Valley Aurora grew from $8 million to $116 million in a very price-competitive market in just 11 years. They even captured over 50% market share in one market segment they served.
After owning and operating a retail store his entire career, a 63-year-old named Ian, decided he wanted to get into the distribution business. He believed that retailers in his industry had a lot of unsatisfied needs. He thought that he could do it better than any of the companies who had supplied his store. And by fulfilling retailers’ unsatisfied needs, he would acquire many loyal customers.
So, he sold his store and bought a small, $8 million revenue, run-down distribution company in his major U.S. metro market. It was one of the largest markets in the country for his industry. His vision was to become a leading distributor in that the market.
What makes the success of this company even more amazing is the team that Ian built to run the company. He hired a group of energetic young people with no related industry experience and very little work experience of any kind. They became his leadership and management team.
Mike Berns, one of the Market Masters co-founders, was one of those young people. He became one of the key people who drove the growth of the company.
The Market Masters Value Creation System is based on the business philosophy, principles, and approach that Ian and his young team created. While we have added tools to the toolbox over the years, the basic system and approach is still largely intact. We have successfully used this system in a wide range of manufacturing and distribution companies over the past 40+ years.
Ian’s strategy was very simple. Continuously search for and create greater value for all stakeholders. Everything that the company did for 11 years, and all their success was driven by this single strategy.
Highly Competitive Market
Valley Aurora was in the business of distributing wine and spirits in one of the largest and most competitive markets in the U.S., Chicago. They sold a lot of the same products as their competitors. And as a distributor, they could not make any changes to the product. They had to find other ways to create value to win customers.
Valley Aurora was in the business of distributing wine and spirits in one of the largest and most competitive markets in the U.S., Chicago. They sold a lot of the same products as their competitors. And as a distributor, they could not make any changes to the product. They had to find other ways to create value to win customers.
Ian had ideas about what he thought customers would see as superior value. But they needed to confirm his assumptions and then figure out how to develop and deliver that unique value. They became masters at:
Their early successes led them to develop the discipline of drilling down into every aspect of their business and their customers’ businesses to discover new value opportunities.
They were relentless in searching for and finding more ways to create value for all stakeholders.
What was a surprise to Ian and his team was that in 11 years, no competitor ever discovered or replicated any of the unique value propositions that they delivered. This has held true in all the other companies where Market Masters has implemented the Value Creation System.
This creates a competitive advantage that eliminates the vast majority of the competition.
The Value Creation System does not require a large investment of capital, new technology, product development, AI, or any complicated business strategy. This system is based on a unique, yet common-sense, practical approach that any CEO can understand, learn, and implement.
And over the years, it has consistently delivered extraordinary success in all kinds of companies.
Watch firsthand accounts from our satisfied clients as they share their experiences and successes working with us. Gain insights into how the Value Creation System has helped executives thrive and achieve their goals.
