Why you did it?

[sabasgr68]

Hey guys.

It would be great - at least for me - to know how, when, why, where did you started your "own bussines" when you did (aside of the obvious reason of making some money, I guess). Tell it as short or long as you like, I don´t mind reading long stories. I think it would be great to hear about it, and actually would be more than great in these especial times we´re living, where some positive stories can spark our days.

Anyone is invited to, but first ones that came to mind are [mention]TVvoodoo[/mention] , [mention]mozz[/mention] , [mention]rrobbone[/mention] , [mention]tobijohn[/mention] , [mention]Buddha Pickups[/mention] , our boss [mention]LightWingStudios[/mention] , not sure about [mention]andrewsrea[/mention] (amplifiers?)... Again, anyone is invited!

So, what moved you back then?


BTW, hoping you´re all doing good - health, family, jobs, etc -.

[mozz]

I really don't have my "own bussines". It's just a hobby and i like making stuff. Father had a TV repair shop when i was small and i worked in a few others, appliance repair places, woodshop, and now i work for the gov. 40 hours a week. May retire in 4 years or 9, will figure that out when it gets near. Spend the first few years liquidating everything i hope.

I've yet to sell any tube amps i've built and i am probably close to 15-20 of them here. Reason i never sold a homemade tube amp is because i have never listed any for sale. But as everything, it is on my list to do. I make guitar related stuff to order for family and friends. Made 4 tube amps this summer and have 3 pine speaker and head cabinets i have to stain and finish before it gets much colder. Once the cold gets to the garage, i head back to the basement where it will be back into pedals and pickups for 6 months and occasional amp repair, mod or tweak.
I have 2 guitars to build and i think i have 99% of all the parts i need.

Been saving money from some sales/repairs/ebay and have enough pedal parts to make $20,000 in profits so that's on the list to do. Cash in that separate account is also my emergency fund which i slowly add to and have yet to tap into it for anything. Well, $1000 went to Moderna stock but that's another story.

I don't know if it's OCD or some other word, i buy stuff in bulk. I sold a loaded pickguard for a strat. I can buy 10-20 pickguards and the prices goes way down, so somewhat of a investment. Now a guy at work wants a loaded pickguard for his squier , i have 20 already, all colors, i have 50 pots, dozen Oak Grigsby switches. I have enough magnets bobbins and wire to wind 80 strat pickups or more. So now i have his item done in 2 days and give him a real good price while i am still making money. He tells his friends and also brings me a Gibson Ga-8 to repair. It snowballs but i don't let myself get overwhelmed.

Got a new fuzz customer who owns Muleskinner amps so we will see how that works out.

[LightWingStudios]

https://flvec.com/patrick-and-lyuba-pearce

[Raindog]

I was in the military for 12 years and then worked at Harley-Davidson for 16 years. When they laid me off in 2010 I decided that I wanted to set my own hours, break time etc. So I started selling on Amazon which eventually led to running my own store on BrickLink (LEGO parts.) As it turns out, working for myself, I have a terrible asshole for a boss now. My hours are terrible, I work holidays and no medical plan. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[Mossman]

My path was long and convoluted. I found myself working for a company that was circling the drain. After several weeks of coming in to work every day and standing around for 8 hours with nothing to do, it became obvious that business was not going to pick up, and standing around all day with nothing to do was making me crazy, so I went to the accountant and requested to be laid off so I could get on with my life. He agreed that there was no reason for me (or anybody, really) to stick around anymore, so he cut me loose.

I had enough savings to skate for a while without an income, and since I was laid off, I could collect unemployment. So for the first time in my life, there wasn't a lot of pressure for me to find another "job" right away, and I thought that it would be an excellent time to explore some entrepreneurial options. I had no idea what I wanted to do, I just knew I didn't want to work for somebody else anymore. I had been sober for about a year and a half at this point, and I felt like I could do anything.

First, of course, my thoughts turned to selling guitars... I had been flipping guitars on the side for a while, and didn't think it infeasible to do it on a full-time basis. I managed to develop a relationship with a guitar dealer in California (I lived in Massachusetts at the time) who was willing to sell me Rickenbackers (which were practically unobtainable then) for about 20% over cost. I thought I had it made... I envisioned throngs of frustrated Rickenbacker enthusiasts flocking to my ebay store to snatch up guitars as soon as they were posted. I also bought and sold other guitars, but I considered the Rics to be my bread and butter. Unfortunately, the recession happened, and nobody had any money for expensive guitars anymore. My inventory of Rics took months to sell instead of days or hours, and eventually the dealer I had been buying from told me he couldn't afford to keep selling me Rickenbackers at the price he had been giving me. I couldn't blame him... It costs a LOT of money to be a Rickenbacker dealer, and frankly, I was surprised that he sold to me for as long as he did. He said he'd still give me the same deal on all the other brands, but by that time I was seriously starting to hate selling guitars on ebay (that was the only game in town at that time. Reverb hadn't been invented yet). Between ebay's utter disregard for their sellers (and their own policies), and dealing with every unreasonable person on the internet, I had had enough.

While I was selling guitars, I started to get involved in internet marketing. I can't say I made a lot of money at it, and I really didn't care for it, but I learned a lot about SEO, website development, analytics, how to write sales copy, etc. It was through my adventures in IM that I met my future business partner, with whom I published my magazine and later used that as a launchpad for my radio show when I realized how much of a scumbag my business partner was.

It was a long, strange, trip over the course of 8 years with lots of drama, stress, exhaustion and insanity, to the point where returning to a regular job seemed like blessed relief!

Of course, I'm going to do it again... I can't work a slave job for the rest of my life, and there ain't no retirement at the end of that rainbow. But I learned from my experiences, and I'll do things differently the next time. For starters, I'm not going to put myself in another "sink or swim" situation, or one where I have to rely on people who don't deserve my trust.

[BatUtilityBelt]

Sure, there might be something good in hearing horror stories...

I had worked in government technology R&D for nearly 15 years, when in 1999 I decided I needed a change. My advantage was that I was well versed in cutting edge research the private sector couldn't come near matching, so that was a commodity. I spent 8 months working for a private sector contractor, then made my own contacts and made the break to start my own shop. At first, it was consulting in areas of software development that body shop contracting firms could not handle. That work came easily (because of the market at the time), and I subcontracted much of that work to friends, alternating my roles between principal and consultant to each project. It also ended up branching into electromechanical systems and patent prototyping, all fun work.

The money was great, but the handwriting was on the wall - this was going to turn into another body shop consulting firm and that's not what I wanted to run. I was very busy and not spending enough time using my R&D acumen. The money we made was limited by our body count as well. What would be better is to move to a model of developing core technologies of our own, spinning them off, and repeat... So I funded such a project, and it created some fantastic prototypes, but that's where it also went bad.

It turned out then next phase of what we had developed could only be afforded by a government or extremely large company. We went after a government contract that would span a few different agencies. Although we identified a plethora of great applications for the technology, my state's senators and congressmen were not interested in what we considered the best uses of the system - they basically wanted to weaponize it instead, so that's where it fell apart. I did not have the money to then pursue other avenues, so it closed my doors and I went back to working in the private sector in 2007.

I am now retired young, and questioning whether that status will hold. I wouldn't mind going back to work, but the work I would really enjoy would mirror that from my own shop, not working for someone else. The hours were strenuous, but the rewards were great.

[tlarson58]

Strong work, fellas.

[TVvoodoo]

For me, I've been involved in media advertising since my early twenties, radio, television, a cameraman, eventually a writer producer director, and salesperson in the goal to help many other business owners find customers. Eventually learned graphic programs and purchased my own small community newspaper, my first chance to own my own business. This forced me to become a very serious salesperson, as well as further hone my skills as a graphic designer, photographer, journalist. During this time I took on the hobby of guitar refinishing, and began to learn to sew in order to make custom straps for my custom guitars. So, the creativity, the "art" the copy-writing, the photography and extra skills learned... all have come together to help me do what I am doing now. Plus the basement renovation that was once a sizeable local newspaper office, now turned strap workshop. Cannot minimize the importance of having the low cost space available to freely do what you need to do.

For about a decade now I have made guitar straps, a lot of experimentation, designing, learning, trying new things. This while I was also working other full-time jobs. I could have had many more NGDs, but instead invested in better sewing equipment, better strap materials. Every year it seems I am turning a new corner, sometimes without even realizing it. Right now I am crafting straps perhaps half-time, some social media management, advertising consulting, creative and technical writing as well as graphic design, print brokering (posters, flyers, business cards, newspaper advertising) for other clients developed from when I had the newspaper,or worked in newspaper sales ie...don't burn any bridges, earn your clients once, with the goal to make that a long-term relationship, I have sold several straps to these advertising clients and subsequently their friends.

Right now I'm making a seriously below average wage, but happier than I've ever been fortunate to have a supportive wife with a good job while I continue to grow my thing. In reality there is far more upside potential to the advertising and social media things I do, but it's not so much my passion anymore - I want to spend my time building my own product, boosting my own business, not those of others. I'm of the age now where I have decided to focus on my passion for before it's too late and I'm unable to continue mentally or physically - I feel time is running out. I have a friend who passed away last weekend suddenly, massive heart attack, age 55. One year older than I. Sold my community newspaper to him six years ago (not an easy life), and now I attend his funeral tomorrow. Who holds a funeral on Thanksgiving Sunday? I know his wife. Complete bitch. Anyway, I expect I will never fully retire. If I can continue to make guitar straps even with decreased output, and make so many great friends who are into music and guitars, I'll be in my happy place. Maybe if I can continue to improve on what I do and build clientele for the next five to seven years, perhaps the value of my goods may increase, at least to carry on with inflation. Note to self: develop younger clients.

Scott Adams (Dilbert creator, bestselling self-help/success author) has this concept he calls "Skill Stacking." He notes its all fine and good to be adept at a job. However, a person exponentially increases chances at success by becoming adept, or even an expert at multiple tasks, while continuing to add more skills to your personal "talent stack." Even if seemingly unrelated, these skills feed off and compliment each other until a person basically becomes unstoppable. His is a simple recipe to win... "Find out what the price is for success you want, then pay it." Often, the highest cost will be in time - my experience as well. Do not watch television. I haven't really, since I left the business, and didn't even then unless I was paid to do it, while making it. Spend free time learning, trying, creating, thinking, doing, being positive. I highly recommend the Scott Adams daily podcast, it can be somewhat political, and he is rather in love with himself, but freely provides an alternate view of the world, positivity and persuasion insights I believe are useful for anyone. Persuasion, selling skills, no matter how good you are at what you do, absolutely cannot hurt a journey forward. I think the hardest sale a person can make sometimes, is being able to sell it to yourself, that you can do it.

My daughter is home from advertising school this weekend. She was moaning about the "rationalization" part of forming an advertising campaign, which admittedly can be tedious. It's where you note why and how this advertising approach will be successful to accomplish the goal for the pitch to the client. Like I told her, no matter how good your are at designing or illustrating a campaign, if you cannot first sell the idea/concept to the client, you sure won't get any chance to sell the product.

So none of this answers "Why" I did it, more where and how. I don't even think I have hardly "done it" yet. It is still fledgling, and in-progress. But for the sake of the question, here's my answer. Personally I have always been creative-driven. I recognized thirty years ago that I need to create, to self express. When I have endured periods where I cannot, my mental state suffered and depression took root. So, the shortest answer is not really for money or security, but mostly self-preservation of my sanity, which is important. Making a few dollars simply enables me to continue to create.

[sabasgr68]

I´m somewhat short of time now, but I´m thrilled that many of you have chimed in with your stories. I´ll be happy to read them all as soon as I can!

[rrobbone]

Get comfy, this is longer than my normal diatribes...

TL;DR for the chronologically challenged: Why did I do it? Sanity.

I think I unknowingly started my mess about the same time Brad started refinishing guitars. Not sure exactly when, but it was around then. At the time, I was in a relationship with a person who was rather toxic, although she hadn't really showed her true colors until after we had a kiddo. I wanted to leave, but I stayed in the relationship to be with my child (custody law in Texas isn't very favorable to the fathers involved). I needed escape - and since I couldn't find the opportunity to make music - I did something that by design (and necessity) had to be outside, away from her. I was at the point that I'd rather have been outside in the Texas heat inhaling dusty, noxious fumes than being around her, so I just started experimenting on cheap stuff. I bought junkers to fix, then destroy, then fix again - eventually learning a thing or two. Anything to get away, as long as it made dust and noise.

Then, about two years after the kiddo arrived, my father passed away after a long battle with cancer. He had a shop full of woodworking tools, and I went to my Mom's house to play in there as often as I could. When I was in the shop, I felt closer to my Dad, whom I missed terribly. Mom eventually gave me the tools, so I spent hours reading TDPRI and other sites with builders' forums and watching videos on this new thing called YouTube. I've always loved rock music and guitars, and even though I couldn't play them at the time (neither could Leo, I thought) I decided to learn how to build one. The shop had almost everything I needed. Some of Dad's tools are still used on every item I make. Silly, perhaps, but that means something to me.

Over the next few, I taught myself every skill needed to mill and cut out guitars. I did a lot of the work by hand, and slowly I put more tools in the shop. Still, I had no intention of selling a thing. I simply intended to build guitars I wanted to learn to play, and as I said... escape.

Then my ex finally went off the rails. She went from simply unpleasant to doing everything she could to make my life miserable, working diligently as if she was owed revenge somehow. Sociopaths are very good at inventing convenient reasons to ruin you, as I would later learn. I finally left her, and she predictably leveraged the kiddo against me. I hope nobody reading this ever has to experience the feeling of being forced to leave a child you love with someone you know is not well and cannot be trusted.

The fighting got dirty. She wouldn't let me see my child, she cleaned out MY bank account (still a mystery as to how) and ran up my credit cards, she intentionally destroyed my car, etc. It was all rather ugly. I was working like crazy and trying to keep up with support payments while getting back on my feet. Soon enough, I heard that she was shacking up with a guy she knew from high school, and that they held a party. They got drunk, argued, he beat her with a small stone statue (of an elephant, apparently), and she allegedly made some nasty threats herself. This was none of my business, but my kiddo was in the apartment at the time. I found out about this incident from a good friend, and obtained the police report.

After retaining an attorney, I went over to her place and paid $650 in child support - at which point I was finally "allowed" to take my daughter to the park to spend some long overdue time together. I never took her back. I had "reasonable cause to believe harm was imminent" according to the law, so it was legal. This did not stop the ex from sending all manner of law enforcement after me, which made for a fun few weekend days until the courts opened again. Once my kiddo was in my possession/protection, I took the police report of the domestic violence incident to the courthouse and sued for custody. This made the ex very upset, and she responded. She continuously made things worse for herself by trying to inflict any kind of hardship on me that she could think of (it really wasn't smart to set about intentionally pissing my lawyer off). After a long and expensive legal battle (and exceptional work from an amazing family attorney), I won full custody with no visitation privileges for her. This, in Texas, is absolutely unheard of.

Bio-Mom, a.k.a. the Host Organism, is no longer in my kid's life. She has no legal rights to her, but still owes me for overdue child support and legal fees. Of course, I see nothing from that. I actually filed for a review of child support a few years ago and the Texas OAG decided that she still was obligated to pay it. I tried to let it all go, but karma intervened.

She and I bounced around a couple times, from kiddo's maternal grandma's place to my Mom's, and I lost/sold everything I had in order to survive and pay off legal obligations. The kiddo was a trooper throughout. For stability's sake, I was able to keep her in her private school, where she was loved and well protected against any shenanegans on the ex's part (and she did try to obtain her, a move so perilously close to attempted kidnapping that my attorney discussed the viability of bringing charges with other law professionals). The ex never surrendered any of my kid's belongings back to her, so with the legal fees and the financial damage the ex caused, we truly started from square one.

All this time, I was still working in the woodshop. Distraction, sanity retention, whatever... just something, anything I could feel in fucking control of. Getting better and better at building slowly, but surely.

It all has turned out well. Kiddo now has an amazing example in my wife, who legally adopted her and loves her as if she was the one who gave her life. We are in a place where the school systems are exceptional, and she's killing it in advanced courses. She'll be more than halfway to a degree by the time she leaves HS if she keeps it up. As of now, she's very interested in graphic design and film making.

I, on the other hand, slowly went somewhat insane during that time. I developed some health issues (they're hereditary, so it was expected - but too early for my age - it's well managed now), and I'm still recovering mentally. I don't hold friendships (I don't find people I'd want to hold them with, honestly). With no exaggeration: I don't have a single friend, and it's by choice. I don't trust a single mother fucker, and I can't handle dealing with the public for any length of time. I don't want friends, particularly - unless there's a spot in a band in my future. That's the only friendship type committment I'm willing to consider anymore.

I don't hate people, exactly, but I can't stand rude and inconsiderate assholes - which seem to be the dominant version of the species these days. As you might imagine, this makes a job search rather difficult. Added to this, I'm in a rather small town - and I'm an outsider. This little place was once quiet and secluded, until the world's spotlight turned this direction during the SLC Winter Games. People (goddamn move-ins) started showing up, building everywhere, and driving the prices of everything up. The natives blame everyone else for this, not their own city authorities who are getting rich by allowing the development. They hold some serious grudges, becasue this place is a rural area rapidly turning into Park City south. The value of our home has increased more than twenty-five percent since we bought it three years ago.

All this to tell you that I'm not "from here," and I'm treated as such once it's revealed.

I worked at the state liquor store part time for six months. It was all I could stand. Park City, by and large, is a wealthy community. If you work behind a counter, you are a servant. I don't like being abused. You get the idea.

So, once I heard about Reverb, I went for it. No face-to-face dealings, no bosses, no selling, and I choose how I deal with customers as long as I'm ethical and within the rules of the website. I made some stuff and threw it up there. It sold. Not quickly, but it sold. I got good feedback. More good reviews, more sales, more stuff posted, and so on.

And now...

I work when I want. I make exactly what I want to see exist, and I'm getting increasingly more bold in doing so - more risks, visually speaking. I care not for the opinions of others - if it sells, it sells - then I know whether or not to make more. My customers are happy, and want more from me. I challenge myself when and how I like, and then back off and "swipe the low hanging fruit" when the mood strikes. I get paid what I dare to charge. I accept commissions when I feel like it, and I can be as choosy as I want to. I have a messy desk, only cleaning when I feel like it. I choose not to hear criticism, nor praise. I stop everything to push through one body I had a crazy idea for - precisely when that idea strikes. I am thorough and patient when answering endless customer questions, and I have a four-hour average shipping time once payment is verified.

I spend time with my fam, and can vacay whenever the wife can get the time. I took the whole summer off to slowly build an arcade cabinet, ferchrissakes! The inventory I had built up helped monitarily, so I could do that. I'm down to two bodies now, though - so back to the shop I go. I have a little over twenty in progress at the moment, or a little over $4500 in potential sales.

...and if I want a new fucking guitar, I go make it - however I want it.

I'm not in any danger of getting rich, or even of being paid consistently - but I'm there for my kids, big win.

I have kept this to a hobby, mostly because I just want to continue to enjoy the work. I have considered upscaling, learning how to use a CNC, etc., but I don't want to. However, there's getting to be more and more of a plan, so it's going to get to small company status.

I handmake guitar bodies for folks that want to build a bolt-on partscater. I do fabric, resin, and shitty spraypaint/relic finishes - with a lot more ideas in store. I charge a decent price, considering it's all one of a kind and handmade. Like Brad, I don't get paid much. If I want more money from it, I make more bodies. I make 'em, I list 'em, and I don't really care if they sell or not. I can think of worse situations than to be surrounded by unsold guitar parts. As long as I make more dinero than I did at the liquor store, the wife is happy. It's a job I can do until I'm immobile. I don't advertise, except to make bad jokes in Instagram posts. Low stress is an important goal for me.

I don't have other hobbies, and I don't watch much TV although I must admit a weakness for documentaries and The Blacklist. I'm either building, researching guitar building online, looking at pics of guitars for ideas, or hanging with the family. I try to be productive every waking moment - but if I'm doing anything else - it's building arcades, learning how to build more arcades, or playing video games. Creating makes me happy, and I'm just now learning how to let that be okay. I'm learning how to monetize it so I can get paid to do what I like to do. That's the "job" part: monetization. Building is still the hobby.

I'll continue to make guitars, but I want my main gig to be music. That's my goal. I'll have to learn the side business of monitization and promotion in a Covid and "music should be free" society. I don't need to be rich, I need to get paid. I know how to live on very little, and all that bullshit I typed up there before is directly responsible for it. I learned resilience, attention to detail, how to deal with setbacks, and how to conquer my own fears and doubts. I faced the Balrog and survived to tell the tale. I am Gandalf the Fucking White. No one can touch me, because I now see and believe this one very important idea:

Hardship is a superior teacher. There are none better. Look for the positive in every bad circumstance, and you will find what you need to learn. It's not supposed to be easy. Bad days are amazing opportunities, if you're paying attention. Take the hit, learn how to avoid/survive, then impose your will.

Lately, I've been listening to a podcast and other media by Gary Vaynerchuk. He's far better at business than I will ever aspire to be. He is very big on leveraging social media to promote, and has great advice on how to "create a brand." Creating your brand is vital for a business in the current marketplace, and I encourage anyone here to check him out. You will learn something useful for your side hustle. Caveat: He is rather enamored with himself, just as Brad warned you about his recommendation. What's with these gurus that they're always egomaniacs?

I tell ya, this guy has me pumped up to work at this and keep going as a means to do what I've really always wanted to do: music. There are no less than 20 guitar bodies in the shop in various stages of completion, and I'm out there daily - as if it were my job. I'm going to give the whole thing a go, social media and all, just to see if I can make it a thing for myself. "Let's see if I can create my own job" - that's my current goal.

[andrewsrea]

I would say my 'sole-proprietorship' went from non-profit, to for profit and back to non-profit. I think it officially surfaced in 1989 as Andrews Music Innovations, AMI for short. It was borne out of skills I possessed at a very young age - the ability to take things apart, find out why they work and put them back together - sometimes better.

I vividly remember it beginning on Easter Sunday 1967, when I got a good spanking for covering my new Easter suit in grease. Then my parents and grand parents decided to look for the source of the grease, they found I had found my granddad's tools in the basement along with my Uncle Ed's go-kart. In less than one hour I had dismantled most of the parts, including taking the head off the engine. My Dad took me back the next weekend and assisted me with putting it back together.

Dad was a big influence, being a Systems Engineer with an Electrical Engineering degree. Recognizing my aptitude, he would include me on electrical projects - more than holding the flashlight. He is a 'my way or the highway' guy and always takes a Systems Engineer approach to everything, including parenting - so that rubbed off. He had a robust work ethic as well, which also followed me.

I think my first job was when I started taking lessons (drums). At at age 9 I had a paper route for the life-long purpose of buying gear. Then I got into bands and learned guitar as something to do. My Dad's 5w Alamo tube am was broken and I wanted to play electric, so I learned to fix it. As the drummer in bands, my or my bandmates' gear would break and money was tight. So I learned to fix everything musical.

As time went on and much like [mention]mozz[/mention] , I found you could get cheaper parts prices by starting business accounts and becoming an authorized repair person - so I did. About the same time, I got into the aerospace business and my first job had a wonderful technical library. And the archives were filled with electrical engineering and vacuum tube books. So, I would immerse myself in these books that most people did not know existed. I learned the math, the physics and why each component does what it does. It propelled my skills.

This is the important part - what I believe was my discriminator above others with this skill. I was a musician and knew how important reliability and tone was, so nothing I touched was churned out. It all was rigorously tested for reliability and tone. A repair took the time to get it right, when others were trying to turn a profit. I still live by this.

By the early 90's I was being sought after and needed it to be worth my while and started making modest profit to supplement my day job and being a working musician. I became acquainted with some folks like Lindy Fralin (taught me pickups and I showed him how to repair his amp), Rene Martinez, Bob Burnside (uber smart on tube amps - he retired in 2000), Paul Reed Smith (I met with him in 1999, 2000 and 2006). Little by little, I was the #1 repair guy for about seven music stores. One year in the 90's I made almost as much on repairs and playing, as my day job.

I decided that I needed to get my MBA before I got too old and found new repair people for the music stores. So in 2002, I relegated myself to my job (which I was progressing fast) and studies, only taking on non-profit work for friends, or occasionally bailing out one of the music stores for a really complex repair that my successor couldn't tackle. I have not been for-profit since.

Today, I am no longer working a day job and do pickups, amps and guitars on a non-profit basis for good people I know. They have been gracious in returning the favor, which I appreciate.

Now if you are looking for my experience in business start-ups, I have a wealth of experience from my aerospace career and being on the board of directors for a couple of businesses in the Philadelphia area. But that would have to be another post!

[sabasgr68]

Could finally seat and read properly. Thanks so much for sharing.

[sabasgr68]

I really don't have my "own bussines". It's just a hobby and i like making stuff. Father had a TV repair shop when i was small and i worked in a few others, appliance repair places, woodshop, and now i work for the gov. 40 hours a week. May retire in 4 years or 9, will figure that out when it gets near. Spend the first few years liquidating everything i hope.

I've yet to sell any tube amps i've built and i am probably close to 15-20 of them here. Reason i never sold a homemade tube amp is because i have never listed any for sale. But as everything, it is on my list to do. I make guitar related stuff to order for family and friends. Made 4 tube amps this summer and have 3 pine speaker and head cabinets i have to stain and finish before it gets much colder. Once the cold gets to the garage, i head back to the basement where it will be back into pedals and pickups for 6 months and occasional amp repair, mod or tweak.
I have 2 guitars to build and i think i have 99% of all the parts i need.

Been saving money from some sales/repairs/ebay and have enough pedal parts to make $20,000 in profits so that's on the list to do. Cash in that separate account is also my emergency fund which i slowly add to and have yet to tap into it for anything. Well, $1000 went to Moderna stock but that's another story.

I don't know if it's OCD or some other word, i buy stuff in bulk. I sold a loaded pickguard for a strat. I can buy 10-20 pickguards and the prices goes way down, so somewhat of a investment. Now a guy at work wants a loaded pickguard for his squier , i have 20 already, all colors, i have 50 pots, dozen Oak Grigsby switches. I have enough magnets bobbins and wire to wind 80 strat pickups or more. So now i have his item done in 2 days and give him a real good price while i am still making money. He tells his friends and also brings me a Gibson Ga-8 to repair. It snowballs but i don't let myself get overwhelmed.

Got a new fuzz customer who owns Muleskinner amps so we will see how that works out.

It´s great your business is your hobby - so to speak - along your regular job. The important thing to consider here is that you´re doing something you like to do.

[sabasgr68]

https://flvec.com/patrick-and-lyuba-pearce

What a great story of you two! I was very pleased reading it. Great attitude and spirit.

[sabasgr68]

I was in the military for 12 years and then worked at Harley-Davidson for 16 years. When they laid me off in 2010 I decided that I wanted to set my own hours, break time etc. So I started selling on Amazon which eventually led to running my own store on BrickLink (LEGO parts.) As it turns out, working for myself, I have a terrible asshole for a boss now. My hours are terrible, I work holidays and no medical plan. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So, all in all, even though you became your own terribe assh**le boss , you are where you want to be. That´s great.

[Buddha Pickups]

Sorry I don't think my story in pickups is very long or interesting but here we go.
I got started making pickups about 7 years ago and started selling them about 6 years ago. I have been accumulating guitars for about 15 years, playing for about 20.
I started getting really into modifying the wiring to give myself more options which led to me replacing pickups. I initially started out with pickups from a few other pickup winders popular on other forums at that time. When I started to realize it was going to cost a fortune to replace the pickups in all my guitars I decided to try making my own.
I started selling here and Craigslist but have since moved to mostly reverb. I only do this as a hobby but stay plenty busy. With 3 kids and a dayjob in healthcare I don't get much time to play anymore but I just had my dream music space built in the woods behind my house and am in the process of insulting and doing electrical. Once finished, I plan to play a lot more and make pickups less. In the meantime, the extra funds has really helped but I do honestly enjoy providing a hand made service for an affordable price.

[sabasgr68]

My path was long and convoluted. I found myself working for a company that was circling the drain. After several weeks of coming in to work every day and standing around for 8 hours with nothing to do, it became obvious that business was not going to pick up, and standing around all day with nothing to do was making me crazy, so I went to the accountant and requested to be laid off so I could get on with my life. He agreed that there was no reason for me (or anybody, really) to stick around anymore, so he cut me loose.

I had enough savings to skate for a while without an income, and since I was laid off, I could collect unemployment. So for the first time in my life, there wasn't a lot of pressure for me to find another "job" right away, and I thought that it would be an excellent time to explore some entrepreneurial options. I had no idea what I wanted to do, I just knew I didn't want to work for somebody else anymore. I had been sober for about a year and a half at this point, and I felt like I could do anything.

First, of course, my thoughts turned to selling guitars... I had been flipping guitars on the side for a while, and didn't think it infeasible to do it on a full-time basis. I managed to develop a relationship with a guitar dealer in California (I lived in Massachusetts at the time) who was willing to sell me Rickenbackers (which were practically unobtainable then) for about 20% over cost. I thought I had it made... I envisioned throngs of frustrated Rickenbacker enthusiasts flocking to my ebay store to snatch up guitars as soon as they were posted. I also bought and sold other guitars, but I considered the Rics to be my bread and butter. Unfortunately, the recession happened, and nobody had any money for expensive guitars anymore. My inventory of Rics took months to sell instead of days or hours, and eventually the dealer I had been buying from told me he couldn't afford to keep selling me Rickenbackers at the price he had been giving me. I couldn't blame him... It costs a LOT of money to be a Rickenbacker dealer, and frankly, I was surprised that he sold to me for as long as he did. He said he'd still give me the same deal on all the other brands, but by that time I was seriously starting to hate selling guitars on ebay (that was the only game in town at that time. Reverb hadn't been invented yet). Between ebay's utter disregard for their sellers (and their own policies), and dealing with every unreasonable person on the internet, I had had enough.

While I was selling guitars, I started to get involved in internet marketing. I can't say I made a lot of money at it, and I really didn't care for it, but I learned a lot about SEO, website development, analytics, how to write sales copy, etc. It was through my adventures in IM that I met my future business partner, with whom I published my magazine and later used that as a launchpad for my radio show when I realized how much of a scumbag my business partner was.

It was a long, strange, trip over the course of 8 years with lots of drama, stress, exhaustion and insanity, to the point where returning to a regular job seemed like blessed relief!

Of course, I'm going to do it again... I can't work a slave job for the rest of my life, and there ain't no retirement at the end of that rainbow. But I learned from my experiences, and I'll do things differently the next time. For starters, I'm not going to put myself in another "sink or swim" situation, or one where I have to rely on people who don't deserve my trust.

You´ve told me some things about your independent years, and looks like the time is getting closer to do it all again. What will it be?...

[sabasgr68]

Sure, there might be something good in hearing horror stories...

I had worked in government technology R&D for nearly 15 years, when in 1999 I decided I needed a change. My advantage was that I was well versed in cutting edge research the private sector couldn't come near matching, so that was a commodity. I spent 8 months working for a private sector contractor, then made my own contacts and made the break to start my own shop. At first, it was consulting in areas of software development that body shop contracting firms could not handle. That work came easily (because of the market at the time), and I subcontracted much of that work to friends, alternating my roles between principal and consultant to each project. It also ended up branching into electromechanical systems and patent prototyping, all fun work.

The money was great, but the handwriting was on the wall - this was going to turn into another body shop consulting firm and that's not what I wanted to run. I was very busy and not spending enough time using my R&D acumen. The money we made was limited by our body count as well. What would be better is to move to a model of developing core technologies of our own, spinning them off, and repeat... So I funded such a project, and it created some fantastic prototypes, but that's where it also went bad.

It turned out then next phase of what we had developed could only be afforded by a government or extremely large company. We went after a government contract that would span a few different agencies. Although we identified a plethora of great applications for the technology, my state's senators and congressmen were not interested in what we considered the best uses of the system - they basically wanted to weaponize it instead, so that's where it fell apart. I did not have the money to then pursue other avenues, so it closed my doors and I went back to working in the private sector in 2007.

I am now retired young, and questioning whether that status will hold. I wouldn't mind going back to work, but the work I would really enjoy would mirror that from my own shop, not working for someone else. The hours were strenuous, but the rewards were great.

That work you did looks interesting.

If you retired young it means it went well enough for you to be able to do it; but again, looks like the I am my own boss bug is itching again?

[sabasgr68]

For me, I've been involved in media advertising since my early twenties, radio, television, a cameraman, eventually a writer producer director, and salesperson in the goal to help many other business owners find customers. Eventually learned graphic programs and purchased my own small community newspaper, my first chance to own my own business. This forced me to become a very serious salesperson, as well as further hone my skills as a graphic designer, photographer, journalist. During this time I took on the hobby of guitar refinishing, and began to learn to sew in order to make custom straps for my custom guitars. So, the creativity, the "art" the copy-writing, the photography and extra skills learned... all have come together to help me do what I am doing now. Plus the basement renovation that was once a sizeable local newspaper office, now turned strap workshop. Cannot minimize the importance of having the low cost space available to freely do what you need to do.

For about a decade now I have made guitar straps, a lot of experimentation, designing, learning, trying new things. This while I was also working other full-time jobs. I could have had many more NGDs, but instead invested in better sewing equipment, better strap materials. Every year it seems I am turning a new corner, sometimes without even realizing it. Right now I am crafting straps perhaps half-time, some social media management, advertising consulting, creative and technical writing as well as graphic design, print brokering (posters, flyers, business cards, newspaper advertising) for other clients developed from when I had the newspaper,or worked in newspaper sales ie...don't burn any bridges, earn your clients once, with the goal to make that a long-term relationship, I have sold several straps to these advertising clients and subsequently their friends.

Right now I'm making a seriously below average wage, but happier than I've ever been fortunate to have a supportive wife with a good job while I continue to grow my thing. In reality there is far more upside potential to the advertising and social media things I do, but it's not so much my passion anymore - I want to spend my time building my own product, boosting my own business, not those of others. I'm of the age now where I have decided to focus on my passion for before it's too late and I'm unable to continue mentally or physically - I feel time is running out. I have a friend who passed away last weekend suddenly, massive heart attack, age 55. One year older than I. Sold my community newspaper to him six years ago (not an easy life), and now I attend his funeral tomorrow. Who holds a funeral on Thanksgiving Sunday? I know his wife. Complete bitch. Anyway, I expect I will never fully retire. If I can continue to make guitar straps even with decreased output, and make so many great friends who are into music and guitars, I'll be in my happy place. Maybe if I can continue to improve on what I do and build clientele for the next five to seven years, perhaps the value of my goods may increase, at least to carry on with inflation. Note to self: develop younger clients.

Scott Adams (Dilbert creator, bestselling self-help/success author) has this concept he calls "Skill Stacking." He notes its all fine and good to be adept at a job. However, a person exponentially increases chances at success by becoming adept, or even an expert at multiple tasks, while continuing to add more skills to your personal "talent stack." Even if seemingly unrelated, these skills feed off and compliment each other until a person basically becomes unstoppable. His is a simple recipe to win... "Find out what the price is for success you want, then pay it." Often, the highest cost will be in time - my experience as well. Do not watch television. I haven't really, since I left the business, and didn't even then unless I was paid to do it, while making it. Spend free time learning, trying, creating, thinking, doing, being positive. I highly recommend the Scott Adams daily podcast, it can be somewhat political, and he is rather in love with himself, but freely provides an alternate view of the world, positivity and persuasion insights I believe are useful for anyone. Persuasion, selling skills, no matter how good you are at what you do, absolutely cannot hurt a journey forward. I think the hardest sale a person can make sometimes, is being able to sell it to yourself, that you can do it.

My daughter is home from advertising school this weekend. She was moaning about the "rationalization" part of forming an advertising campaign, which admittedly can be tedious. It's where you note why and how this advertising approach will be successful to accomplish the goal for the pitch to the client. Like I told her, no matter how good your are at designing or illustrating a campaign, if you cannot first sell the idea/concept to the client, you sure won't get any chance to sell the product.

So none of this answers "Why" I did it, more where and how. I don't even think I have hardly "done it" yet. It is still fledgling, and in-progress. But for the sake of the question, here's my answer. Personally I have always been creative-driven. I recognized thirty years ago that I need to create, to self express. When I have endured periods where I cannot, my mental state suffered and depression took root. So, the shortest answer is not really for money or security, but mostly self-preservation of my sanity, which is important. Making a few dollars simply enables me to continue to create.

I think your story could lead to one of those based on a true story films...

BTW, sorry about your friend. May he RIP.

I´ve always admired and respect the attention you put into detail in all your works.

[sabasgr68]

Get comfy, this is longer than my normal diatribes...

TL;DR for the chronologically challenged: Why did I do it? Sanity.

I think I unknowingly started my mess about the same time Brad started refinishing guitars. Not sure exactly when, but it was around then. At the time, I was in a relationship with a person who was rather toxic, although she hadn't really showed her true colors until after we had a kiddo. I wanted to leave, but I stayed in the relationship to be with my child (custody law in Texas isn't very favorable to the fathers involved). I needed escape - and since I couldn't find the opportunity to make music - I did something that by design (and necessity) had to be outside, away from her. I was at the point that I'd rather have been outside in the Texas heat inhaling dusty, noxious fumes than being around her, so I just started experimenting on cheap stuff. I bought junkers to fix, then destroy, then fix again - eventually learning a thing or two. Anything to get away, as long as it made dust and noise.

Then, about two years after the kiddo arrived, my father passed away after a long battle with cancer. He had a shop full of woodworking tools, and I went to my Mom's house to play in there as often as I could. When I was in the shop, I felt closer to my Dad, whom I missed terribly. Mom eventually gave me the tools, so I spent hours reading TDPRI and other sites with builders' forums and watching videos on this new thing called YouTube. I've always loved rock music and guitars, and even though I couldn't play them at the time (neither could Leo, I thought) I decided to learn how to build one. The shop had almost everything I needed. Some of Dad's tools are still used on every item I make. Silly, perhaps, but that means something to me.

Over the next few, I taught myself every skill needed to mill and cut out guitars. I did a lot of the work by hand, and slowly I put more tools in the shop. Still, I had no intention of selling a thing. I simply intended to build guitars I wanted to learn to play, and as I said... escape.

Then my ex finally went off the rails. She went from simply unpleasant to doing everything she could to make my life miserable, working diligently as if she was owed revenge somehow. Sociopaths are very good at inventing convenient reasons to ruin you, as I would later learn. I finally left her, and she predictably leveraged the kiddo against me. I hope nobody reading this ever has to experience the feeling of being forced to leave a child you love with someone you know is not well and cannot be trusted.

The fighting got dirty. She wouldn't let me see my child, she cleaned out MY bank account (still a mystery as to how) and ran up my credit cards, she intentionally destroyed my car, etc. It was all rather ugly. I was working like crazy and trying to keep up with support payments while getting back on my feet. Soon enough, I heard that she was shacking up with a guy she knew from high school, and that they held a party. They got drunk, argued, he beat her with a small stone statue (of an elephant, apparently), and she allegedly made some nasty threats herself. This was none of my business, but my kiddo was in the apartment at the time. I found out about this incident from a good friend, and obtained the police report.

After retaining an attorney, I went over to her place and paid $650 in child support - at which point I was finally "allowed" to take my daughter to the park to spend some long overdue time together. I never took her back. I had "reasonable cause to believe harm was imminent" according to the law, so it was legal. This did not stop the ex from sending all manner of law enforcement after me, which made for a fun few weekend days until the courts opened again. Once my kiddo was in my possession/protection, I took the police report of the domestic violence incident to the courthouse and sued for custody. This made the ex very upset, and she responded. She continuously made things worse for herself by trying to inflict any kind of hardship on me that she could think of (it really wasn't smart to set about intentionally pissing my lawyer off). After a long and expensive legal battle (and exceptional work from an amazing family attorney), I won full custody with no visitation privileges for her. This, in Texas, is absolutely unheard of.

Bio-Mom, a.k.a. the Host Organism, is no longer in my kid's life. She has no legal rights to her, but still owes me for overdue child support and legal fees. Of course, I see nothing from that. I actually filed for a review of child support a few years ago and the Texas OAG decided that she still was obligated to pay it. I tried to let it all go, but karma intervened.

She and I bounced around a couple times, from kiddo's maternal grandma's place to my Mom's, and I lost/sold everything I had in order to survive and pay off legal obligations. The kiddo was a trooper throughout. For stability's sake, I was able to keep her in her private school, where she was loved and well protected against any shenanegans on the ex's part (and she did try to obtain her, a move so perilously close to attempted kidnapping that my attorney discussed the viability of bringing charges with other law professionals). The ex never surrendered any of my kid's belongings back to her, so with the legal fees and the financial damage the ex caused, we truly started from square one.

All this time, I was still working in the woodshop. Distraction, sanity retention, whatever... just something, anything I could feel in fucking control of. Getting better and better at building slowly, but surely.

It all has turned out well. Kiddo now has an amazing example in my wife, who legally adopted her and loves her as if she was the one who gave her life. We are in a place where the school systems are exceptional, and she's killing it in advanced courses. She'll be more than halfway to a degree by the time she leaves HS if she keeps it up. As of now, she's very interested in graphic design and film making.

I, on the other hand, slowly went somewhat insane during that time. I developed some health issues (they're hereditary, so it was expected - but too early for my age - it's well managed now), and I'm still recovering mentally. I don't hold friendships (I don't find people I'd want to hold them with, honestly). With no exaggeration: I don't have a single friend, and it's by choice. I don't trust a single mother fucker, and I can't handle dealing with the public for any length of time. I don't want friends, particularly - unless there's a spot in a band in my future. That's the only friendship type committment I'm willing to consider anymore.

I don't hate people, exactly, but I can't stand rude and inconsiderate assholes - which seem to be the dominant version of the species these days. As you might imagine, this makes a job search rather difficult. Added to this, I'm in a rather small town - and I'm an outsider. This little place was once quiet and secluded, until the world's spotlight turned this direction during the SLC Winter Games. People (goddamn move-ins) started showing up, building everywhere, and driving the prices of everything up. The natives blame everyone else for this, not their own city authorities who are getting rich by allowing the development. They hold some serious grudges, becasue this place is a rural area rapidly turning into Park City south. The value of our home has increased more than twenty-five percent since we bought it three years ago.

All this to tell you that I'm not "from here," and I'm treated as such once it's revealed.

I worked at the state liquor store part time for six months. It was all I could stand. Park City, by and large, is a wealthy community. If you work behind a counter, you are a servant. I don't like being abused. You get the idea.

So, once I heard about Reverb, I went for it. No face-to-face dealings, no bosses, no selling, and I choose how I deal with customers as long as I'm ethical and within the rules of the website. I made some stuff and threw it up there. It sold. Not quickly, but it sold. I got good feedback. More good reviews, more sales, more stuff posted, and so on.

And now...

I work when I want. I make exactly what I want to see exist, and I'm getting increasingly more bold in doing so - more risks, visually speaking. I care not for the opinions of others - if it sells, it sells - then I know whether or not to make more. My customers are happy, and want more from me. I challenge myself when and how I like, and then back off and "swipe the low hanging fruit" when the mood strikes. I get paid what I dare to charge. I accept commissions when I feel like it, and I can be as choosy as I want to. I have a messy desk, only cleaning when I feel like it. I choose not to hear criticism, nor praise. I stop everything to push through one body I had a crazy idea for - precisely when that idea strikes. I am thorough and patient when answering endless customer questions, and I have a four-hour average shipping time once payment is verified.

I spend time with my fam, and can vacay whenever the wife can get the time. I took the whole summer off to slowly build an arcade cabinet, ferchrissakes! The inventory I had built up helped monitarily, so I could do that. I'm down to two bodies now, though - so back to the shop I go. I have a little over twenty in progress at the moment, or a little over $4500 in potential sales.

...and if I want a new fucking guitar, I go make it - however I want it.

I'm not in any danger of getting rich, or even of being paid consistently - but I'm there for my kids, big win.

I have kept this to a hobby, mostly because I just want to continue to enjoy the work. I have considered upscaling, learning how to use a CNC, etc., but I don't want to. However, there's getting to be more and more of a plan, so it's going to get to small company status.

I handmake guitar bodies for folks that want to build a bolt-on partscater. I do fabric, resin, and shitty spraypaint/relic finishes - with a lot more ideas in store. I charge a decent price, considering it's all one of a kind and handmade. Like Brad, I don't get paid much. If I want more money from it, I make more bodies. I make 'em, I list 'em, and I don't really care if they sell or not. I can think of worse situations than to be surrounded by unsold guitar parts. As long as I make more dinero than I did at the liquor store, the wife is happy. It's a job I can do until I'm immobile. I don't advertise, except to make bad jokes in Instagram posts. Low stress is an important goal for me.

I don't have other hobbies, and I don't watch much TV although I must admit a weakness for documentaries and The Blacklist. I'm either building, researching guitar building online, looking at pics of guitars for ideas, or hanging with the family. I try to be productive every waking moment - but if I'm doing anything else - it's building arcades, learning how to build more arcades, or playing video games. Creating makes me happy, and I'm just now learning how to let that be okay. I'm learning how to monetize it so I can get paid to do what I like to do. That's the "job" part: monetization. Building is still the hobby.

I'll continue to make guitars, but I want my main gig to be music. That's my goal. I'll have to learn the side business of monitization and promotion in a Covid and "music should be free" society. I don't need to be rich, I need to get paid. I know how to live on very little, and all that bullshit I typed up there before is directly responsible for it. I learned resilience, attention to detail, how to deal with setbacks, and how to conquer my own fears and doubts. I faced the Balrog and survived to tell the tale. I am Gandalf the Fucking White. No one can touch me, because I now see and believe this one very important idea:

Hardship is a superior teacher. There are none better. Look for the positive in every bad circumstance, and you will find what you need to learn. It's not supposed to be easy. Bad days are amazing opportunities, if you're paying attention. Take the hit, learn how to avoid/survive, then impose your will.

Lately, I've been listening to a podcast and other media by Gary Vaynerchuk. He's far better at business than I will ever aspire to be. He is very big on leveraging social media to promote, and has great advice on how to "create a brand." Creating your brand is vital for a business in the current marketplace, and I encourage anyone here to check him out. You will learn something useful for your side hustle. Caveat: He is rather enamored with himself, just as Brad warned you about his recommendation. What's with these gurus that they're always egomaniacs?

I tell ya, this guy has me pumped up to work at this and keep going as a means to do what I've really always wanted to do: music. There are no less than 20 guitar bodies in the shop in various stages of completion, and I'm out there daily - as if it were my job. I'm going to give the whole thing a go, social media and all, just to see if I can make it a thing for myself. "Let's see if I can create my own job" - that's my current goal.

Didn´t expect a brief story from you, so I´m actually not dissapointed!

You can also write a book about your life. I´m sure we´ll see your music project coming to life.

[sabasgr68]

I would say my 'sole-proprietorship' went from non-profit, to for profit and back to non-profit. I think it officially surfaced in 1989 as Andrews Music Innovations, AMI for short. It was borne out of skills I possessed at a very young age - the ability to take things apart, find out why they work and put them back together - sometimes better.

I vividly remember it beginning on Easter Sunday 1967, when I got a good spanking for covering my new Easter suit in grease. Then my parents and grand parents decided to look for the source of the grease, they found I had found my granddad's tools in the basement along with my Uncle Ed's go-kart. In less than one hour I had dismantled most of the parts, including taking the head off the engine. My Dad took me back the next weekend and assisted me with putting it back together.

Dad was a big influence, being a Systems Engineer with an Electrical Engineering degree. Recognizing my aptitude, he would include me on electrical projects - more than holding the flashlight. He is a 'my way or the highway' guy and always takes a Systems Engineer approach to everything, including parenting - so that rubbed off. He had a robust work ethic as well, which also followed me.

I think my first job was when I started taking lessons (drums). At at age 9 I had a paper route for the life-long purpose of buying gear. Then I got into bands and learned guitar as something to do. My Dad's 5w Alamo tube am was broken and I wanted to play electric, so I learned to fix it. As the drummer in bands, my or my bandmates' gear would break and money was tight. So I learned to fix everything musical.

As time went on and much like @mozz , I found you could get cheaper parts prices by starting business accounts and becoming an authorized repair person - so I did. About the same time, I got into the aerospace business and my first job had a wonderful technical library. And the archives were filled with electrical engineering and vacuum tube books. So, I would immerse myself in these books that most people did not know existed. I learned the math, the physics and why each component does what it does. It propelled my skills.

This is the important part - what I believe was my discriminator above others with this skill. I was a musician and knew how important reliability and tone was, so nothing I touched was churned out. It all was rigorously tested for reliability and tone. A repair took the time to get it right, when others were trying to turn a profit. I still live by this.

By the early 90's I was being sought after and needed it to be worth my while and started making modest profit to supplement my day job and being a working musician. I became acquainted with some folks like Lindy Fralin (taught me pickups and I showed him how to repair his amp), Rene Martinez, Bob Burnside (uber smart on tube amps - he retired in 2000), Paul Reed Smith (I met with him in 1999, 2000 and 2006). Little by little, I was the #1 repair guy for about seven music stores. One year in the 90's I made almost as much on repairs and playing, as my day job.

I decided that I needed to get my MBA before I got too old and found new repair people for the music stores. So in 2002, I relegated myself to my job (which I was progressing fast) and studies, only taking on non-profit work for friends, or occasionally bailing out one of the music stores for a really complex repair that my successor couldn't tackle. I have not been for-profit since.

Today, I am no longer working a day job and do pickups, amps and guitars on a non-profit basis for good people I know. They have been gracious in returning the favor, which I appreciate.

Now if you are looking for my experience in business start-ups, I have a wealth of experience from my aerospace career and being on the board of directors for a couple of businesses in the Philadelphia area. But that would have to be another post!

Interesting story, as inspiring as all the others, and I´m finding a common aspect in all.

[sabasgr68]

Sorry I don't think my story in pickups is very long or interesting but here we go.
I got started making pickups about 7 years ago and started selling them about 6 years ago. I have been accumulating guitars for about 15 years, playing for about 20.
I started getting really into modifying the wiring to give myself more options which led to me replacing pickups. I initially started out with pickups from a few other pickup winders popular on other forums at that time. When I started to realize it was going to cost a fortune to replace the pickups in all my guitars I decided to try making my own.
I started selling here and Craigslist but have since moved to mostly reverb. I only do this as a hobby but stay plenty busy. With 3 kids and a dayjob in healthcare I don't get much time to play anymore but I just had my dream music space built in the woods behind my house and am in the process of insulting and doing electrical. Once finished, I plan to play a lot more and make pickups less. In the meantime, the extra funds has really helped but I do honestly enjoy providing a hand made service for an affordable price.

It is interesting indeed, and adds to the whole of the previous stories.

[sabasgr68]

Thanks so much for sharing your stories, guys.

I wasn´t wrong regarding the positive impact on knowing about them.

Despite the different contexts and personal experiences on each one, I´ve found a rather common factor, or aspect, or whatever you want to call it, present in all of them, and it is confidence and bravery in tackling the unknown path. You believe it, and went for it. You are doing what you like, what inspires you.

Sure, ups and downs happened, but it is true: you learn more when you fail, or when conditions are hard, than when it is all rolling on wheels and you´re going from one victory to another (having to deal with the situation with your ex and your kid has had to be a big discouraging factor alone [mention]rrobbone[/mention] ). Many of you sure faced the death of dear ones, health/recoverying issues, etc. So, bravery is a common factor indeed, the way i see it.

Putting those stories in context here, in the country Venezuela has become, I see that although circumstances might not be totally comparable to any of yours in your stories, a true fact is that neither of you were presented a path of roses.

Here, in some aspects, is like we are experiencing the outcome of a war - all destroyed -, but people has to find a way to get through. That´s the situation I am at, but i recognize that although I try to stay positive, I don´t have that confidence and bravery I see in you - in your stories -. I´m generating some income, and you have helped me big too. I´m starting to see things a little different from a while. There´s no certainty that there will be any change here, or, if it happens, that it will be the kind of change needed to raise this country and make it better than it was. The thing that remains is that people must make the circumstances their new environment, and determine what has to be done in order to survive. Because somehow, some people have done it, and are living their lives - not many, but more than a few -. It doesn´t matter if I find it morally questionable how they are doing it, or if indeed it is, the fact is that it is happening; I can always have the choice to do what´s right , and that´s totally up to me, even if it means going the narrow road. And some people are actually doing it going the narrow road.

Big thanks again for sharing your stories. I find them all inspiring, and I could use that inspiration. Accepting that change may never come is a first step, thus stop waiting for when things get better. I have to make it better for me by myself. It would be great if it is doing something I like - maybe that would be the tricky part right here right now-, but there for sure are options to take while the change comes, if it comes at all.

So, every story is unique and great, it doesn´t matter if it is long or short.

Thanks [mention]mozz[/mention] [mention]Raindog[/mention] [mention]LightWingStudios[/mention] [mention]Mossman[/mention] [mention]BatUtilityBelt[/mention] [mention]TVvoodoo[/mention] [mention]rrobbone[/mention] [mention]andrewsrea[/mention] [mention]Buddha Pickups[/mention]

Thanks so much, heroes...

[sabasgr68]

Now if you are looking for my experience in business start-ups, I have a wealth of experience from my aerospace career and being on the board of directors for a couple of businesses in the Philadelphia area. But that would have to be another post!

That would be another very interesting post actually!

[BatUtilityBelt]

That work you did looks interesting.

If you retired young it means it went well enough for you to be able to do it; but again, looks like the I am my own boss bug is itching again?

By subcontracting, I didn't have to pay bench time or benefits. It was feast or famine. The money typically came easy, but only when I lined work up far enough in advance. The other side of that blade is that most entities looking for research to answer problems have not left enough time for that to happen. It pays to already have done research in the area they're trying to tackle. Do that well enough and you can get paid for research you already risked your own time on. Best of luck with yours, seriously. I always encourage following dreams.