Is Timing Everything? When to Make Your Critical Decision
We often wait for what feels like “the right time” for something. The right time to buy a home, invest in a new venture or even book a vacation flight. For start-up launches and executive decisions, timing can be critical.
In this series of posts, I’ve highlighted important questions posed by the book “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future,” by billionaire investor Peter Thiel. In the book, Thiel urges those making big leaps to consider how timing affects the success and growth of companies.
Thiel outlines the difference between a fast moving, exponentially growing industry (microprocessor technology in the 1970s) and a slow-moving sector (solar cell development from the 1950s through the early 2000s). “Entering a slow-moving market can be a good strategy, but only if you have a definite and realistic plan to take it over,” he writes.
In your position, you make judgment calls every day — most likely some of your decision-making is based on timing. If you’re considering a move to alternative fueling, the timing couldn’t be better. Here’s why:
- Recent legislation has extended tax incentives for alternative fuels, with a 50-cent per gallon excise tax credit for 2015 and a 36-cents per gallon credit for 2016. A fueling infrastructure credit for up to 30% of installation costs (not to exceed $30,000) was also extended through the end of 2016.
- Even with recent lowered prices for gasoline and diesel, propane autogas historically costs 30-40% less than gasoline and 50% less than diesel.
- Global turmoil continues, making now a good time to count on a domestically produced fuel.
Want to know if an industry is on the rise? Thiel suggests looking for engineering developments. We’ve seen them in compressed natural gas school buses and Generation 4 improvements for ROUSH CleanTech products, for example.
So here’s your fuel for thought: Is now the right time for you to make a critical decision?
