Year end message

I've had a very long business relationship with a friend in California. For almost 20 years we have forged a business alliance that will probably carry on for as long as him and I are in business. I spent the better part of my California residency as a musician. I met a lot of people and made a lot of friends. But there was only one I went into business with. He started out as a guitar technician. For $20 he would show up to a show and ensure that guitars were setup, tuned and ready to go by showtime. For as long as I can recall, I made a phone call and my friend would show up with his road-ready guitar bench. He would take my guitars, set them up and tune them up. If, after a song, I was out of tune he would be at side stage ready to hand me a freshly tuned axe. For $20 a gig. He made me and a lot of other people look like pros to a usually unappreciative audience.

I remember when he told me that he was going to start a business repairing guitars. I thought he was crazy. I didn't think there was a market for it. But he had done the research and discovered that most guitars being repaired in San Diego, were being sent to 1 or 2 guys. And the work those guys were doing was shoddy at best. I know, I used to take my guitars to one of those guys. After I saw how much better my friend was at it, I took all my guitars to him. At the time, his shop was in the garage of his mother's house. But he had a plan to build a premier top of the line guitar repair facility that matched no other. It took a lot of time, money and energy but he finally did it. He built a guitar repair facility and a 20-room top of the line reheasal studio, the likes of which no one had seen before. I was there from the beginning when he asked me to come up with a logo for his enterprise.

It started with an order of business cards. That one order became the basis of the most successful business venture of the three businesses I've owned. I encouraged him from the beginning that he could be huge in the industry. He would be able to franchise his concept and pretty much dominate the U.S. with this type of business.
I wrote up his first proposal to a major guitar retailer in San Diego. With the prototype of the business locked down and (at the time) flawless, he was able to persuade these stores in San Diego and Hollywood to work with him. From those two stores he wound up being the go-to guy for most all these stores on the West Coast. From San Diego to Washington. He even picked up stores as far as Colorado. Most of it based on word of mouth. Word of mouth that grew from the quality and detail of his work.

He's customized 4 of my ten guitars and I can think of no one else that I would allow to work on my instruments. The business has grown and now he is set to debut the next chapter of his empire at The National Assocation of Music Merchandisers (NAMM) show in Anaheim.

For me, the satisfaction is knowing I had a hand in the success of his venture. My stake was set at the beginning and now I get to see, for the first time, a business that started in a garage grow into what may one day be a musical empire. My business folded in 2004 for reasons related to 9/11, fatigue, frustration and depression. But I'm still the go to guy for this company. It's success is my success. (I'll know for sure when I get my first windfall check. *ahem*).

I've worked on the latest marketing flyers for him for the NAMM show and I think they look great. His desire to have a strong presence and good showing is evident in an email he sent me. He wants people to know that his "shit" is kick ass and that if they aren't using him, they suck. And, truth be told, he's right. But we all know, you can't say that if you want to be taken serious. The following email is what I sent him this morning. I sent it because I want him to be even more successful. The problem is, there is no one there to tell him the things that need to be told. He's the CEO of his business, and the BoDs are his siblings and family members. They have their own lives to live and usually don't interfere. So, I sent this email to tell him what I think about this particular show and his particular desire to make a strong impression:

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Dude,
Here's the flyer. I made the changes as you requested.
I stand firm, however, on the fact that the back of the card cannot be altered. It won't look right. I don't have the raw materials to create a new one. I'll need photos, guitar drawings, etc in order to approximate a duplicate with new wording.

I think that you should also keep this in mind: Less is more. I know you want it to READ bad ass, but the fact is, it already LOOKS bad ass. And you have the key elements in place, ie, What you do, Where you do it, and How well you do it. You want to emphasize an attitude when you should look at the card and realize it already HAS attitude.

Less is more. You will capture people's attention without having to resort to a "macho gimmick".
Trust me on this. You will get attention at NAMM with the flyer...guaranteed. You will get people to ask questions with the back of the flyer. You will get people to ask questions with the front of the flyer.

You don't want the flyer to ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS. If you do that, no one will visit the booth. If you puff up with nonsensical "kick your ass, we da shit" promo-ing, you will turn off SERIOUS buyers.
I'm just saying this to help you see the bigger picture. Being bad ass and saying you're bad ass are two distinctly different things.

You need to realize that you ARE bad ass, and you don't even have to say it. Others already say it about you.
My two cents.

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I have yet to hear a reply.

In conclusion:
When you have no one around you to encourage your strengths, your doubts become stronger.
When you have no one around you to answer your questions, your questions become louder.
When you have someone around you to lean on, you stand tall and strong.
When you have someone around you that trusts you, your trust lasts long.
-Me

I'm trusting that 2007 will be a good year for me and mine. I hope it's a good year for you and yours.
This is my last post for 2006. I'll start posting again January 2, 2007.
Cheers!