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Good morning.
I don't know about you, but I often like the silence in my house Sunday mornings. Kids and wife are still sleeping, and a warm cup of coffee is on the brewer, and I love this moment. In our new Sunday AM series here on NEWS, I will share my thoughts about, well - mostly non-print-related stuff.

Welcome,
Morten B. Reitoft

BUSINESS

Some of you may be owners of companies in the industry, and some may be managers. I find inspiration for our business in both the printing industry and other industries and some of the leaders I follow. Most of us are interested in people like Elon Musik, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Tim Cook - but have you heard about Hubert Hansen?

Hubert Hansen was the founder of what eventually became Monster Beverage back in the 1930s. Monster Beverage is the stock that has grown the most in the past twenty years, and I found this interesting since sometimes companies that live in silence can grow without being noticed. I find this interesting since the printing industry is an industry with many entrepreneurs and innovative people.

Another business story that caught my attention was a story about the cruise industry. Most understand that the COVID-19 hard hit this industry, but I didn't think of the logistic nightmare to manage all the suddenly stranded employees. The ships were not allowed to dock, and the thousands of employees from all over the world couldn't take a plane to get home - there were no planes. In this brilliant film from Wendover Productions, you get a sense, but you also learn how creative people manage impossible situations - something we all can learn from!

TECHNOLOGY

Let's move on to technology. I am a big fan of technology, and it constantly surprises me how innovative people are. Need drives innovation, but dollars certainly also help. Greenhouse gases are global challenges where there are no quick fixes and no simple solutions. Scientists and companies work to find answers, and this week Elon Musk established a new XPRIZE for solutions removing Carbon. He has donated 100 million dollars to the project. Amazing what money can do!

MUSIC

Music is very important to me, and though being half old, I consider myself curious about all the new music out there. Technology also plays a massive role in how sound can be used in the most amazing and magical ways. This week, I have been listening to a Norwegian artist, Ary, who wrote this song and performed it together with another favorite of mine, Emilie Nicholas - Hurt You. See and hear it here.

BOOKS

Last week I also finalized reading the fantastic Ken Follet book "The Evening and the Morning." When my wife asks me about Follet's medieval books, I always say that it's Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll in ancient centuries. This book is one of the best, and even 900+ pages take time; it was worth every moment. Read it!

Politics

This week's politics. My colleague Henrik, of course, asked me what deep water I was now entering. Politics is, in some parts of the world, very sensitive. Still, if we want to preserve our democracies and democratic freedom, I believe it's important to share opinions and hopefully influence each other openly. Do I get upset when people disagree with me? Sure. Does it mean that I can't learn? Of course, I can! So with that said, let's talk. Politics serves a purpose. The purpose is to drive your community, your state, your country in a direction authorized in elections. I can't remember who said this, but democracy is not stronger than how the majority treats the minorities. This is strong, and with that said, you can be prepared for future discussions.

TRENDS

The last topic of today's Sunday AM is trends. As businesses, we are interested in understanding trends since this will guide us to make the right decisions. However, there is a huge downside to trends, and that is that if you follow a trend, you become one of many. The true disruptors are the ones that dare to take decisions that may be entirely wrong, but if right creates entirely new opportunities. Depending on how good you are at addressing change, trends can also guide you to where the next next trend is, giving you huge advantages. Digitalization is obviously a trend in the printing industry. We see suppliers investing a lot of money in digital printing technologies, software, IoT, and more - and these are quite safe bets, I would say. In a forthcoming Sunday AM, we will for sure look into trends in consumer behavior and the printing industry.

For now, I hope you enjoyed the first Sunday AM, which was fun to write.

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