The Glorious Virtue of Being Dull
I’m talking about the invisible economy. The nuts, bolts, and wiring that hold our world together while the headline grabbers soak up the limelight. Think about a company like WESCO International. Do you know what they do? They distribute electrical components. Or Hubbell, which makes the utility infrastructure that stops our cities from plunging into darkness. It’s not exactly thrilling stuff, is it. You’re unlikely to impress anyone by bringing it up over a pint.
And that, to me, is precisely their strength. While other companies were tearing their hair out during the great supply chain fiasco a while back, these B2B specialists were, in many ways, the beneficiaries. When everyone else suddenly realised that getting a widget from A to B was quite important, these firms were the ones they called. Their invisibility is a shield, protecting them from the fickle winds of consumer taste and the drama of public opinion.