Starting a Business

[daydreamer]

Yeah, amp companies in Oz..good question, not a very productive Google search. I came up with MI Audio in Sydney who make an absolutely over the top amp, probably a great amp, but not affordable in my book.
A couple of one off builders, and a forum which seems to have a 'closed door' policy! Isolation goes to peoples head I tell ya!
China is the biggest single supplier of gear, which pisses me right off, I love China, don't get me wrong, but I get the feeling that everything isn't as rosy over there for the common man as the pollies would have us believe. Japan, I'm not sure, a lot of the modeling amps I suppose, but even Roland is made in China now days. The hardest thing to judge is; are people trying this in Oz (If they are, then there marketing sux big time), and if they are not (or doing it badly) why? But of course this is the challenge for the business plan to work out; hard data.

GREAT advice guys, thanks heaps.

Andy

[Gibsonman63]

You might check out the rigs that the rich kids are playing to determine market. Around here, they are all playing 3-Channel Boogies with 15 pedals on thier pedalboards.

Speaker cabs would be a good way to go. How about a design that incorporates a gooseneck for holding a microphone that folds for moving, with an elegant way to run the XLR cable back to the board.

[spl3444]

I'd be interested in hearing from some of the people in this forum that already have a business going. Is liability that much of a concern? Based on some of the designs the big companies have put out over the years it seems they would have been sued out of existence long ago.

[Andy Le Blanc]

If I had the time and start up capital...

I'd create a web based builders coop, help small independents get their
crap together and provide a sales venue, every sale holds a percentage.
The "best sellers" can go to China for mfg, if your the mfg and distributor,
your only concessions are to the design originator and those can be limited
by a contractual structure. You'd get returns at all levels of the project.

And for a small independent, just to have a mechanism in place to make
any sort of leap like that is priceless.

[M Fowler]

Andy the amp builders co-op is a great way to resource supplies.

When I owned my bar/cafe the State of ND said absolutely no co-op among small bar owners is allowed. The state wanted to tax the crap out of each one of us and they made me file monthly sales taxes not quarterly, rat bastards!

Instead of thing about going big with the amp market think small in local area and then venture to web based sales after that.

Mark

[Ken Moon]

I'd create a web based builders coop...

like this one?

http://www.destroyallguitars.com/

[M Fowler]

Yeah but we want amp builders parts co-op.

[Ken Moon]

Oh I see

That would be cool - especially for parts that require large minimum quantities to get a good price, but are too expensive for the small builder to buy in quantity (like Heyboer TW tranny sets).

[daydreamer]

It would work for you guys in the States for sure. All your R&D, marketing efforts and buying power pooled together on the one design, production spread out over the country, each builder personally knowing their local retailers/ artists. each builder managing stock/ shipping of a single component, no buildings to rent as everyone is already set up, reduced postage costs sending in bulk. I've seen the coop business model work in the fishing industry, construction/ building industry. It would take quite a bit of set up/ contracts etc, plenty of discussion on the details, but it's very easy to picture working. And the best part would be vastly reduced up front capital spend/ and individual production can be single units or whole batches depending on the market in an area.

( Anyone need an apprentice? I'll be right over!!!)

Andy

[daydreamer]

started new thread