Not Starting a Record shop & starting a guitar shop, Internet, then the world!

[manc-mag 1]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

[Tom 13847]

Well I was going to be doing some work for Warwick and Framus. (They are sister companies)

 

It involved working in Manchester and Germany and the key aspect was selling and marketing guitars and basses.

 

However with uni commitments i couldn't do it.

 

But I do have a good knowledge of the market and basically at the moment the guitar shops are in a very powerful position. The profit margins on import guitars are huge (Gibson/Fender/Dean) and for some reason the strength of the pound has no influence on it and guitar sales are still shit hot.

 

A guitar loses value as soon as it's sold, so the private market is very weak. However if a guitar shop get a product via trade in/buy in then it can sell it for a ridiculous amount compared to the private market .

 

Take the bass im selling at the moment. In the private market i could get £200-250 and in a shop it would go for £350.

 

and regarding the custom guitars I will probably get in touch with Gigliotti (http://www.gigliottiguitars.com)

 

Must guitar shops communicate with outside custom shops and tale their cut that way.

 

Gigliotti guitars are still widely untapped and they sponsor Joe Bonamassa (as do Gibson/Budhha amps), Joe Bonamassa is a rising star so to have his signature guitar is a massive pull.

[Park Life 70]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

[manc-mag 1]

Well I was going to be doing some work for Warwick and Framus. (They are sister companies)

 

It involved working in Manchester and Germany and the key aspect was selling and marketing guitars and basses.

 

However with uni commitments i couldn't do it.

 

But I do have a good knowledge of the market and basically at the moment the guitar shops are in a very powerful position. The profit margins on import guitars are huge (Gibson/Fender/Dean) and for some reason the strength of the pound has no influence on it and guitar sales are still shit hot.

 

A guitar loses value as soon as it's sold, so the private market is very weak. However if a guitar shop get a product via trade in/buy in then it can sell it for a ridiculous amount compared to the private market .

 

Take the bass im selling at the moment. In the private market i could get £200-250 and in a shop it would go for £350.

 

and regarding the custom guitars I will probably get in touch with Gigliotti (http://www.gigliottiguitars.com)

 

Must guitar shops communicate with outside custom shops and tale their cut that way.

 

Gigliotti guitars are still widely untapped and they sponsor Joe Bonamassa (as do Gibson/Budhha amps), Joe Bonamassa is a rising star so to have his signature guitar is a massive pull.

 

You sound like you know your stuff tbh. If that's all true then it sounds like a guitar shop wins hands down over a bricks and mortar record shop. If the idea of a record shop is more about indulging a hobby then it sounds like your guitar business could pretty much subsidise a specialist record sales add-on, as part of the overall shopping experience

[manc-mag 1]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

 

What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan?

[Gemmill 34461]

Park is a silver spooner. FACT!

[Tom 13847]

Well I was going to be doing some work for Warwick and Framus. (They are sister companies)

 

It involved working in Manchester and Germany and the key aspect was selling and marketing guitars and basses.

 

However with uni commitments i couldn't do it.

 

But I do have a good knowledge of the market and basically at the moment the guitar shops are in a very powerful position. The profit margins on import guitars are huge (Gibson/Fender/Dean) and for some reason the strength of the pound has no influence on it and guitar sales are still shit hot.

 

A guitar loses value as soon as it's sold, so the private market is very weak. However if a guitar shop get a product via trade in/buy in then it can sell it for a ridiculous amount compared to the private market .

 

Take the bass im selling at the moment. In the private market i could get £200-250 and in a shop it would go for £350.

 

and regarding the custom guitars I will probably get in touch with Gigliotti (http://www.gigliottiguitars.com)

 

Must guitar shops communicate with outside custom shops and tale their cut that way.

 

Gigliotti guitars are still widely untapped and they sponsor Joe Bonamassa (as do Gibson/Budhha amps), Joe Bonamassa is a rising star so to have his signature guitar is a massive pull.

 

You sound like you know your stuff tbh. If that's all true then it sounds like a guitar shop wins hands down over a bricks and mortar record shop. If the idea of a record shop is more about indulging a hobby then it sounds like your guitar business could pretty much subsidise a specialist record sales add-on, as part of the overall shopping experience

 

Yeh. It's all true

 

Plus my mother is an accountant so I could ask her about stuff.

 

And i wouldn't into a bank without a solid plan, because unless I have one there is no point in trying anyway.

 

Im going to start off research in August i think, by buy 10-15 Squires and selling them on ebay.

 

I think there would be about £40 profit on every guitar.

[Park Life 70]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

 

What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan?

 

 

I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account.

[Gemmill 34461]

Well I was going to be doing some work for Warwick and Framus. (They are sister companies)

 

It involved working in Manchester and Germany and the key aspect was selling and marketing guitars and basses.

 

However with uni commitments i couldn't do it.

 

But I do have a good knowledge of the market and basically at the moment the guitar shops are in a very powerful position. The profit margins on import guitars are huge (Gibson/Fender/Dean) and for some reason the strength of the pound has no influence on it and guitar sales are still shit hot.

 

A guitar loses value as soon as it's sold, so the private market is very weak. However if a guitar shop get a product via trade in/buy in then it can sell it for a ridiculous amount compared to the private market .

 

Take the bass im selling at the moment. In the private market i could get £200-250 and in a shop it would go for £350.

 

and regarding the custom guitars I will probably get in touch with Gigliotti (http://www.gigliottiguitars.com)

 

Must guitar shops communicate with outside custom shops and tale their cut that way.

 

Gigliotti guitars are still widely untapped and they sponsor Joe Bonamassa (as do Gibson/Budhha amps), Joe Bonamassa is a rising star so to have his signature guitar is a massive pull.

 

You sound like you know your stuff tbh. If that's all true then it sounds like a guitar shop wins hands down over a bricks and mortar record shop. If the idea of a record shop is more about indulging a hobby then it sounds like your guitar business could pretty much subsidise a specialist record sales add-on, as part of the overall shopping experience

 

Yeh. It's all true

 

Plus my mother is an accountant so I could ask her about stuff.

 

And i wouldn't into a bank without a solid plan, because unless I have one there is no point in trying anyway.

 

Im going to start off research in August i think, by buy 10-15 Squires and selling them on ebay.

 

I think there would be about £40 profit on every guitar.

 

I would start off by buying 5 and seeing if they sell. I know a Les Paul man wouldn't want to be seen dead with a houseful of unsold Squier strats.

[Gemmill 34461]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

 

What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan?

 

 

I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account.

 

 

Yer HIRED!

[manc-mag 1]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

 

What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan?

 

 

I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account.

 

 

Don't you see that puts you in a slightly different position to Tom then?

 

Fuck me gently!

 

The guy is talking about starting off by investing in high street premises ffs.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Don't want to piss on your cornflakes Tom lad but unless you've got some serious finance behind you i would give it a miss. The rent and rates will cripple you where ever you are, and taking into consideration it will take you at least two years to establish yourself, try and make a name for yourself, you'll probably just end up lining someone else's pockets i.e the council.

 

 

Your bins will be £40 a month, doesn't sound like much but when your making very little it is. Had a picture framing business a few years back and ended up just working to pay the bills most weeks due to the rent and rates etc.

 

 

Think long and hard before you do anything.

Edited May 6, 2008 by Wacky Jnr

[manc-mag 1]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

 

What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan?

 

 

I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account.

 

 

Yer HIRED!

 

 

 

"...by the time I was 23 I had a Porsche"

[Tom 13847]

Well I was going to be doing some work for Warwick and Framus. (They are sister companies)

 

It involved working in Manchester and Germany and the key aspect was selling and marketing guitars and basses.

 

However with uni commitments i couldn't do it.

 

But I do have a good knowledge of the market and basically at the moment the guitar shops are in a very powerful position. The profit margins on import guitars are huge (Gibson/Fender/Dean) and for some reason the strength of the pound has no influence on it and guitar sales are still shit hot.

 

A guitar loses value as soon as it's sold, so the private market is very weak. However if a guitar shop get a product via trade in/buy in then it can sell it for a ridiculous amount compared to the private market .

 

Take the bass im selling at the moment. In the private market i could get £200-250 and in a shop it would go for £350.

 

and regarding the custom guitars I will probably get in touch with Gigliotti (http://www.gigliottiguitars.com)

 

Must guitar shops communicate with outside custom shops and tale their cut that way.

 

Gigliotti guitars are still widely untapped and they sponsor Joe Bonamassa (as do Gibson/Budhha amps), Joe Bonamassa is a rising star so to have his signature guitar is a massive pull.

 

You sound like you know your stuff tbh. If that's all true then it sounds like a guitar shop wins hands down over a bricks and mortar record shop. If the idea of a record shop is more about indulging a hobby then it sounds like your guitar business could pretty much subsidise a specialist record sales add-on, as part of the overall shopping experience

 

Yeh. It's all true

 

Plus my mother is an accountant so I could ask her about stuff.

 

And i wouldn't into a bank without a solid plan, because unless I have one there is no point in trying anyway.

 

Im going to start off research in August i think, by buy 10-15 Squires and selling them on ebay.

 

I think there would be about £40 profit on every guitar.

 

I would start off by buying 5 and seeing if they sell. I know a Les Paul man wouldn't want to be seen dead with a houseful of unsold Squier strats.

 

 

Good point. I might do it whilst still at Uni I don't know.

 

Well for a start me and my dad *may* be grabbing a Fender amp off ebay for a ridiculous fee, looking about £300 less than it's worth.

 

This is good business as I could probably get an extra £200 off it. We have done this before, my main amp at the moment is worth £1250 (shop price) and my Dad bought it for me at £360. (Ebay)

 

In a shop context you would have your second hand section set up with that kind if business.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

What you want is some hoisty stock

[Tom 13847]

Don't want to piss on your cornflakes Tom lad but unless you've got some serious finance behind you i would give it a miss. The rent and rates will cripple you where ever you are, and taking into consideration it will take you at least two years to establish yourself, try and make a name for yourself, you'll probably just end up lining someone else's pockets i.e the council.

 

 

Your bins will be £40 a month, doesn't sound like much but when your making very little it is. Had a picture framing business a few years back and ended up just working to pay the bills most weeks due to the rent and rates etc.

 

 

Think long and hard before you do anything.

 

Yeh, everything will be thought through.

 

For now im just trying to source some products.

 

However I am on to a 60's Fender strat and my dad will lend me the money for it.

 

Buy for £700-800, sell for £10k +.

 

The guy that owns it is old and a bit clueless as to its value, i think that kind of money would send me on my way.

[Gemmill 34461]

Hey Tom, I hope you manage to get something up and running that makes you some ££, but the best way for you to start out in something like this is gonna be what you're talking about - selling stuff online. Maybe start off with a shop on ebay and once you build a customer base or a bit of a reputation, then set up your own website.

 

If you've got your heart set on owning a bricks and mortar shop then think of that as something for the long term. In the meantime take advantage of having basically no costs other than sourcing whatever you're selling, which will allow you to undercut the bricks and mortar guys and do it all from the comfort of your own home.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Don't want to piss on your cornflakes Tom lad but unless you've got some serious finance behind you i would give it a miss. The rent and rates will cripple you where ever you are, and taking into consideration it will take you at least two years to establish yourself, try and make a name for yourself, you'll probably just end up lining someone else's pockets i.e the council.

 

 

Your bins will be £40 a month, doesn't sound like much but when your making very little it is. Had a picture framing business a few years back and ended up just working to pay the bills most weeks due to the rent and rates etc.

 

 

Think long and hard before you do anything.

 

Yeh, everything will be thought through.

 

For now im just trying to source some products.

 

However I am on to a 60's Fender strat and my dad will lend me the money for it.

 

Buy for £700-800, sell for £10k +.

 

The guy that owns it is old and a bit clueless as to its value, i think that kind of money would send me on my way.

 

 

Aye, thats the way to do it, shaft some OAP's with Alzheimer's for their pricey instruments

[Park Life 70]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

 

What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan?

 

 

I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account.

 

 

Don't you see that puts you in a slightly different position to Tom then?

 

Fuck me gently!

 

The guy is talking about starting off by investing in high street premises ffs.

 

 

That is why I'm giving him a different kind of (as you've spotted) more motivational advice. Business advise isn't worth the paper it's written on, I've never read a single book about business and never will. The main issue here is that every business is unique taking into account a multitude of factors and no one can really say at the get go whether it will work. I say again IMHO it comes down to the passion of the person and how much of themselves they want to put into it.

 

I was in Milan a couple of weeks ago and I'll be in Barcelona tomorrow, the practices and needs of these companies although both in Europe are a million miles apart...For me it always comes down to the people. What Tom wants to do will work primarily cause he identifies with it so much.

 

Most millionaires have a handful of failed businesses behind them. It's nothing to worry about, the main thing is beginning the journey.

[Gemmill 34461]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

 

What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan?

 

 

I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account.

 

 

Yer HIRED!

 

 

 

"...by the time I was 23 I had a Porsche"

 

 

He was fucking priceless, wasn't he? "Well frankly if you don't sign up to this, what it says to me is that Clinton Cards doesn't care about our planet."

[Jusoda Kid 1]

I'm sure business link are doing grants for websites.

[Tom 13847]

Don't want to piss on your cornflakes Tom lad but unless you've got some serious finance behind you i would give it a miss. The rent and rates will cripple you where ever you are, and taking into consideration it will take you at least two years to establish yourself, try and make a name for yourself, you'll probably just end up lining someone else's pockets i.e the council.

 

 

Your bins will be £40 a month, doesn't sound like much but when your making very little it is. Had a picture framing business a few years back and ended up just working to pay the bills most weeks due to the rent and rates etc.

 

 

Think long and hard before you do anything.

 

Yeh, everything will be thought through.

 

For now im just trying to source some products.

 

However I am on to a 60's Fender strat and my dad will lend me the money for it.

 

Buy for £700-800, sell for £10k +.

 

The guy that owns it is old and a bit clueless as to its value, i think that kind of money would send me on my way.

 

 

Aye, thats the way to do it, shaft some OAP's with Alzheimer's for their pricey instruments

 

It fucking is as well.

 

Shame the daft old bugger keeps forgetting he agreed to sell it.

 

He's got fucking loads of gear, i bet you could get it all for £4-5k and make a fucking killing out of it.

[Gemmill 34461]

When you get started give me a shout. I've got an Alesis Quadraverb rack effects system, a Marshall Valvestate 80W amp, and a few pedals that I could probably do with getting rid of.

 

I sounded canny cool there like. I'm fucking sure I did.

[Tom 13847]

When you get started give me a shout. I've got an Alesis Quadraverb rack effects system, a Marshall Valvestate 80W amp, and a few pedals that I could probably do with getting rid of.

 

I sounded canny cool there like. I'm fucking sure I did.

 

What would you sell the rack for?

 

Bare in mind I can get a US quadraverb for about £60.

 

and list the pedals I can always use some more.

 

Your looking at £100-150 for the Marshall.

[Park Life 70]

Parky's role as board Dungeon Master doesn't translate well into career advice.

 

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best.

 

Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that.

 

I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO.

 

I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve.

 

There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

 

What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan?

 

 

I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account.

 

 

Yer HIRED!

 

 

 

"...by the time I was 23 I had a Porsche"

 

 

He was fucking priceless, wasn't he? "Well frankly if you don't sign up to this, what it says to me is that Clinton Cards doesn't care about our planet."

 

Tbh Gemma I was so dozey I didn't even realise what I was doing was starting a business.