The biggest difference between success and failure is attitude. It's a choice of perception. Clichés exist and are used for a reason, and the "glass half-full or half-empty" adage is perfectly suitable when it comes to doing business in the ever-growing dietary supplement and natural health industry.

The industry takes hits on the chin every year, yet innovation and consumption continue to rise steadily. That is no accident.

Coming out of 2013, a good year for the Pharmachem family of companies, we had heard doom and gloom stories about what to expect for 2014. Business would be tight; the dietary supplement category would constrict. And so on. For those of us in the industry who listened to that gossip and placed faith in its eventuality, it was a worrisome way to start the year.  And although it's prudent to listen to quality sources and indicators—we plan and prep just in case –we simply do not take it as gospel.

Instead, we adopt an attitude to do whatever it takes to create a successful year despite potential obstacles. Now that we're done with our fiscal year, we can look back and say it was a great year for us. Granted, not everything was all sunshine and roses, but because of our diversified manufacturing operations, the year was quite productive.

The big feature of an optimistic, "can and will do" attitude is that it’s like a wheel. If all the spokes are not functioning exactly as they are supposed to, others will pick up the slack so the wheel still turns. We have built our infrastructure like that wheel. 

Our manufacturing operations were strong in 2014, and all of the quality emblems we've worked so hard to obtain—kosher, organic, etc. --proved invaluable from the standpoint of attracting new business as the industry strives to improve quality and transparency.  

On the ingredient side, our chia business that we worked on through our PNI group has kicked into high gear. Our Phase 2 Carb Controller was bolstered worldwide by the recently published study, which was the longest and largest to date; plus there were the new Canadian claims we obtained this year. We acquired Powder Processing in Utah this year, which adds a necessary and excellent West Coast capacity for material processing and packaging.

Why do I tell you all this? Because in a time when many company executives reflexively want to belt tighten, the attitude of forging ahead with significant capital investment to fulfill future goals helps ensure positive growth for the bottom line. That attitude also slays fear of expansion, notably beyond the U.S., as it is daunting to consider conforming to various international regulations. Twenty years ago, our global business was virtually non-existent. Not anymore.

So, we are indeed looking forward to 2015. Maintaining a positive attitude is essential regardless of occupation. When you approach your business that way, there's absolutely no room for a doom and gloom attitude to drive you off course