Checking In

[Mojo]

I haven't posted very much lately as I was busy building a new music studio at our house.

Business has been awesome and I am really enjoying this semi retirement mode I am into.
The wife, who owns the company retired this spring from teaching and took over the awning company. She was very unsure of herself going in but has knocked it out of the park. She has doubled sales in some months and out performed other months by leaps and bounds. Makes me wonder how many sales we lost under our previous manager.

We just finished the biggest January in our history so she now knows she is a natural for this business. She has been sewing on machines since she was a kid but had no business experience whatsoever. The customers love dealing with her and she is now getting a great name across the RV Industry. I am happier then a pig in mud. I am also real happy she hired an accountant who will be doing our books quarterly and also our taxes as I hated doing them myself.

As for me, the stupidest thing I have ever done was start another company. We started out manufacturing some obsolete parts which took very little of my time and then I hit on an idea for a new product. That product now is taking off. I can see some major time commitments coming in the very near future and it added two more educational seminars to my already booked out schedule. I know I should be happy but I should have left well enough alone and just eased into retirement.

Now on to more important things. The music studio was a major undertaking. I wanted to create an old 1920's/30's barn room feel. It came out very well. I have spent the week unpacking all our music gear, decorating with our antiques and getting our instruments out of all the areas in the house we had them stored.

I will post pictures on here soon. Glad to see everyone seems happy and healthy here. I hope ya'll are busier then heck.

Chris

[Mojo]

Here are the pictures as promised. You can page through them.

http://s181.photobucket.com/user/throgmartin/media/Misc/Music%20Studio/Studio%202017%20i_zpsnsy52zda.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

Chris

[sofadoc]

Glad things are going well Chris.

One of the upholsterers on our FB group has started building guitar stools.
Check them out. Now that you're rich, you can afford one (or two).

www.theguitarstool.com

[Mojo]

Those chairs are awesome. Pricey but awesome. I would have to be a furniture upholsterer to afford those. :)

Chris

[byhammerandhand]

"Virgin aluminum?"    That comes from ugly bauxite?

[gene]

I love your business model Chris: Start a business. Get wife to take over business. Go play.  ;D

I'd think one would want to make sure to pick up your guitar before sitting on that stool. That is a great idea, though.

And bauxite is not only ugly, it also stinks! Have you ever smelt aluminum? (Now that's funny!)

gene

[baileyuph]

Mojo,

Read your post about your business changes in the canvas and music startup (?).  First question is what changes are happening in the canvas business that is growing the business?  Sounds so good, be know to hear about.

Regarding the music bit, ..........there has been a lot of money in that business, right?

My business, has evolved never stays the same, no matter what it is focused on.  Look at the differences in cars over the last whatever years!  Look at the changes in furniture over a period of time.  So many changes who would have thought about it!

One thing for sure, from my perspective, changes never have or will stop but if a business (service like most of ours) doesn't change with it, it can be not so good.

Fill us in on your endeavors, like Gene said;  "heck of a business model"! 

Doyle

[Mojo]

Doyle:

The music studio we built at home is just for us, friends and family. My wife and I are both musicians and love playing. It is just a hobby. The multitude of guitars are all a collection of mine. I do not bowl, golf, drink or go out to bars so extra spending money I use to buy select guitars that are below wholesale prices. Most are a select brand, model and vintage. My wife is the expensive one as she plays sax, piano, clarinet, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, bass, etc. She is a natural & very talented musician and singer.

In regards to the awning fabric business it can all be chalked up to market penetration. Our name  has grown Nationally and with it comes a lot of business. It has taken a lot of time to cultivate strategic business relationships in the RV business. What is strange is that we get calls for help from engineering firms in speccing out jobs for everything from military to Disney. They know we have a large contingent of experts in the fabric industry at our disposal so they use us as a clearing house.

I spec the jobs for them and then turn them over to awning and tent companies who have pit operations. Some of these awnings are massive and require a pit and a fork truck to load the awning afterwards. I have no desire to get into that side of the business.

Nothing new in the awning industry. Just years of marketing has finally paid off.

Chris

[Darren Henry]

Hey Chris, it's really good to hear from you ,especially such good news. Does that much of an investment in the house mean you are spending more time back in ??? Kentucky, isn't it ?? or did you did you buy a place in Florida?

Now that you are semi retired (cough cough) you should load the bus full of guitars for a Canadian tour. Winnie and I have just established a chapter of a dance club * here in Brandon and as the president I can pull some strings and get you our January gig. You and Ingrid will love Manitoba in the winter!!!LOL.

* The Forever young club was founded in Winnipeg 20 years ago and hold month dances that play exclusively 50's 60's and 70's rock and roll.

[Mojo]

Darren:

We bought this home back in 2009. The music room is actually our former shop. We still have a home in Bristol, TN but it will be gone this year, even if I have to give it away. It is a major PITA.

I do not think we will be coming up to do any dances in Canada's winter time. It got into the 30's one night and we were freezing our bum's off.

Hope things are well up there for you.

Chris