I think that the rider-owned companies need to realize the value in diversification, get involved (low-risk preferably) with multiple aspect of the market (i.e. clothing, bags, maybe even ski pants and so on). Line was looking to do this, but took a huge gamble in their binding project, which, although seems to be a solid idea, has come back to kick them because of the amount of money and time it took, only the have major problems in year one and push back if not cancel the product for year two).
Another thing that could bring success to these companies is keeping expenses to a minimum. This means their riders may not make as much money, but if they believe in the company they are riding, it will work out for them in the long run.
Hopefully, everything will work out in the long run for these companies. Hell, when Line first came out, a lot of people in the industry thought they'd never last, and they are still here.
What I think would be really interesting would be if a couple of the rider-owned companies merged, shared technology and ideas, as well as capital, and made one big-ass rider-owned, system bucking company with a couple good lines of product.
