The following is a post from NBA.com written by Idan Ravin (aka The Hoops Whisperer), who first became known to me because he was Carmelo Anthony’s hoops trainer. Idan has also trained various other NBA All-Stars. Knowing that I don’t copy-paste much of other people’s work unless I find it compelling, read this.
——————–
Welcome to this week’s Morning Tip. This week’s guest columnist, Idan Ravin, has become one of the league’s most in-demand personal trainers. In an ultra-competitive business where people are desperate for access to athletes, Ravin has built an amazing clientele, working with the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Rudy Gay, Gilbert Arenas and others, mainly through word of mouth. Known as the “Hoops Whisperer,” Ravin keeps his methods for improving the NBA’s elite close to the vest. But this week, Ravin shares his appreciation for the journey that many pro players make to the big time. Hope you enjoy it.
I’m often asked whether the NBA players I train are “good guys.” An interesting question because it suggests people want to find a way to humanize the professional athlete and make them more familiar. Television, print and the Web bring the NBA player into our homes. We see them compete, win, lose, succeed and struggle.
But it is still not enough. They want to know, “What are they really like?”
In my eyes, they are like you and me. There are good days and not-so good-days. They can be careful and careless. They can make good decisions and not-so-good decisions. It is not as important for me to share with you whether they are good or bad guys, but, rather, that we can find inspiration from their unlikely journey.
It’s easy to say you want to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, banker, consultant, journalist, graphic designer, architect, etc. After all, there’s a traditional path to take and inevitably there’s someone you know who has taken this journey. It is palatable. There is a path of bread crumbs you can follow until you make it “home.” In other words, “If I go to school, get good grades, get good standardized test scores, excel with my internship, then I will eventually reach my goal and succeed.”
Now, imagine an 8-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, or Inglewood, or Riga, Latvia, or Bologna, Italy, or Vancouver, Canada, or Berlin, Germany telling his mother he wants to play in the NBA when he grows up. The numbers don’t lie: there are 30 teams and 13 to 15 roster spots, but at least 20 million children/teenagers/men that play organized basketball around the world. The odds are frightening. Yet, each NBA player started at this point. I call it Point A or, “I have a dream and I am crazy enough to believe I can do this.”
The dream starts with a bounce of a ball, and a hoop, somewhere in some park or gym around the world. For the sake of this story, let’s call our 8-year-old Billy. At an early age, Billy learns the game by playing in the park and devouring every bit of information he can to develop his game. For the next eight years, he continues to practice, to play and to improve. He becomes a very good player in his age group and attracts the attention of AAU travelling teams and high school coaches. He selects a travelling team that complements his style of play. The travelling team swallows up his summer. It is an enormous time commitment. Along with practice, he plays in multiple summer tournaments around the country.
For the next two years, he plays well with his AAU travelling team. He catches the eye of several top universities. These schools would like to recruit him but they have some reservations regarding his ability to play other positions in college, as well as the strength of his high school schedule. They suggest he transfer high schools so he can play against the top high school talent in the country. After talking it over with his family and his AAU coaches, he elects to leave behind friends and family and transfer from his neighborhood high school to a small prep school located in rural Virginia.
Billy packs two bags and leaves his family and friends behind. When he arrives on campus, he is shocked to see this small campus is nothing more than a few buildings, a gymnasium and a cafeteria hidden in a small town. Each day becomes the same until he eventually loses track of time: 5 a.m. wake-up call; weight room, practice, school, practice, homework, lights out. Billy has traded his adolescence for a goal and a dream. Unlike other teenagers his age, Billy has no weekends at the mall, dates, time to hang out with friends. But his sacrifices pan out. He becomes a starter on the team and excels against the other top-ranked prep schools.
Billy receives college basketball scholarship offers from many top ranked Division I programs. He narrows his choice of schools to Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State and Connecticut. He visits each of these schools. He meets with the coaching staff and team, and tours the campus and facility. He eventually selects a school after analyzing which team has an NBA system and has produced the largest number of NBA players at his position. He announces his decision to the media. He receives several nasty e-mails and phone calls from third parties disappointed he didn’t select their schools.
Five months later, the pressure escalates as Billy arrives on campus. He must manage 12 school credits per semester, at least 15 hours of basketball practice each week, mandatory lifting sessions, school work, classes, mandatory study hall, new found popularity and the high expectations from himself and the public as a highly recruited player. Each game is nationally televised and so each game brings its own internal and external pressures. Billy battles through sprained ankles, a dislocated finger and a bout of food poisoning he sustains while on the road. Nevertheless, he plays well . He leads his team to a top 20 ranking, a second-place finish in the conference and the Sweet 16 of the NCAAs.
Billy catches the eye of NBA scouts. NBA scouts project him as a top 20 pick in the upcoming Draft. Billy must now decide whether to hire an agent, to declare for the Draft and forego his remaining collegiate eligibility, or remain in college. His college coach and others in the university encourage him to stay in school. Meanwhile, his family and AAU coach, who love him but who also are expecting to be taken care of, encourage him to declare for the Draft. Billy elects to trust his instincts and declare for the NBA.
However, now he faces the monumental task of interviewing and hiring an agent, lawyer and financial advisor. This is new terrain for him. He understandably doesn’t know which questions to ask or what to look for when retaining the services of these professionals. He again turns to his intuition to guide him in the process of retaining advisors and counsel. Only three weeks after the college season ends, Billy selects an agent, declares for the Draft and withdraws from school.
Billy packs two bags, again, less than two years after starting his senior year of high school, and relocates to a new city to prepare for the Draft. For the next seven weeks, six days per week, he wakes at 6:30 a.m. to begin his two-hour on-court training sessions. From there he immediately visits with a strength coach for an hour weightlifting session. If he is lucky, he sneaks in a short nap before returning to the gym in the late evening. And it begins again the next day.
In May, Billy begins to crisscross the United States, auditioning for every NBA team with a first-round pick that has interest in him. He flies in the evening, squeezing his 6-foot-5 frame into middle and window coach seats. He is met at the airport and taken to his hotel. He changes to jeans and a collared shirt and heads to dinner for a quasi-interview with the team’s front office and staff. He returns to his hotel and heads to bed so he can be fresh for the morning workout with the other top players at his position.
He arrives early for his workouts. Each team puts Billy through a set of rigorous on-court drills to evaluate his basketball IQ and skill set. From there, he meets with the team’s strength and conditioning coach, who puts him through rigorous strength, speed and conditioning drills to evaluate his physical talents. He then meets with the NBA team’s front office, where he again interviews with the general manager, assistant general manager and director of player personnel. He repeats this process 10 times with 10 teams over the course of two weeks.
In late June, Billy is selected with the 17th pick of the NBA Draft. The next day the team flies him to the NBA city to sign a contract, meet the local media and begin preparing for Summer League. Summer League is more intense then he imagined. All eyes are on him. He is expected to perform immediately and begin to master a playbook as thick as a telephone directory. The NBA does not have much patience and it does not issue much positive reinforcement. There is no time for hugs and kisses. Performance and work product are the metrics for success. The game at the NBA level travels at supersonic speed. Every player is big, fast and with a “Harvard-like” style basketball pedigree.
Billy plays well in Summer League. Veterans camp is several weeks away so Billy elects to remain in the city to continue to prepare for the season. Many of his friends do not understand why Billy does not want to vacation and begin to spend his money. Billy recognizes the pressures associated with NBA life and the expectations of a first-round pick. It is now the end of September and camp is scheduled to start. Two practices per day, film sessions, team bonding exercises and a heightened intensity from players, coaches and front office alarm Billy.
He faces grown men who will do anything to earn a roster spot. Many have families to feed. Billy faces veterans who are 10 years older, who will do what is necessary to ensure the young rookie does not capture all the minutes at the position. This means hard fouls, mental games and physical play. For several of these veteran players, it is also a contract year. They challenge Billy even more because they need the minutes on the court to puff up their statistics, so they have more leverage when negotiating their next contract. Nevertheless, Billy remains focused, poised and plays well in camp. He earns a start for the opening regular-season game.
It’s now October 28. Ten years or so since he first began working toward his dream. He lines up for the jump ball. He looks around and witnesses the size, strength and experience of the players on the floor with him. For each game, each team will spend countless hours watching and scouting his deficiencies and tendencies so they can exploit him. Throughout the season Billy will continue to play hard and do what he loves. Yet, at the same time he has to learn the complexities associated with NBA life. These include dealing with the ego of the team franchise player, an overbearing head coach, a team filled with veteran players, a complex playbook, a new city, a new community, a new life, media, extensive travel and expectations from family and friends.
Billy’s journey to the NBA has been a journey filled with uncertainty each step of the way. But he had unshakeable resolve and commitment to his dream.
After two years, Billy has become a solid pro. He’s earned the respect of his teammates and coaches. He’s making good money and has a solid foundation in life. But he wants even more. He doesn’t just want to be good, even very good; he wants to be one of the best, a perennial All-Star, someone who leaves a mark on the game. That same drive that made him believe he could make the pros when he was 8 still burns in him, still pushes him. He knows that there are people out there that can take his skills and make them better, using their minds and their methods to push him even further.
And he comes to me. With one question: “How do I get better?”
I find inspiration from Billy’s story. The NBA is filled with guys like Billy. In many ways we are not so different. If you are a dreamer like me, you never think your dreams are crazy or farfetched. You just accept the uncertainty. You learn to trust your instinct, develop a talent for catching your balance on this very windy road while finding peace in your commitment.
In his great book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell postulates that an individual reaches high proficiency in a particular vocation once he reaches 10,000 hours of practice/ activity in that field. Bill Gates on computers. Michael Jackson with singing and performing. Lil’ Wayne with rapping. Peyton Manning with football.
Well, it has taken me awhile, but i feel, at age 28, I have finally hit the 10,000 hour plateau in basketball. No, I have not been counting the hours or thought up any formula to calculate how much I have played and practiced over the last 14+ years, but I can feel it. I understand — and see for myself — that most players who start with the game as “late” (age 14) as I did don’t stay with it long enough to hit the 10k mark before their physical abilities decline. So I know, along with the stick-to-it-iveness I possess, I’ve been very lucky to make it this far.
That being said, I feel as good as I’ve ever felt both physically and mentally in the game….
Wait, wait wait. Waaay too cliché with that one. Let’s rewind.
I am the best I have ever been right now and I’m still getting better. I have the skills, the know-how, the toughness, the heart — I’m damn well put-together for a basketball player at the moment, if I may say so myself.
With that said, I’m getting ready for the next season, wherever that may be. You all will know soon. I addressed the NBA situation here last week, for those interested.
I’m ready to assume my spot in the game. More people need to know my name.
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago at 9:00 AM. Add a comment
Aside from my continuing QOTD posts, I haven’t blogged shit in months.
I have always maintained the stance that I only get to writing when the inspiration hits. Something really interesting happening; a great synthesis of random thoughts forming a whole; something in the news that I have a crazy, unique angle on.
For the most part, I have transferred a lot of my great thoughts and words of wisdom to video form — check out my YouTube channel for those. A lot of what I would’ve written about, I speak on now.
Any who, think of the following scenario. I know many of us have had this play out in our lives from time to time…
There is some change, long overdue, some move we need to make in life. But our laziness, lack of urgency, plus the fact that the status quo — though not great — is not hurting or causing us more discomfort than we can handle, prevents one from getting off our collective asses.
That one was me. This was the relationship I had with my HP laptop, over the last 6 or so months.
Alas, the motherboard (defined in layman’s terms: an expensive piece of a laptop that usually costs you more than a new laptop would) of my old laptop got fried somehow, and that was that. When I asked that repair shop guy why/ how this happened, he replied: “Why do people die from heart attacks or cancer at age 30?”
One thing that showed me is that things can end at any time — only change is guaranteed in this life, nothing more. Personal relationships, business deals, fortuitous situations that make things easy for us, life itself — any and all of these can end any day, and we find ourselves behaving as if we have eternity to do the things we want to accomplish.
So now I’m back, new laptop in lap, and it’s time to go to work.
And a funny thing has taken place in this no-computer-having time — really about the last 60 days or so: I have a helluva following out there, and demand for my name is at an all-time high, and rising.
That’s somewhat crazy, and somewhat not.
Crazy because I haven’t even had my signature on a professional basketball contract in 18 months. In my visions back in 2003, I’d always figured that playing — in actual pro games — would be the way my name would ring out.
Not crazy, on the other hand, because shit — I’m connected to my people and they know where to find me. Simple as that. I made it that way, and it will remain that way.
DreAllDay.com has set high-water marks in readership/ site visitors every month in 2010 so far, even with me not able to check the stats for the final 2 weeks of May. That makes me feel good. As for YouTube… Well if you’ve been to my YouTube channel, you know what it is.
So, enough talking. I’m on the verge of reaching critical mass on this here Internet, and I gotta make it before the next motherboard fries. There is no Plan B.
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago at 12:15 PM. 2 comments
Those of you who have been following for awhile (and ALL of my college associates) may recall this post from Fall 2008 about one Mr. Mark Anthony Librizzi. “Breeze,” as we’ll call him — all according to the copy & pasted article from the Centre Daily newspaper — had drunkenly stolen a police cruiser from outside a bar, drove it home, and told a friend exactly what he had done. He was later arrested for the offense.
I am writing to you in regards to the Friday, October 3, 2008 posting involving my client M. Anthony Librizzi. on the ‘There’s Only One Dre Baldwin’ blog. The subject matter is slanderous. All charges against Mr. Librizzi have been dropped. Legal action will be taken if the post is not removed within 48 hours. A defamation suit against you will be filled ( <<< I can’t make this stuff up. -Dre) with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Google and other said parties will be informed of the objectionable content.
On a serious note, I’m actually very disappointed in this email. Disappointed that Sophie had the idea that she could send me an email posing as a lawyer and that I would actually buy it. A back-handed-bitch-slap in the face to my intelligence. Disappointed that Sophie has no idea what “slanderous” means. Disappointed that “Founder” Sophie Lily Weinstein’s name is not mentioned on the Synergy Media L.L.C.’s website. Disappointed that Sophie is the founder of a company and doesn’t even have an email address at the domain of the company (feel free to friend Sophie on Facebook. Breeze too, while you’re at it).
(shaking my head at myself for even writing this post…)
I’m even more disappointed in Mr. Breeze. Disappointed that the Catherine Bateson quote on his profile (“Storytelling is fundamental to the human search for meaning“) is almost as ironic as this Sports Illustrated cover from March 2000. Disappointed that his professional resumé states that he was at West Chester University from 2002-2006 when Breeze PLAYED 17 BASKETBALL GAMES FOR PSU-ALTOONA IN 2003 (as they say on Twitter, smh). Disappointed that Breeze doesn’t know that I have some personal experience, pertaining to Breeze, that would embarrass him worse than anything I have ever blogged about in 5 years online — that is, if he wants to take it there. Or maybe Breeze does know, and he’s just stupid.
(my stomach hurts from giggling.)
I wouldn’t say this about Breeze, but, being that she’s a PSU grad, Sophie Lily Weinstein is probably smart. So, to Sophie:
As you asked, the issues you mentioned have been resolved — swiftly — by Yours Truly. The smart thing for you and your client would be to digest this post and then forget that this ever happened. I will do the same. Since we’ve never met, Sophie, allow me to share something about me: I have a penchant for taking things too far. I also have a bad habit of, one way or another, embarrassing people who come at me the wrong way (and it seems to have gotten worse with age). You can be smart or you can be stupid. Do your client a solid, and make Penn State proud.
Sincerely,
Dre “DreAllDay” Baldwin
Posted 7 months, 3 weeks ago at 7:30 AM. 5 comments
This is a review from my Favorite Books list; the link from which will be also on the Books Page.
***
“I’ll let you in on a secret, though my publisher probably wont like it: I’m not saying anything in this book that hasn’t already been said before.”
The above quote from Russell Simmons will probably keep a few people from ever picking this book up. And that’s why they say, “If you wanna hide something from people, put it in a book.”
Russell’s book truly does not say anything that is new and out of the blue. But what makes this book great is his detailed explanation, and real-life examples, of how he got ahead and stays there. But this book is not at all about money and how to start business or be a hip-hop mogul, as Russell Simmons is known as. Do You! is more the type of book that teaches the reader to remember to remember the principles of good, prosperous living in the hip-hop community.
Posted 7 months, 4 weeks ago at 11:23 AM. 1 comment
I know that everyone has their own sets of problems and issues. We all have those thing that we don’t even like partaking in, but we “have” to do them. Other people count on us. It’s “part of being an adult.” I know, I know. We don’t have time to do the things we really enjoy because all our time is tied up in doing for others, those others being bosses, family, friends, or whomever.
Newsflash: We will never miraculously find time to do the things that we want, the stuff that makes us happy. There are only 24 hours in a day, people, and that ain’t changin’. My prescription is for you to do what makes you happy first, then deal with the other shit. One of the main principles of running a successful business is that you pay yourself first, then distribute the remaining resources to the needy parties. Look it up.
There are going to be at least 365 “fires” that will need to be put out this year, little-to-big things just yearning for (fill in your name)’s attention. That’s what the fire department is for, dammit, and even firefighters get days off.
My idealistic side wants to see everybody doing what makes them happy and expressing themselves in whatever way brings a genuine smile to their face. Extra time doesn’t pop up like a rainbow after a thunderstorm. Make time for you or be a slave to yourself.
What do YOU like? In this new year, Go do it. Don’t worry about the other tasks — They’ll wait for you.
Posted 8 months, 1 week ago at 10:00 AM. Add a comment
I’ve been getting the same question asked of me in different forms over the past month-and-a-half or so by many people: Dre, Where are you playing this year?
Rightly so, and I’m pleased that so many folks wanna know wassup — so here it is:
I don’t know yet.
At this very moment I am unsigned. I’ve been here before, in ’07 when ended up in Montenegro in December. Professional basketball is just as much business as it is the game on the floor, and things are even more so currently with everyone in the world watching their money a bit closer than usual. The work I have put in over the past 5 years has me in a position to set my worth for my next contract — I’ve paid dues and expect to be paid back — so when the right situation materializes, I’ll be there. And that could be anywhere on the globe.
I’ll say now that I’ll be finalizing my plans for the basketball season within the next 4-6 weeks, maybe sooner. ‘Till then, I’ll be laying groundwork for the future, working out and doing some other things that I won’t speak about right now.
Business as usual.
Posted 9 months, 1 week ago at 11:39 AM. 3 comments
So we have made it another year. I am very thankful for that. I can still walk, talk, run and jump, and I’m thankful for that.
As I go through the course of day-to-day activities, it gets easy to get so used to what I have that things can be taken for granted, which is why a day like Thanksgiving is a perfect time to think and reflect on just how good we all have it.
I am thankful for having the opportunity to do the things I’ve always wanted to do, and thankful for knowing there is a lot more to come. And I’m thankful for all of the great people — family, friends, business associates — that have an effect on my life.
I’m thankful for everybody who has ever come across DreAllDay.com or Dre himself; everything that has happened in my life up to this very moment has made me who I am. And I wouldn’t change a thing. So if I don’t say it enough, Thank You to you all.
Now back to the program.
Posted 9 months, 2 weeks ago at 12:17 PM. Add a comment
Shyne was released from prison earlier this month and immediately deported to his native Belize, presumably because of his criminal record in the USA. This is what is is, as far as I’m concerned.
What caught my attention was seeing and hearing many Shyne fans throw Diddy’s name out there in relation to this situation; i.e., ‘Diddy went free from the 2001 trial that sent Shyne away on a 10-year bid, he owes Shyne!’
Most of these folks probably consider themselves “street smart” and not a fan of gangsta rap’s “industry types (such as Diddy).” Well, in the street, men stand behind their actions. It appeared that Shyne was defending someone coming at Diddy when the shooting incident happened; Shyne did the shooting. So Shyne deserves applause for being a street rapper who lived his words. And Shyne, as would any person in the street, also knows the consequences of his actions.
I also believe Diddy got funny-style, defense-wise, with the lawyers and such at the trial, having a separate lawyer from Shyne, as if to say, ‘if one of us is going down, it’s gon’ have to be him.’ And that’s what happened. Diddy had the money and the power, the cleaner image, and, probably, never shot a gun.
To Shyne’s credit, he has publicly stated that he wanted nothing more to do with Diddy — no money, no conversation, nothing — so his fans should follow Shyne’s lead and not call on Diddy to owe anything.
Posted 10 months, 1 week ago at 12:00 PM. Add a comment
So Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson want to block Rush Limbaugh from purchasing an NFL franchise, citing the perception of Rush as a racist and “anti-NFL.” While I do agree with the move to keep Rush from being part of NFL ownership, the “why” of it is a rather weak argument, as explored by many in the media (including this TIME article). Now it’s my turn.
The NFL employs a lot of young Black men. Al and Jesse say that Limbaugh’s anti-minority stances over the years (wishing Obama to fail, the McNabb remarks, the Jay-Z, um, situation) do not fit with what the NFL is all about. That franchise ownership is a privilege, not a right, and Sharpton is urging current and former players to step up and speak out against Rush.
I agree with Al and Jesse on the front that Limbaugh and O’Reilly would do the same to them if the roles were reversed. Pepsi hired Ludacris because Ludacris would have helped sell cans of soda, plain and simple. Pepsi knows this. O’Reilly used his position of power to take that away from Ludacris and reveled in his accomplishment. And sometimes when dealing with an opponent who uses dirty tactics such as what O’Reilly did, we have to get our hands dirty. Stoop to their level and beat them at their own game. It is necessary in this case, and it is time for it to happen. This, I agree with.
What I don’t agree with, however, is the terms “racial justice,” “inclusion,” and “not going backwards” being thrown around. Despite the high salaries of pro athletes, we are, at the end of the day, still employees — $40 Million Dollar Slaves, if you will — who have the equity, as far as physically performing is concerned, squeezed out of us and are consequently discarded. All of our work belongs to the team and the league — it says so right there in the contract — and the owner moves “On To the Next One.” The director of the NFL Players Association said the players should “embrace their roles… as partners in the business of the NFL” and get involved in speaking out against Rush — Huh? Who are you fooling, Mr. Director??? In the NFL the players are far from partners — they own nothing, the contracts aren’t guaranteed, and many can’t even work post-NFL because of injuries sustained. If you ever have to go to your boss or superior hat in hand and ask for more, you are an employee — not a partner.
Now, I have never met either Bill or Rush — all I know about them is what I see on TV and the Internet, not exactly the best way to really know one’s character — but it is clear to me that Rush Limbaugh won’t be making an appearance on Ocean Drive during Memorial Day weekend any time soon. But being a racist — even if Rush was open and brash about it — does not preclude him from owning a professional sports franchise. In order to take over ownership of a franchise, the prospective buyers need to be approved by the other NFL owners, and what speaks to the other owners sure as hell is not the moral high ground. What does speak to them? Money! If Rush — who, despite whatever prejudices he may harbor, has made enough money in what he does to be shopping for a franchise — can afford to buy the St. Louis Rams, and the other owners see Rush as a money-generating improvement over the current Rams owners, Rush very well could end up in the owner’s suite.
And there ain’t a damned thing Al, Jesse, and all the players put together could do about it.
There are a lot of general topics out there that polarize the participants when the subject comes up. ‘I love Kobe’ vs. I HATE Kobe!’ Biggie vs. ‘Pac. Pro-life vs. pro-choice. All matters of opinion based an individuals tastes. One topic that I cram to understand though, is how there is a huge legion of anti Wal-Mart people who swear that the discount giant is ruining business across the board.
A lot of folks I know either like Wal-Mart for its convenience and low prices or despise it because of its low quality products, low wages, and aesthetically poor store designs. There are sites that have side-by-side running debate posts arguing both cases.
They say Wal-Mart kills the little guy businesses. They say Wal-Mart forces everyone to lower their prices and, in turn, kill their own profits. They say Wal-Mart runs the mom-and-pop stores out of their own towns, and generally bullies their way around in whatever municipality they choose to open another monstrosity in. There’s even a book that I read: How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and The World, and What You Can Do About It. This book not only tells, in detail, how Wal-Mart is bad for everyone, but then tells you, in detail, how you can do your part to slow the wrecking ball.
I say Wal-Mart is the American dream at its best.
As far as the argument that Wal-Mart kills the little guy, running small mom-and-pop-been-here-since-the-50s stores out of towns, let’s take a look at where Wal-Mart started. I read Sam Walton’s book (very long and very wordy). Sam used to work for another person’s store as a manager, and when he saw an opportunity to start his own, he did just that. With one store. Just like anyone else. Sam Walton was, at that point, a little guy business owner.
His business faced threats and competition, just like any business today would. But did Sam walk up to City Hall, hat in hand, asking for help? No, he went to work, and wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He shopped in his competitor’s stores and took note of what they were offering. He looked at how his distribution agreements worked and how he could have more control. Sam identified the inefficiencies in his business, and figured on how he could make them strengths. As a result of his work, he was able to lower prices — of course, this is what draws a customer! — and beat his competition.
But it seems that people feel Wal-Mart has done something wrong by simply taking steps to defeat competition. Isn’t that what capitalism is? The best business gets the consumer’s dollar? In 1970in the New York Times Magazine, Milton Smith laid out the social responsibility of business:
“… to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits…(through) open and free competition without deception or fraud.”
So yeah, Wal-Mart does muscle smaller, weaker business out of their markets. That’s how business works. I mean, Michael Jordan muscled Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, and John Stockton out of championship rings. Is MJ a bad guy for it? No — just playing the game. It appears to me that Wal-Mart has mastered the Law of Supply and Demand, and found the prices at which what they offer will match how much consumers want. Don’t all business strive to reach this ideal?
Wal-Mart, with its own distribution plants and basic-structure stores, has cornered the market on low prices. But there are other ways to compete. Target has shown that even with slightly higher prices, they can sell quality and ambiance. A Wal-Mart moving into town isn’t a scarlet letter, by any means, for another business. But the second you mentally paint yourself a victim, you become one.
Posted 11 months, 1 week ago at 12:30 PM. Add a comment
