Kurt Listug, co-founder of Taylor Guitars, explains how company growth accelerated immediately following the 1983 co-founder buyout.
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.”
Assertion Not 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…”
Assertion Not 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.”
Assertion Not 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…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Listug: Founders valued Taylor Guitars at $100,000 to buy out third partner
“We'd value the business at 100,000 dollars, and Steve owned it, 30%, so we each borrowed 15,000 dollars.”
Assertion Not 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.”