It is hard not to feel alone in the world when your industry is plagued with problems. Think back to items that were necessities of life at one time and now can be found only on e-bay. In Tom Franklin’s column this month, he suggests several “platinum opportunities” for shops to reach outside of the box. Over the years, whole industries that couldn’t see the handwriting on the wall are gone completely. Other industries dawdle in developing new products causing them to play catch up in the marketplace. Leading edge companies see what is coming and either develop new futuristic products or diversify their interests.

Typewriters: The IBM Selectric ruled the typewriter world for years and years. But IBM nearly lost out as they came late to the personal computer industry. Companies such as Wang, Lanier, and even Xerox revolutionized the typing “industry” with word processors that could store copy, dramatically decreasing the need for re-typing over and over again.

What about all the ancillary supplies that go along with a typewriter – ribbons, white out, font balls, and paper (already under attack as a medium by environmentalists). Do you have any carbon paper? The Smith-Corona website shows only typewriters. On the other hand, Royal sells other brands of typewriters and has embraced the lucrative office supply business as seen on its website.

My career began as a typist. While most girls longed to hear the three little words – I love you, I preferred to hear “I can’t type.” Typing was a skill that one could always fall back on.

Typing services blossomed around every campus. Nowadays, if students don’t have their own computers, they are SOL. That’s exactly what happened to typing services, even those that kept up with technology. Kids are pretty much do-it-yourself-ers these days.

Film: I was showing some pictures around the office and Jeremy commented on “how nice it is to see photos taken with film.” Even the Polaroid, so revolutionary in its time, no longer has a purpose. Even the 60-second drying time is too long in today’s society. Digital cameras have virtually taken over the marketplace. I have a digital camera so small it hangs from a keychain. Companies that manufacture film had to change direction to stay in business.

Nylon Stockings/Pantyhose: I hated being a girl. Panty hose were clearly designed by the Marquis de Sade. Before slacks and jeans became acceptable work attire for women, stockings were a mainstay of the female wardrobe – often a requirement. For a while, women even wore pantyhose under their slacks. That practice has all but disappeared. Maybe it’s because I live in California, but I haven’t seen anyone wearing stockings in a long time. The hosiery departments are shrinking.

Pressure Cooker: Here is something whose demise from popular use has brought me great relief. That thing scared the heck out of me – as that regulator rattled and the steam poured out. I was so sure the whole thing was going to explode that I hung out in a different part of the house. Microwave and convection ovens replaced these noisy pots in speed, efficiency and piece of mind.

Pagers. “Video killed the radio star,” and cell phones have blown away the pager market. Need I say more?

Cigarettes: Although they haven’t disappeared, years ago the major tobacco companies diversified into other industries to guard against the shrinking consumer base and increased oversight into the tobacco business. Philip Morris alone owns soft beverages, beer, coffee, desserts, cereals, snacks, crackers, peanuts, pet snacks – and on and on and on. This is just one of the tobacco companies that saw the future and met it head on.

VCRs: After fighting a furious battle over format – Beta versus VHS, the whole industry turned to DVDs. “When they said sit down, I stood up,” sang Bruce Springsteen. I stood up for Beta and now my expansive archive of tapes and what now is an antique BetaMax reside in the closet. All that stuff I thought was historic or irreplaceable is by and large inaccessible now. And while Sony will always be Sony, their dominance of the Beta market set them back years in terms of VHS and DVD players.

Video stores were a license to print money. Now they are all but gone. The few major chains that survived had to keep up with format changes and offer a wider variety of products such as video games.

•Department Stores. Long-time family-owned department stores have been gobbled up by corporations until there are just a few major high-end stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom left to anchor malls. All the better, since most people regularly shop at big box and discount stores anyhow.

•Gas Station Attendants. I’m not sure what triggered this memory, but I was probably pumping my own gas in the rain!

So take the challenge: Are you going to be open in five years – 10 years? Do you have the proper equipment to repair new automobiles? Do you know your numbers? Are you at the forefront of technological change? Are you keeping your customers close to you? Can you write comprehensive, accurate estimates and make sure you are paid for what you do? What kind of shop will you run in the future? Will you be the best or will you be gone? Don’t be a dinosaur – you know change is coming. Master it.