The Complete ‘Aha Moment’ Columns of Peter Janis

After Peter Janis founded Radial Engineering in the mid-1990s, he built the company into a pro-audio powerhouse with a reputation for reliable gear that could take a hit and keep going. Along the way, Peter developed an impressive business acumen and in turn became a respected leader in the industry.

After he retired from Radial in 2018, Peter called me up one day and asked if we were looking for writers. I knew the beginning of a good sales pitch when I heard it—and he was a pro at making them—so it wasn’t long before he was sharing his business insights and hard-earned knowledge with the readers of Pro Sound News through his own monthly column, The Aha Moment.

Very quickly, The Aha Moment became one of the must-read pages in every issue, and for the next two-and-a-half years, he entertained industry readers while also revealing the methods behind his entrepreneurial magic. Illustrated not only with success stories from his Radial days but also tales of frustrating setbacks and the rare failure, the column was a hit and we were thrilled to share it.

With Peter’s recent passing, we’ve compiled all his columns below as a way of honoring the man and his considerable legacy. While they are presented in chronological order, just scroll down, find a topic that strikes your fancy and dive in; you’ll discover some real-world wisdom from a man who, even after he retired, couldn’t stop giving to the industry he loved.

—Clive Young

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The Aha Moment: Necessity Is the Mother of Invention

By Peter Janis. One of the questions most often posed to me over the years is this: How do you come up with so many product ideas?

The Aha Moment: Building Momentum for Your Brand

By Peter Janis. By convincing market leaders—in our case, audio engineers and guitar techs—that our product offered a better solution, they became advocates for our products and continued to use them when future opportunities arose.

The Aha Moment: Dealing with Adversity

A veteran of many a business skirmish, Peter Janis shares how to deal with setbacks in the pro audio industry.

The Aha Moment: Using Selection to Become a Destination

Peter Janis shares why offering a wide selection of products is key to a manufacturer’s success.

The Aha Moment: Finding Alternate Paths

Peter Janis looks at finding alternative paths for achieving pro audio business goals.

The Aha Moment: Scaling Your Business Without Sacrificing Quality

Peter Janis explores the challenge of scaling your pro audio business without sacrificing quality.

The Aha Moment: Growing Through Acquisition, Part One

Peter Janis looks at growing your pro audio business through acquisition.

The Aha Moment: Growing Through Acquisition, Part Two

Part two of Peter Janis’ look at growing your pro audio business through acquisition.

The Aha Moment: Controlling Your Own Destiny, Part One

By Peter Janis. Change is inevitable. In business, you are either growing or dying a slow death; no business simply stays the same.

The Aha Moment: Controlling Your Own Destiny, Part Two

Peter Janis delves deeper into controlling your pro audio company’s destiny.

The Aha Moment: Creating Demand

Peter Janis, former CEO of Radial Engineering, discusses ways to get creative when it comes to creating demand for your pro audio product.

The Aha Moment: You Are Either Growing or You Are Dying

Peter Janis explains why first-class manufacturing, a well-oiled administration and excellent customer service are important, but mean nothing without sales.

The Aha Moment: Good People

“Hire good people and give them the space to thrive.” It seems obvious, but if you’re the boss, it’s not that easy to do. Peter Janis explores why.

The Aha Moment: When Life Gets in the Way

By Peter Janis. Every business faces challenges, but sometimes the greatest obstacle isn’t knowledge, the marketplace or technology; it’s time.

The Aha Moment: Make It Easy!

Former CEO of Radial Engineering Peter Janis explores why companies have to make life easy for the client, even if it’s hard to do.

The Aha Moment: Creating Discipline in the New Year

Former Radial CEO Peter Janis says, make a new year’s resolution to bring discipline to your business practices.

The Aha Moment: Money Matters, Part One

Peter Janis recounts how the not-so-good old days at the start of his career taught him perseverance and that money matters.

The Aha Moment: Money Matters, Part Two

Peter Janis continues his two-part look at the bad old days of his career, and how they taught him creativity and perseverance.

The Aha Moment: Settling Supply Chain Issues

Peter Janis, former owner of Radial Engineering, shares hard-earned lessons on settling supply chain issues.

The Aha Moment: There’s More to Clusters Than Safety in Numbers

Peter Janis, former CEO of Radial Engineering, explains the concept of business clusters and how they can be used to create legions of happy customers who will return to buy more.

The Aha Moment: Return of the Jedi

Peter Janis, founder and former CEO of Radial Engineering, explains why developing your 2021 budget during a pandemic might be a great opportunity.