by Santa John McDaniel
The View from the Bridge is an opinion piece which explores how political, societal, and other changes will impact the future.

In this publication we’ll suggest ways these changes apply to the Graphic-Products industry and small businesses in general.

SJ’s (Santa John’s) Background

For anyone interested, the opinions expressed are a result of research, education, training, and testing which began in earnest for SJ in the summer of 1960. At that time, SJ was 17, he had just completed his Junior year in high school and was working two summer jobs. That summer SJ’s mom passed. They were extremely close.

Mom’s transition (death) set SJ on a search for GOD (Trivia: GOD spelled backwards is DOG. Meditate on that and see what comes.)

SJ started with a hopeful prayer – “GOD, if you exist and if you created me…then…you will know how to guide me to a place of understanding.” That prayer launched 60+ years of spiritual discovery, which continues to this day.

Over the years SJ has worked as a:

1. Newspaper carrier – delivering the paper in snow, rain, or shine.
2. Disk jockey for a local radio station.
3. Dark-room technician in a studio that photographed new-car advertising for the upcoming model year (talk about security).
4. Pet-store manager.
5. Photographer of babies and children. At the time we came to your house. Nowadays you take your child to shopping mall.
6. Salesperson, selling sewing machines and vacuum cleaners via home demonstrations.
7. Production manager/scheduler for an auto-reconditioning company.
8. Data-processing shift supervisor for a major bank.
9. Director of data processing for an automotive supplier.
10. Regional sales manager selling a computer-controlled speech synthesizer.

In 1973 SJ became an independent sales agent for the speech synthesizer. Since then, J&J (Santa John and JUDY, his lifetime partner) created and ran a number of small businesses:

The first is “JHM Marketing”, which exists today. It was established in 1973 for the above sales-rep business. Over the years JHM has been used anytime we wanted to test a product prior to setting up a separate business to market the product.

The next one of some interest may be “The SUDS Shoppe”. We saw the end of the sales-rep business coming and started looking for what’s next. What came next was a couple of coin-operated laundromats. (I won’t bore you with the details of how we got there.)

We had a plan to take over the coin-op world. Offer the lowest price in the area in a well-kept facility. That worked for us for about 5 years.

At that time there were lots of forces aligned against giving anyone a break. Judy grew up in the projects in Detroit. So, we could always relate to being unwealthy.

Next of interest is “The Halon Center” where we sold fire-safety equipment and systems. We primarily sold via shows and fairs all over the southwestern US.

For many years our year started in January with the San Francisco boat and marine show and ended with the California and Arizona State Fairs later in the year. All in all, that included 30 trade shows and fairs.

Then in 1989 we began the transition to the engraving industry. Once again, we won’t bore you with the details and research that led us to engraving. Suffice it to say, we found The Incredible Machine. An engraving machine that could engrave photos.

First, we took advantage of our trade show experience and created a mobile photo studio that could take your picture and engrave that photograph into acrylic. Our experience as a baby photographer, dark-room tech etc. helped.

Along the way, our son wrote a small program which allowed us to create lettering and other artwork in CorelDRAW and then engrave it using The Incredible Machine. We came to an agreement with The Incredible Machine’s creator to show and sell his machines along with our son’s software package.

Once that was accomplished, we added engraving trade shows to our list of possible venues. In the early 90s we exhibited at our first engraving industry trade show. That’s where we came in contact with Mike and Steve Neer.

From there we were invited to write for their publication and speak at future shows. At the same time, we also operated an engraving and gift shop in Oregon. We eventually turned over the operation of the gift shop to another of our sons and devoted ourselves to writing, traveling, and teaching.

In January of 2019 Judy transitioned to the other side (passed). Since then, the Universe brought Holley and SJ together. They now share a new lifetime partnership. All is well.

The Bottom Line

Over the years the Universe has given us clues as to what is coming. That, and the fact that SJ is trained as a systems analyst is how SJ gets inspiration as to what the future holds. FYI – a systems analyst is one who is trained to see patterns in human activities. Then, from those patterns, see potential outcomes.

On the Pandemic Front

Our sources indicate that there are two more variants coming. One in the spring, another this winter. After that COVID will become endemic and may require an annual shot similar to the influenza.

We The People

Being a boss in corporate America and heading several small businesses, SJ was frequently required to interview new employees. From SJ’s perspective We The People have forgotten that the president, governor, all those politicians at any level of government work for us.

In short, Mr. / Ms. Politician on your application for employment include your qualifications, previous experience, and most of all, what is your platform. In other words, what are you going to do for me and other people? Finally, are you an honest person? Can we rely on your word? Above all, don’t sow fear!

We are in charge! Act like it!

Looking Ahead

As we emerge from this pandemic, we are prompted to assess the cultural and economic changes we have all experienced and observed.

Future Trends

We listed several trends we see coming post-COVID:

1. Working from Home will increase. Fewer people will travel back and forth to an office.
2. Vaccination may become an issue in employment and travel.
3. Entrepreneurship will increase. More people will have the opportunity to become self-employed.
4. A basic minimum income for all will be enacted. Think Social Security for all.
5. Universal healthcare will come. Think Medicare for all.
6. Social Security (basic minimum income) and Medicare for all will stimulate the economy.
   Small businesses won’t have to compete with large companies who provide health insurance. And no one will need to work for starvation wages.
7. Linux and Unix operating systems (Android and Chrome) will come to dominate home computers. Windows and I/OS will become niche operating systems.
8. Having some web-presence will become a business necessity.
9. Some businesses in the Graphic Products industry will become fulfillment centers. They receive orders from the web, produce product in-house, and ship it to the customer. No contact.
10. As we have mentioned before, transportation is going electric. Tesla is introducing the Model 2 sometime next year. Its rumored price is $25k. Every major car maker is planning electric vehicles. Who needs gas, oil changes, tune-ups, etc., etc.?
11. Electric generation will become local. You’ll see it in your home, your subdivision, your city, your building, etc. Solar panels and batteries eliminate the need for high-powered transmission lines and transformers, which have contributed to fires in the West.  The landscape will be much nicer once all those ugly power lines are removed for scrap metal.

Trend we explored last time:

Having some web-presence will become a business necessity.

If you already have a business, you may already have a website. If you’re just starting out, you may be able to get started without creating a website.

You can think of a website as an advertising medium; for example, the way most restaurants advertise their wares. You can also think of a website as an on-line store where people can order products you have available.

Over the years we’ve sold products via swap meets, trade shows, state and county fairs, kiosks, brick-and-mortar stores, and via the Internet. Most of what we’ve sold started with some face-to-face contact.

The products we sold either required education (fire safety equipment) or were complex (engravings). Neither of these product lines were suitable for the web at the time.

One option you may consider is an eBay store. We used one successfully when we were liquidating store stock.

Recommendation – proceed with caution. Pricing your product with all the competition on the web can be a challenge. And how do you handle returns?

This Time:

Some businesses in the graphic products industry will become fulfillment centers.

This is already happening. The engraving business we started does almost no local retail business. Most of its business comes from the web and a couple of major customers.

One cautionary note – if you go to bed with an elephant…be careful it doesn’t roll over and crush you. There is one company we know of that was doing all the graphic-product work for a major brewery (the elephant in the room). We’ll call the brewery company A and the outside graphic and banner company, company B.

It turns out A found that they could save thousands of dollars by bringing the process inhouse. Unbeknownst to B, A brought the process inhouse and stopped ordering product from B. That put company B out of business.

Also understand that your customer will always be looking for a better deal. Our repeat customers have tried other vendors and have always come back because of our service, NOT OUR PRICE! We price our products for a fair price. We don’t “Lose a little on every deal, and make it up in volume”. Don’t buy the business via price.

Moving Forward

In the past, we at CorelDRAW Help were focused on creating scripts (step-by-step instructions) you can follow to produce products to sell, primarily using CorelDRAW.

Currently, software, equipment, and blank-product manufacturers have assumed the task of training for finished product production.

Going forward, we will focus our energies on how you can start and grow a business. We’ve had some experience starting and building small businesses as noted above. Our experience may be of some assistance in your efforts.

Creating – Your Future Life, Income Stream, and a Business

First, it’s important to understand some of the rules of Creation. We’ll cover each of these in more depth. This time – #5 – There are two major forces in the Universe, LOVE and FEAR (False Evidence appearing Real). 

1. Each of us creates our future moment by moment.
2. The past is history, the future is a dream, now is what matters.
3. Life is all about experience.
4. Life is terminal; you’ll never get out of it alive.
5. There are two major forces in the Universe, Love and Fear (False Evidence Appearing Real)
6. Karma doesn’t care. What goes around, comes around. You can count on that!
7. My right to swing my arm, ends where another’s body begins.
8. Like everything else in the Universe, Humans are drawn toward Love.
9. After 78 years on this planet, I know that all the things I’ve experienced in this lifetime have been for my good, even if I didn’t see it at the time. I know that in this Universe, all things work together for the good of ALL.

Last Time:

Life is terminal; you’ll never get out of it alive.

Question – do you know anyone alive today who is in a 500-year-old body? I know some might feel their body acts like it’s at least that old, but that doesn’t count.

I rest my case.

– This Time

There are two major forces in the Universe, Love and Fear (False Evidence Appearing Real).

A mother and her adult son were living together. She was working; he was not. She consulted her pastor with the following fear. “I am ill. But if I stop working, we’ll lose everything”. Her pastor suggested she follow her fear. In other words, what do you FEAR will happen. Worst case…you’ll die and go to be with the Lord. That resolved her fear.

Afterwards she decided to stay home and care for her health. Without any income, her son panicked, got off his lazy behind, and got a job. Mom recovered. This is an example of tough Love.

Moral – don’t allow fear to control your life.

Sow fear – harvest fear. Sow love – harvest love.

What is your interest in the Graphic-Products Industry?

In today’s world, most graphic products begin life as computer art. Some artists create and sell computer art for use on the web. Some create and sell physical products using their artwork, think t-shirts, mugs, awards, etc. Others create graphic products as a hobby or to help organizations to which they may belong.

 Answering a couple of questions might help you evaluate your interest.

1. Do I have any interest in creating digital art?
2. Does my interest in digital art include producing hard copies?
3. Is my interest in creating personalized products for Fun or for Profit?
4. What do I do, or does my business do? Are you an Artist or Commercial Artist?
5. If I’m a commercial artist, who are my competitors?

In Short

Thank you for your attention. Keep in mind that we don’t know what we don’t know. So, don’t take our word for it. Meditate and find what is right for you.

As we’ve said before, working from home may become the norm. Commuting to an office, not so much or so often. (Great for reducing air pollution, not so great for oil producers and gas stations.)   

The economic transformations COVID-19 has initiated will last long after the dis-ease is brought into balance (i.e., suppressed). These changes will favor working people and small businesses that work from home.

For 2022 and beyond we pray for peace.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we will know peace.

Thank you, see you next time.