve taken some serious hits of late, they’re punching back with a combination of core strengths, quick-footed pivots, and proactively controlling whatever they can. Their advice? Don’t let the chaos consume you. Have a plan and a back-up plan. Get off your heels. Offense can be your best defense.
You’ll find a similarly steady approach—and an ability to persevere—in Fred Satin, owner of Com-Fit Shoes, the subject of our retail profile (p. 12). For nearly 40 years, Satin has shrugged off the many punches directed at independent, sit-and-fit specialists. When a fire burned his White Plains, NY, store to the ground in 2010, he picked himself up off the mat and moved to nearby Scarsdale, an upscale oasis filled with consumers who appreciate Com-Fit’s team of fit experts and enjoy supporting a local business. His tale of grit and determination is inspiring. The fact that his son, Jason, store manager, is part of this story shows that the fighting spirit lives on in the next generation.
You’ll also see plenty of fighting spirit personified by Peter Sachs, longtime general manager of Lowa Boots and the latest participant in our “A Note to My Younger Self” series (p. 18). Sachs has a combined 50 years of retail and wholesale experience. He’s absorbed countless hits—and shrugged them off. After a 29-year run spent building Lowa into a pinnacle outdoor brand in the U.S., he’s segueing into a consultant role and getting more time to enjoy the great outdoors. He’ll be a valuable asset in any start-up’s corner, a seasoned veteran advising on the best moves to cover up and punch back.
Now, back to that neighborhood gang of rotating teammates and foes. Thanks for the near daily spirited competition. The bumps, bruises, and lessons learned from winning and losing over those years stuck with me and taught me the value of mental determination and physical toughness. Those games also taught me that you can’t win them all, but you must try (hard) if you expect to win at anything. And for the times when you feel like you might be down for the count, take to heart this timeless sports wisdom: “Shrug it off.”
