I describe my company as a newmedia real estate company. We are BOTH a tech company and a real estate company. It is easy for me to classify my business like this because we spend a majority of our time on the tech side trying to reinvent the real estate business. Yet, I believe that more and more businesses should, rather MUST, consider themselves as a tech company if they are going to remain relevant in the next 50 years.
When you view yourself as a tech company then you make the investments in systems, processes, and R&D to stay ahead of the curve. You create the trends instead of trying to follow them. You’re excited by innovation not frustrated by distractions that you don’t understand.
Last week, I was having a conversation with the CEO of a SoCal printing company that has been in business for the last 30 years. They are very successful and have 40 full-time employees. They actually benefit from old-tech with computers, printing systems, and the latest desktop publishing software. In our conversation I encouraged him to think of their business as a tech business.
For many in the printing industry tech is both good and bad. They love the improvements in their production process but hate having business go the way of the internet (i.e. websites and blogs instead of brochures and newsletters). Their whole industry has a choice, they can either become tech companies with advanced printing capabilities or they can lose to those people in the industry who do.
Everyone will agree that printing is now a commodity. So it’s not the printing that gives a company it’s competitive advantage. It’s not branding either. It’s tech. It’s the intellectual property that makes one company different than everyone else. It’s no longer to be ok to just be a good printer. That’s expected. Now you need to be a good innovator AND a good printer.
This way of thinking should extend to everyone and every type of organization. Any type of business, non-profit, governmental agency, or individual should add tech to their title. They should obtain the creative thinking skills and invest both time and money in these areas. I want to see the local bureaucrat embrace technology and find ways to innovate and add value to the community. I want to see the non-profits investing in R&D to permanently solve problems instead of just trying to clean up the mess after they happen. I want to see individuals saying they have these tech skills that they are applying every type of thing that they do.
Tech is no longer reserved for Silicon Valley. Tech companies should exist in all industries, in all cities, in all aspects of life. You don’t need to change industries to become a tech company. In fact, if you change your business to be the most tech savvy business in your industry you’ll be setting a new standard, inventing a new way of doing things, and creating a new set of expectations from the customer.
