Are you re-engineering the wheel so it can be manufactured for a cheaper price, or are you thinking up a new scheme to destroy YOUR competitor's business? Are you helping or hindering?
The motorcycle industry is great because of the people who create and imagine new products and ways to improve, not because there is a lot of the general public's fleeting fascination with all things chopper. There are too many parasites that feed off the industry and give nothing back, sucking the blood, money, and creative spirit from hard-working shops trying to earn a decent living.
There is too much concern about turning large profits and that crushes new ideas. By selling parts (or magazines) that only appeal to the masses, new ideas are hindered because they're untested in the marketplace. The big guys have to look to the small shops for inspiration because there's too much risk involved. So the little independent guy will come up with a part that everybody wants, then the big guys steal the basic design, and with their large-scale production, they'll sell more and profit more than the guy who came up with the original idea.
Just because some of these people are on TV doesn't mean they're rich. The only people getting rich are the large-scale manufacturing companies and the parent television companies. I'm not trying to vilify the media - hell, that'd make me a hypocrite - but it's not like I'm getting rich.
People will always look for a way to capitalize off the creativity and passion of others. I can only hope that builders and innovators will be wary of slick executive suits that promise the world in exchange for your time and effort yet deliver little or nothing. I'm not saying all big companies are evil, but when something creative is reduced to all importance being centered on the bottom line, it loses its soul and destroys morale and enthusiasm.
Will my words change the actions of the parasites out there? Probably not, but if a few creative people aren't taken advantage of, then a good thing was accomplished. So how do we help ourselves? Fight for more creative control and direction, not allowing ourselves to be blinded by dollar-sign illusions and remembering that creativity, innovation, and freedom are the most important things to have.
What are you doing to help your industry?