Florian Schildein, CEO, Butter and Salt

Every year a number of us are invited at this time of reflection to share our opinions about the current state of affairs in our industry, and what it means, macro- as well as micro-economically. Apparently, our experience and purported stature lend weight to our words (fooled them).

So, with gravitas befitting four decades' experience, here is my prediction for 2022:

I don't have a clue.

I hope at a minimum that twelve months from now the sums will be positive; equal to or greater than this year; and the expense side will not exceed the revenue side, allowing us to take some income from the effort. We do enjoy, and encourage, eating. I hope there is peace on earth in more places than not, and that listening prevails over shouting in political discourse. What more could one wish for?

I'd rather talk about books. Specifically, what I've been reading. Fiction-wise I've been on a John Steinbeck kick recently: read Tortilla Flat, followed by Cannery Row, and now Of Mice and Men. In Dubious Battle will follow. All about ordinary people and their struggles to survive. Not a tech boy genius or hedge fund wunderkind among Steinbeck's protagonists. Real people instead, with real struggles, in the heart of the Great Depression and immediately thereafter. They built this country, and they don’t get enough credit for it. They deserve more. We should never forget that.

On the non-fiction side I've been reading a book called These Truths: A History of the United States. It tells me that demagoguery is nothing new to our country. We've defeated it before; we can do it again. We just need to remember what truth is, and defend it. Facts remain facts if you know enough to know them, and choose to recognize them rather than some fantasy followed for the sake of one's career. Objective truth remains just that: truth. And history does repeat itself. We should prepare, and act, accordingly.

What subversive literature have you been reading?

To all, a blessed, enlightened, and prosperous 2022.