This morning. It's a crazy place. I've been going to tradeshows of one kind or another most of my life, and it's the craziest one ever. Not just the attendees, the booth vendors as well. I actually find it hard to do business there, although I have kind of figured it out.
Nice to be in LA again for a bit. Except when I left Kansas it was 60 degrees. When I got to LA it was 60 degrees. WTF.
Oh yeah: LOL
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
New Year, new obsession
For some reason the last month or so I'm obsessing with new gear, in particular a CNC rig. I just missed one on craigslist by about 5 minutes last week, 2nd caller. A 4x4 fully operational machine for $700. About a 6k machine, barely used, sat idle for 8 yrs.
The one that really turns my crank is this one from Legacy CNC. Do I need all it does, no, is it a tad smaller than I need, yes, but it's just so effing cool! Do I have 18k to spend, that would be a hell no.
I do have some exciting news. SpeakerHardware is on Amazon. We're still working it out exactly, getting custom pics up, but the basics of hardware are there. Amazon called me out of the blue about 3 months ago asking if I was interested in listing my stuff on their site. A lot of what I sell is too complex for them, but according to what I found out they just don't call anybody on the web. So we'll give it a go. I'd much rather people go to my site to order (doh), but anything to expand market presence is important.
I just have a nagging feeling that the market is catching up with me. I can't put my finger on it. Business is growing still, but I think I need to step up my game. A CNC would be one way to do that.
The one that really turns my crank is this one from Legacy CNC. Do I need all it does, no, is it a tad smaller than I need, yes, but it's just so effing cool! Do I have 18k to spend, that would be a hell no.
I do have some exciting news. SpeakerHardware is on Amazon. We're still working it out exactly, getting custom pics up, but the basics of hardware are there. Amazon called me out of the blue about 3 months ago asking if I was interested in listing my stuff on their site. A lot of what I sell is too complex for them, but according to what I found out they just don't call anybody on the web. So we'll give it a go. I'd much rather people go to my site to order (doh), but anything to expand market presence is important.
I just have a nagging feeling that the market is catching up with me. I can't put my finger on it. Business is growing still, but I think I need to step up my game. A CNC would be one way to do that.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
SO
I didn't win the video contest. Cest la vie. The winners were all bricks and mortar stores. Worth a shot, fun to do, and it's still getting views.
My lovely wife had some truly badass speakerhardware t shirts made for me for christmas. I'll be sporting those at NAMM. If any of you are going, or are in the LA area the 17th through the 22nd, drop me a line. Plus I intend on posting updates here from NAMM. Eminence is doing big things this year. I had not planned on going until I talked to them. I want to be damn sure I'm first in line for bunch of the new stuff, especially the defend speaker system. I think it's a game changer.
My lovely wife had some truly badass speakerhardware t shirts made for me for christmas. I'll be sporting those at NAMM. If any of you are going, or are in the LA area the 17th through the 22nd, drop me a line. Plus I intend on posting updates here from NAMM. Eminence is doing big things this year. I had not planned on going until I talked to them. I want to be damn sure I'm first in line for bunch of the new stuff, especially the defend speaker system. I think it's a game changer.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
New Video
So Amex and Google have this contest for small businesses to create videos about themselves. Amex does lots of stuff for small biz like this. We created one. My daughter did virtually all of it. Shot on a Ipad. If I get selected I get the front page of youtube for day. Whoohooo! It was fun no matter what.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Refiguring, again.
Every so often I just have to kind of shut down SpeakerHardware and redo it. Thanks to you, it has grown beyond any expectations. I create new systems, new methods of taking care of orders, and in about 6 months or a year I've outgrown them. It's that time again, this time my blueprint lasted about a year.
I'm finally in a position to invest some more in the business, no longer running on a shoestring. Lots of work is going to be outsourced to Sam, who we've finally pretty much equipped with a shop to handle just about anything I can do in mine. He's also gotten better at a lot of stuff than I am. (It's that whole Tom Sawyer thing ;-) ). Drop shipping directly from him, all I do is send him the info. It should speed things up considerably, my turnaround times had become unacceptably long.
And maybe, just maybe, I will find some time to do development work some of which has been on the back burner for 3 or 4 years.
It's been a wild ride, and just keeps bucking higher. Thank you.
I'm finally in a position to invest some more in the business, no longer running on a shoestring. Lots of work is going to be outsourced to Sam, who we've finally pretty much equipped with a shop to handle just about anything I can do in mine. He's also gotten better at a lot of stuff than I am. (It's that whole Tom Sawyer thing ;-) ). Drop shipping directly from him, all I do is send him the info. It should speed things up considerably, my turnaround times had become unacceptably long.
And maybe, just maybe, I will find some time to do development work some of which has been on the back burner for 3 or 4 years.
It's been a wild ride, and just keeps bucking higher. Thank you.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Saws
Table saws. The single most dangerous tool in the shop. I got whacked a couple of yrs ago, pretty minor as table saw injuries go. No surgery, no loss of limbs, although I have an odd nail on one finger now.
About a month ago my son got it. Surgery on the finger, he'll have complete movement in a few months. Stupid lucky, just as I was.
So, I ordered a pair of Sawstop saws. Been waiting for a dealer to have an order so I could save the freight. I hesitated when they called, it's almost $4k worth of saws. But then I remembered my son running down the street (the shop is 3 blocks from the house) holding his finger.
He was doing something he shouldn't have been, as I was when I cut mine. These Grrippers should be on every table saw users must have list. They would have saved his finger, and mine too. I did not have them when I cut mine. Use them every time, every cut, without fail.
I almost bought the Sawstop saws after I cut mine. That's when I found the Grrippers. I didn't have the money then, really don't now. But we do this for a living. I need that backup it provides. Doesn't mean you get careless, just means you have an extra measure of safety. All it takes is a momentary lapse, and you can be disfigured for life. I'll just make this quick cut, and that's when it gets you.
What I spent on his finger would buy both saws.
About a month ago my son got it. Surgery on the finger, he'll have complete movement in a few months. Stupid lucky, just as I was.
So, I ordered a pair of Sawstop saws. Been waiting for a dealer to have an order so I could save the freight. I hesitated when they called, it's almost $4k worth of saws. But then I remembered my son running down the street (the shop is 3 blocks from the house) holding his finger.
He was doing something he shouldn't have been, as I was when I cut mine. These Grrippers should be on every table saw users must have list. They would have saved his finger, and mine too. I did not have them when I cut mine. Use them every time, every cut, without fail.
I almost bought the Sawstop saws after I cut mine. That's when I found the Grrippers. I didn't have the money then, really don't now. But we do this for a living. I need that backup it provides. Doesn't mean you get careless, just means you have an extra measure of safety. All it takes is a momentary lapse, and you can be disfigured for life. I'll just make this quick cut, and that's when it gets you.
What I spent on his finger would buy both saws.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Put us out of business.
I went to the Wichita Grand Opera Gala this weekend. My daughter had told us to expect amazing singing. The three featured artists are three of the top voices in the world for opera. Unfreaking believeable. And I'm not an opera fan. Although that is changing.
We'd have no business nor fun if singers were all this talented and trained. Alan Held is a Wagnerian baritone. In front of a 50 piece orchestra, a 30 voice choir, all blowing for all they were worth, he sat in the pocket on top of all of it. No reinforcement.
Sam Ramey is a legend in the opera world. Has to be near 70, been singing since the early 60's. Doesn't need subwoofers, shakes the seats without it. And Joyce DiDonato is the go-to soprano for the Met, enough said there.
It was truly amazing, the orchestra was phenomenal, just a truly enjoyable evening. If you haven't been to an unamplified symphony, concert, or performance of some kind you need to go. It's refreshing and grounds you in what we try to accomplish for mere mortal singers and performers.
We'd have no business nor fun if singers were all this talented and trained. Alan Held is a Wagnerian baritone. In front of a 50 piece orchestra, a 30 voice choir, all blowing for all they were worth, he sat in the pocket on top of all of it. No reinforcement.
Sam Ramey is a legend in the opera world. Has to be near 70, been singing since the early 60's. Doesn't need subwoofers, shakes the seats without it. And Joyce DiDonato is the go-to soprano for the Met, enough said there.
It was truly amazing, the orchestra was phenomenal, just a truly enjoyable evening. If you haven't been to an unamplified symphony, concert, or performance of some kind you need to go. It's refreshing and grounds you in what we try to accomplish for mere mortal singers and performers.
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