Change

This is my last column for Twin Cities Business, and when the cheering dies down, I’ll explain why.

Sixteen years ago, we started publishing this magazine because we were frustrated with the generally negative tone of business coverage in local newspapers and business magazines. Business is exciting and demanding and full of vitality, but local coverage seldom conveyed that. We set out to write about the challenges and subtleties and accomplishments of our business community in an upbeat, but not pollyannaish, way.

I believe we succeeded. Not only has this magazine over and over again won awards as the best regional business magazine in America, but I believe we changed the tone of business coverage by other local media.

From the first issues of Twin Cities Business, this column has been my platform to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the local business community. I’ve cited countless examples of what I considered to be really good business practices and experiences, and countless examples of what I believed were awful experiences. From time to time, I lectured a bit about civic responsibility or infrastructure challenges, or reminisced about local business leaders who’ve passed on. And the response from you readers was always gratifying.

Now, one fact of business life that readers of this magazine are well aware of is that you can’t remain stagnant. Products and services, no matter how good they might be today, rarely maintain their market position without constant, or at least periodic, tweaking.

Yes, there are exceptions to that rule: Coca-Cola tried to “improve” its product and shot itself in the foot; Trim makes a fingernail clipper that hasn’t changed in 50 years; Velvet number-2 pencils today are the same as the ones Calvin Coolidge used. But most products evolve as technology changes, as more reliable ingredients become available, as changing public taste dictates, or as competition demands conspicuous counteraction. At the very least, we change the packaging to reflect changing tastes.

Twin Cities Business has continuously changed over the past 16 years, though most longtime readers of the magazine would be hard pressed to describe exactly what those changes are. A look back at early issues shows that the changes have been numerous and substantial, even if they’ve sometimes been subtle. They’ve all been introduced to make the magazine more attractive, more useful, more informative, and more relevant to readers’ tastes and needs. With a solid product, the trick is to keep it fresh without introducing change that would alienate current customers. Not an easy assignment!