Which path is correct, to fight the old, or to build the new? Maybe neither is "Correct" in the absence of context, so in the context of CHANGE, that we want CHANGE, that CHANGE is our objective, then it seems self-evident that the 'build the new' path is the better choice.
BUT, no matter how bright and shiny your NEW Marketing and Sales plan is, if the product you are Marketing and Selling is OLD and TIRED (picture this if you can; red oak is the specie, early American is the stain, 40° is the sheen, raised panel with eyebrow arch is the door and galley rail is added on top of the upper and tall cabinets). I'm fairly confident that I don't need to explain why that might not be your best strategy or recipe for success.
In other words, NEW anything pretty much requires NEW everything.
Many cabinet manufacturers fail to scale their businesses because they attempt to put the pedal to the metal in one area (typically either Sales or Machining) and pump the brakes in other areas (double Sales but do nothing in Systems or Processes, OR, double Manufacturing Capacity with shiny new machines, but do little to nothing in Marketing and Sales).
If New means different, which it usually does, then Change is inevitable, but irreducible complexity demands all systems need to scale together. An eyeball is the best example I can think of, if any of the parts of an eyeball do not work (i,e., lens, cornea, optic nerve, pupil, iris, macula, etc.), then the eye does not do what an eye is supposed to do (see things clearly). Change must be comprehensive.
If you feel like you are stuck fighting the old and thinking about building the new makes your brain hurt, it might be time to get yourself a Board of Directors. A Peer Advisory Group is the most effective way for a small business to leverage the systems and strategies of big business, to have people who do what you do available to brainstorm with, and to run your ideas past. GoodProfitGroup just might be the next NEW thing you need to do to Change your business for the better.
