Tony Iannelli's Talking Business: Reinvention leaves world a little bit different, for better or worse
By Tony Iannelli
Special to The Morning Call |
In the past, children needed pay phones to call a parent to come pick them up at the end of a night out. With time has come cellphones, text messages and ride-sharing services such as Uber, writes columnist Tony Iannelli. (AP FILE PHOTO)
There's no doubt that this world is moving at a faster pace than ever before. You can almost double that crazy pace just by living here in the Northeast. We tend to operate at an even faster pace than most of the country. Heck, most of the world.
When you apply that to business and add the amount of unending competition out there, it's daunting. Throw in the fact that one of the fastest-growing hospitality businesses in the world doesn't own a single hotel — Airbnb. How about the reality that one of the most rapidly expanding transportation companies doesn't own a single car, truck or plane — Uber. And the company that's turning the retail world on its head owns just a handful of stores — you guessed it: Amazon. How's that for competition coming out of nowhere?
Business used to develop five- and 10-year plans. I somewhat kiddingly say today that's reduced to five to 10 weeks. Not that business doesn't need long-range financial forecasting, but this world is evolving so rapidly that business and workers must do one thing without question. Business must establish relevance and build value in a quickly changing universe. Reinvention is a must and it better be brilliant, quick and of value or you'll be left behind.
For those of you who recognize we once lived a less dizzying life, here are some fond memories. For those who've experienced only the tech wonders of today, here's a reminder of how good we have it.
Milkman at your door: To me, as a child, there was nothing more reassuring than hearing the milkman on our porch in the early morning hours. It meant life was good and the outside world was safe. Knowing he was on the job, watching out for and feeding his customers, was comforting to me.
That also went for the paper carriers and baked goods deliverers too. Up early and at the front doors delivering happy doses of food and information.
Today, no more deliveries, but there are more kinds of milk than we ever dreamed. Low-fat, organic, almond, cashew, soy. I'm confused but it's freedom of choice and healthy choice, at that. As for information, you can get it on your phone in seconds.
Pay phones: When we'd attend a nighttime sporting event or after a day at Dorney Park and needed a ride home, we called from a pay phone.
Most times, my teenage sister Donna was on the phone, so we'd get a busy signal. It didn't bother us, it just meant keep playing the pinball machine until we could get through. Or we'd play some mindless game with friends until somebody reached a willing parent (aka chauffeur). Waiting for a ride was part of life and meant more time with your friends.
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Today, there's immediate access via cellphone. Most often, within minutes, it's mission accomplished. You can reach people and information faster than we ever dreamed. Mom, dad, brother, they all drive, and then there's Uber. One way or another, you know you're getting home with little or no wait.
AM disc jockeys: There was no better feeling than blaring the radio and hearing your local DJ call out and play your favorite tunes. They were everywhere, in your car, on the beach and every second in my mom's kitchen. Just push that button and it was beautiful music and product-pushing commercial magic. So many of my best memories are tied to songs I heard and loved.
Today, you can dial up any song of any genre with the touch of your phone. Actually, you don't have to lift a finger, just tell Alexa to do it.
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Corner grocery store: We had a million. They were run by your neighbors, and I loved the aroma of the food and the chatter of the people in them. The butchers knew exactly what type of lunchmeat or cut of beef your mom sent you to get. And if families were a little low on cash, they'd record your balance in their book. They trusted you'd pay them and you never wanted to break that trust.
Today, we have megastores filled with the most extensive food variety ever. Foods and baked goods of all types and plenty of them.
Soda fountains, like Sine's 5 & 10 in Quakertown, pumped real syrup into seltzer water to make drinks. (MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO)
I could go on remembering how truly amazing childhood was. I could go on about soda fountains. Back then, at the counter, they pumped real syrup into the seltzer water to make the amazing concoction. Yum. Or the grand hotels with beautifully ornate elevators and a live operator who brought you to your floor. Magical …
But the past is just that, the past.
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It's a new day, filled with amazing opportunities. Our homes are bigger and our cars safer. Our health care facilities treat and cure patients with technology we never thought imaginable 10 years ago, much less 30 years ago.
You see, memories have a way of making the good even better. The happiness even happier.
We live in one amazing time and I won't ever forget that. But if I am ever given just one wish, it'll be to go back to what I remember as heaven on earth. I'm not staying long, just enough to know how happy we were. This time, the difference will be knowing how wonderfully good we have it today.
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