Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor, co-founders of Taylor Guitars, discuss executing a buy-sell agreement in 1983 to purchase third partner Steve Schemmer's stake.
0:00 / 0:06exact quote · 6.7s
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“We'd value the business at 100,000 dollars, and Steve owned it, 30%, so we each borrowed 15,000 dollars.”
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More from Kurt Listug
Insight
Listug: Celebrity product placements build cumulative brand equity, not direct sales
“And you know, things like that don't directly impact sales. It's more like an impression, and all the impressions add up over time.”
Kurt ListugJan 26, 2026▶ 40:44Taylor Guitars: Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor. From $3,700 Shop to Global Icon
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Taylor Guitars founders accidentally bought shop without its name or phone number
“We had to borrow the money from our folks, but actually, we didn't find out until after we bought it that it didn't include the name. We found out as soon as we signed the papers that we weren't getting the name and then we weren't going to have the phone numb…”
Kurt ListugJan 26, 2026▶ 11:54Taylor Guitars: Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor. From $3,700 Shop to Global Icon
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Taylor Guitars co-founders pooled $10,000 to acquire their original guitar shop
“So we actually put together 10,000 dollars all together between the other partner, Bob, and myself, and we bought it, and the rest of the money was our working capital.”
Kurt ListugJan 26, 2026▶ 12:53Taylor Guitars: Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor. From $3,700 Shop to Global Icon
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Listug: Switching to weekly employee wages quickly drained Taylor Guitars' cash
“I came to the conclusion that actually, we should actually employ everyone rather than, you know, their commission when they finish work by the end of that year. So having to pay everybody every week. You know, two and a half months later, we were out of money…”
Kurt ListugJan 26, 2026▶ 16:00Taylor Guitars: Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor. From $3,700 Shop to Global Icon
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Listug: Taylor Guitars doubled its revenue in first year following partner buyout
“So we went into debt again, but we're excited, and then that first year, the business doubled.”
Kurt ListugJan 26, 2026▶ 36:07Taylor Guitars: Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor. From $3,700 Shop to Global Icon
AssertionNot publicly verifiable
Listug: Taylor Guitars' brand magazine exceeded 300,000 circulation
“And it grew to over 300,000 circulation, which is bigger than any guitar magazine.”
Kurt ListugJan 26, 2026▶ 51:21Taylor Guitars: Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor. From $3,700 Shop to Global Icon
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