Hold The Torch High And Set Your Business Trajectory
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” This comment really threads the needle for thinking about how to elevate your business. As ag retailers, you always strive to do better with improved yields, tighter operations and more technology.
But the nature of the business has you directly tied to ag production—out in the field and the dirt. You typically have one shot every growing season to make a change and try something new.
You need focus to identify business goals and growth areas and then set up your path to get there. A well-planned framework can give a solid foundation to even wild swings in reality.
One retailer who knows where it wants to go and how it will get there is the 2023 Retailer of the Year, MKC. The award is presented by the Agricultural Retailers Association, sponsored by Bayer and supported by The Scoop.
The MKC team has grown its business, acquired other entities and maintained its core values to propel the organization forward. When you learn about MKC’s dedication to its strategic plan (cover story starts on page 10), it becomes clear the business has a playbook.
Another admirable aspect of MKC’s business is its commitment to recruiting and retaining talent. Yes, MKC experiences labor issues as the rest of the industry does, but when the business’ leaders talk about the MKC team, they focus on the opportunities, not the challenges. Internally, the business has its own development flywheel to set up employees for success within MKC and growth in their career paths.
MKC has also invested its resources into advocacy for the industry at the state, regional and national levels.
More than 20 MKC team members are engaged in associations. When considering the future and the freedom to operate, the cooperative has taken on the challenge to ensure a bright future for its customers, the ag industry and its business.
The Retailer of the Year stories always inspire, and the team at MKC holds up the torch high.
