Recently I have been less active on LinkedIn and articles have stopped. For the first time this is a good thing.
Why?
The reason behind this is work overload. Since January the requests about the product specifications, questions about the delivery times, preorders, technical support requests in the production plus the usual things were overwhelming. Just didn’t have the time and inspiration to write. So I used the Easter holiday as a moment to reflect back on this period and put one article out.
Since January we finally started to have meetings with smiles and optimism and this means so much to everyone in the bike industry I can’t describe it with words.
Last two years many meetings were doom and gloom, talking about the payment plans, overstock issues, companies always explaining why they are not purchasing as before, price point explanations…you all know what I am talking about.
Finally we are talking about new projects, restarting the production, new bike models the fun stuff.
There are of course new-old problems like staff shortages, unstable order flows, production issues but boy did we miss those. We talk about these problems with a smile now 🙂
So it seems that year 2025 is a year of stabilization and reorganization. I see companies making some new models and trying to optimize the current stock for future success. They are preparing well ahead for 2026 and everyone seems to be very optimistic about it.
Even if 2026 will not be all flowers and sun this optimism is a good thing !
Being optimistic and working hard on the development is the only right way to do anything and we should always do this, even if the times are crazy. Surely there are crazy things going on, like these crazy tariffs, but the only way to advance is to adapt fast and take the next step and then the next step and…. you get the idea.
I want to use the light at the end of the tunnel analogy to make a point here.
One thing I notice is that many companies are going in the same tunnel and looking at the light at the end of it. They are chasing this same light for some time and it is perceived as a promise of a better future and finally getting back to “as it was before” Many times we are referencing it to the famous year 2019 as the last “normal year”
The truth is that world has changed and we seem to be in a wrong tunnel !
Most companies are going the same way as before and my advice to be is to stop and question yourselves “Am i in the right tunnel ?”
- Do I do my sales in a way that is in line with new situation? Sales teams, online presence, service to my customers, service to my dealers, future sales? What matters the most to my customers now? How do I make an impact on customers lives?
- How is my production being done? Is it too complicated or too simple for the products I intend to sell? Is it in line with the vision of the company? Can I reach the quality or the price point I wish my products to have?
- How reliable is my supply chain? Will I only chase the price no matter what? Will I think about the future and invest in my suppliers and ecosystem around me? Do I have double standards for the cheap suppliers from far away and for the suppliers here? Am I asking the same questions and requiring the same things from them (sustainability, workers treatment, ISO standards etc.)? Which supplier do I invest in, to have a better chance of being future proof?
- Do I take the concrete steps in sustainability or just do the paperwork for marketing? How much impact do I have? Am I lying to myself and to my customers? What is the use of all this? What can I do to make some real impact?
- Can I think independently and not just go with the flow? What is my long term strategy for the future?
These are all very important and difficult questions and only way you can get out of the current tunnel is to answer honestly to yourself! It takes balls to do it but without this how can you know where you are going?
Personally I am already the generation that can be considered “older” and I tend to have opinion that the new generation is not as good as older generations are. Well I have been proven wrong many time on this one for sure.
You maybe heard about the changes that are going on in Serbia these days and this is all of the work of very young people many times under 20. They are actually changing the world with their sacrifice and actions. Very inspiring to see this.
If you are older then talk with the young people, if you are young talk with the older people. Think independently with being open to all opinions and facts…
Find you own tunnel!
