There is often confusion over the difference between change and transformation. They are closely related however change is typically smaller, well-defined and predictable, while transformation is something closer to reinvention. It involves greater risks, is far less predictable and results in more dramatic change. Both are critical for business success. 

This issue of Marine Fabricator discusses both smaller changes and larger transformations—and how each can benefit your business and your personal development. “Selling Your Pride and Joy” discusses the enormous step of selling a business and how shop owners can lessen the stress and achieve their desired outcomes. In “Networking Power,” Faith Roberts, MFC, IFM, Banner Canvas, discusses the change and transformation she has experienced over her almost 40 years in the marine industry. This issue includes an excerpt from the 2024 Time Standards Manual, which provides guidelines for labor estimates that can inform your shop practices and encourage changes that you can make to ensure a profitable upcoming year. (The full manual is free to MFA members and can be found at marine.textiles.org/mfa-time-standard.)

Russ Griffin, Northcoast Marine Specialties LLC, discusses how to fabric-fit perfect windshields. Faith Roberts shares technical expertise by offering advanced sewing tips, and our business column presents management advice from three former corporate employees who have each started their own marine businesses.

Whether your business can benefit from smaller changes or a larger transformation, you’ll find both at the Marine Fabricators Conference being held Jan. 25-27 in St. Pete Beach, Fla. The conference is filled with knowledgeable suppliers and skilled fabricators who can help you transform your business or make incremental but significant changes to increase your profitability and efficiency. As Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”