Competitors Should Compete

The wet shaving marketplace has generally been a convivial place characterized by a fair amount of camaraderie and a degree of good will.  That said, however, its never been my perception that the various artisans and vendors have ever been anything other than competitors in a niche marketplace all competing for customers's limited shaving dollar.  Thats how it should be.  I'd be surprised and concerned if it were otherwise.  

Some discussion erupted on a Merchant thread about the propriety of some artisans' competitive practices and while the discussion momentarily threatened to cross the line, to the credit of those involved it remained merely a lively discussion.  Now I believe that in a free market economy competitors should compete.  Its what weeds out the weak and inferior and allows the cream to rise to the top.  I think that competitors are free to conduct themselves however they choose within the boundaries of the law which is why more and more artisans are keeping various competitive information closer to their vests.  Things like release dates, formulas, scent profiles, unit sales numbers and so forth at the end of the day are all competitive confidential information and should be treated as such.  Industrial espionage goes on routinely in other businesses as competitors try to wrongfully acquire such competitor's information.  The shaving world is no different although, it is a smaller community and the prevalence of social media allows a much closer monitoring of the players' behaviour.  If an artisan or a vendor conducts themselves aggressively and chooses, in the name of competition, to conduct themselves in a manner that the broader marketplace finds offensive, unethical or otherwise improper, well then the marketplace has a way of dealing with those they deem to be bad actors so they go down that path at their peril.  Beware the angry mob.

That said, I welcome the more sophisticated and strategic approach to business that is evolving in the wet shaving marketplace because it increases the odds that more of the artisans and vendors we've come to know and love might be around for the long haul.

Great thoughts. Thanks for the post. I agree. As long as everyone plays it straight I'm in. One can be gentlemanly and still be a fierce competitor. I think it's inevitable that some of our favorites won't make it. But it's also inevitable that Competiton breeds efficiency standards.

Interesting sentiment. Everywhere else in the universe, players in the same area of business compete. In wet shaving, some refer to competitors as colleagues. Maybe this is done out of some sense of "koombaya" - I suspect it is nothing more than an attempt to appear gentlemanly to the audience at large.

The golden days of 2014-15 are gone. Artisans will continue to drop like flies, only to be replaced by others who will fail in time. A grim outlook, but probably accurate.

Too many "me too" products. Too many imitators, and almost no innovators (and I don't call coming up with the brilliant idea of adding yogurt to a soap base, innovation). B&M pioneered the concept of the seasonal release. Tallow and Steel brought to the fore interesting scents done with only essential oils. Sebum Gold created a product category that didn't even exist with its serum range. We need more of this and less copies of Aventus and idiotic ingredients done in the name of hype.

Theres no doubt that you can be fierce competitors without hating each other and there's nothing wrong with a collegial attitude among artisans.  Back when I worked for one of the world's major energy companies, we were all schooled in how not to cross the line as far as collusion and anti-competitive conduct was concerned.  While energy companies competed fiercely there were many opportunities/situations where they cooperated such as in joint interest operations where for example, several companies jointly owned major assets for various reasons.  One of the owners would be appointed operator, usually the one with the largest working interest in the asset and there would be plenty of opportunities to meet to discuss operational issues, operator performance etc but you never discussed marketing strategy or future exploration plans or anything sensitive or confidential at all.  There were strategies for what to do if someone veered into the no go topics in a meeting - leave the meeting in a memorable fashion. Knock over a few chairs as you loudly and memorably leave the room.  The concern was both not giving your competitors any advantage and not running afoul of the harsh and punitive laws around anti-completion.  Competition is vital to the efficient operation of a free market and thus must be protected and enforced.  While the numbers may be smaller in the wet shaving market, the principles are the same.

Interesting sentiment. Everywhere else in the universe, players in the same area of business compete. In wet shaving, some refer to competitors as colleagues. Maybe this is done out of some sense of "koombaya" - I suspect it is nothing more than an attempt to appear gentlemanly to the audience at large.

The golden days of 2014-15 are gone. Artisans will continue to drop like flies, only to be replaced by others who will fail in time. A grim outlook, but probably accurate.

Too many "me too" products. Too many imitators, and almost no innovators (and I don't call coming up with the brilliant idea of adding yogurt to a soap base, innovation). B&M pioneered the concept of the seasonal release. Tallow and Steel brought to the fore interesting scents done with only essential oils. Sebum Gold created a product category that didn't even exist with its serum range. We need more of this and less copies of Aventus and idiotic ingredients done in the name of hype.

I have no problem with people doing "me too" products as you call them - the market will decide if they do them well enough or better than the competitors and will punish or reward them accordingly.  Unless an artisan comes up with a proprietary formula and then patents it, anyone else is free to copy it.  Many formulas like the Coca Cola recipe aren't patented but protected by Trade Secret law.  This means that coke has to use all reasonable means to keep the formula confidential and if its disclosed, its under a confidential license agreement.  There are plenty of colas on the market but try to do a Coca Cola knock off and see what happens.

The pressure on the innovators is that if they stop innovating they all be overtaken by the competition.  They can only rest on their laurels for so long because laurels have a very short shelf life.

Exactly.  As was remarked earlier, the "Golden Days" of five years ago are past.  The market is maturing.  In the brush making space, we're seeing improved quality across all segments (i.e. price points) of the market.  That puts pressure on all serious makers to continually "up their game."  The vintage market notwithstanding, what was good enough five years ago doesn't necessary cut it today.  The market is brutally Darwinian.  For sure, hobbyists--those who make things for the fun of it--will always be around. The names will change as some become bored and others come in.  And that's as it should be.  At the high end--what I like to think of as the "Collector space"--where we compete, things are little different.  There, innovation rarely comes in the form of dramatic change; rather, constant incremental improvement, what the Japanese call kaizen, is the name of the game.  Very simply, the maker must, first and foremost, be a "student of his own work."  He must constantly pay attention to every facet of what he does.  He must be a perfectionist always looking to improve even the most seemingly inconsequential details.  Rushing to meet preset time schedules--so common in industry--is not acceptable when one aims to produce best-in-class hand-crafted work.  It also means that raw materials must be of the highest quality possible. (Suppliers must be held accountable because silk purses do not from sows' ears come!)  Tools and, more importantly, techniques must always be under scrutiny.  Etc.  I could go on, but I think the point is made.  

On a personal note, we (Nancy and I) find this work demanding, often frustrating, yet extremely satisfying.  We've learned to appreciate and admire excellence.  We can admire competitors' work when it represents best-in-class, yet we do not seek to replicate their styles; rather we always want our work to be identifiable as ours even if the logo were not present.  We "sign" our work not to brag; but to hold ourselves accountable because once it's out there, it represents us.  And that realization, my friends, is a powerful motivator.

Thanks for your post Brad Sears. Love your work.

It's important to note that appearing to not compete can also be a competitive strategy in such a small, tight-knit community.

It's important to note that appearing to not compete can also be a competitive strategy in such a small, tight-knit community.

Interesting. It would appear that you have taken the opposite approach with your business practices, openly attacking another artisan’s pricing structure and then calling him a liar. 

Did that lead to an increase in sales for you?

Not directed at OP... what's the deal with all of this negativity on DFS over the last few days?