How did those dinosaurs die out, anyway? Was there some big, earth-wide event that killed them off? Maybe so, goes the conventional wisdom.

My kids inform me that there was a large asteroid impact about 65 million years ago – when I was growing up, according to them. What followed were big climate changes, volcanic activity, tsunamis and acid rain. This was evidently an environmental upheaval – dust and debris blocked the sun, plants died out. The plant-eating animals starved, the large carnivores lost their prey and started eating each other. Eventually, the big animals died out.

Some days I wonder if our industry is like that. Will the big-box stores eventually put us small shops out of business? Are the national manufacturers destined to outsmart the local enterprise? Will it just become too expensive to run a small shop, and be impossible to find people who want to work in them? Will we see a flood of custom cabinetry come at us from China, where everything else seems to be manufactured these days?

We'd all do well to keep our heads up and see what's going on around us.

If you're a little dinosaur, you may want to take a good look at what the big animals around you are doing. They're getting pretty nimble these days.

Most large manufacturers have become more flexible, too. National cabinet companies often offer a wide variety of styles and finishes, and you'd do well to give your customers as much or more yourself.

What was once not so common is now readily available – custom sizing. Something a small custom shop has always done is now being offered by bigger manufacturers, and often at a much lower price point.

You should also check out the speed of delivery. Things are moving faster these days, and some of the big guys are offering quick-ship programs.

Can you give your clients this, too? It's where your competition is headed. After all, we're living in a point-and-click world. The larger companies have well-developed wrapping, shipping and delivery systems – all in a successful attempt to undercut the small shops' pricing and schedules.

The big boys have really changed the way they do things. There's been a shift away from skilled labor towards automated shops and computerized machinery. Go to the machinery shows and you can see the bewildering display and variety of modern equipment. It may mean lower wages, and it usually means less people in the shops to operate things.

KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS

So, where are you in all of this? What can you do?

Well, for a start, your location is good. You're right there in the customer's town – local, or at least nearby. You can get to the jobsite fast. You can sit down in your shop with your customer and talk turkey with the smell of freshly cut wood in your office. While this is a small detail, it actually counts for a lot. Many clients, upon visiting our shop, have told us they love that woodshop smell; it may bring back childhood memories for some. At any rate, the days we're cutting walnut or cedar are good for sales!