The future of the little credit union

Oh no, I’m not telling you what that may be. I have no idea. The purpose of this post was to solicit input from all of you in the know!

Select an industry at random. For better or worse, we are seeing a rapid consolidation of smaller firms into super-sized conglomerates. Whether they are tech titans such as Google, Apple, and Amazon, or general producers with the household names of S.C. Johnson and General Mills, an absorption of the “little guy” is occurring on a continuing basis. With it, we are seeing a separation of pricing (large companies can scale to bring down costs in ways small firms cannot), resources (talent and patents are bought upon seeing their value and operated under the large brand umbrella), and quality (some, but not all, cut corners to reach the largest audience at the expense of enthusiasts and purists).

One of the best dinners I’ve ever made consisted of nearly 100% local and small company produced ingredients. I won’t lie; they were expensive, but in combination they produced a party of the palette. You could say they cost what real food actually costs. Could I have assembled the meal by walking through a mass-produced supermarket aisle? Sure, for a lot less, too. But the tomatoes might not have been as ripe, the bread not as flavorful and free of preservatives.

We tend to associate small with quality, consistency, and a true human element. Not often with cheaper or better equipped. Yet, you feel a connection with the product or service, and that’s why you return each weekend to the farmer’s market.

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