So the first of the new year will mark the beginning of my 11th year in this as a business. So I've been reflecting on that lately and how I wound up here.....
This has lead me to a few things I thought I would pass along to help any others on this path.
When I first started a much wiser Luthier asked me a seemingly simple question. A question that proved more difficult to answer then it appeared on the surface. In fact I am not sure I have a complete answer yet all these years later..... That question?
"Who is your customer?"
My initial response was "Anyone who plays guitar!". This was met with a sigh and a bit of very short but very useful advice. That advice was that this was absolutely not true and if I didn't figure out who my customer was I would not have enough of them to survive.....He also could not tell me who "MY" customer was because only I could answer that. I can tell you from here that he was right on all counts. To make it in the land of guitars you must specialize in some way in order to stand out. Trying to be everything to all doesn't even work that well for GC, and it won't work at a small scale. It took me 5 years to even begin to understand my customer, or who I wanted for customers from the general guitar playing rabble. That last part is key.... who you want for a customer. I actually will turn down a "customer" pretty much as a whole rather than specific jobs. Sometimes for the obvious reason that this person will be a PITA Grande Mucho but also at times because what they are into isn't really my thing or they could be better served by someone else I know. In the case of the latter they will often return when they have something more my forte' and the former will find me constantly to busy.... So first off figure out who your customer is, he's easier to find then.
Another piece advice given me by a legend in this business was " If your gonna make it in guitars you better learn how to sling it!" You have to be constantly making some noise to be heard over the din. Don't confuse this with tearing others down. I never speak a bad word about another Luthier even if it may be warranted, we all have bad days. What this means is find a way to keep your name in circulation. When you speak of what you do do it with authority. You'll never be anyone in this trade until you convince your customer (that guy again) that you already are! Basically you need to apply heaping helpings of skill, poise & confidence at all times. Remember unlike Gibby or Paul Reed you are not selling tradition or factory precision. Until you are selling a few hundred guitars a year the only product you have to sell is yourself!
This is a game of attrition. There are dues to be paid and often it comes down to just being to stubborn (or stupid
) to quit. You got to make it at least 5 years before the general population of guitardom will start to pay any real attention.In retrospect this was both the easiest and the hardest thing I have ever done. Here's to seeing whats up after my next 10 years.