Adapting to Changing Customer Trends

I was reading Acts 19 yesterday. Some business owners and other craftsmen in Ephesus were losing business because people who used to worship Artemis were becoming Christians. They had a meeting to discuss the problem, and they came to the conclusion that they needed to protest instead of changing their business model.

I started imagining an alternative discussion.

Demetrius: "Thank you, gentlemen, for coming so quickly. In the last quarter, my sales have decreased by over 25%. After doing some research, I found out that many of my once-loyal customers are no longer worshipping our goddess, Artemis. They are now worshipping someone named Jesus, who a Jew named Paul says was resurrected from the dead.

"I think this is nonsense, but it seems to be happening across Asia. I've decided to pivot my business. Instead of relying solely on making silver shrines of Artemis, I'm going to start making jewelry for these followers of Jesus. They say this Jesus died on a cross, so I'm going to start making silver crosses."

"Also, the Romans love having silver decorations on their buildings, so I'm going to start making silver wreaths for them. I think these new products will more than make up for the revenue we've lost."

"What do you think?"

The lesson is that Demetrius identified the trend but instead of adapting to it, he tried to stop it.