The Ledger
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks. Mix any filter with any other: certainty 1/5, debate potential 5/5, or both at once.
why aren't all 10 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 0 checkable ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't; assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card: ▮▮▮▮▮ certainty · ▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
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.”
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…”
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.”
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…”
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.”
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.”
Listug: Taylor Guitars' brand magazine exceeded 300,000 circulation
“And it grew to over 300,000 circulation, which is bigger than any guitar magazine.”
Listug: Early American Dream guitar shop generated $30,000 in annual sales
“To put in perspective, Guy, the American Dream did 30,000 dollars a year in sales.”
Listug: Rebranded from Westland Music because Bob Taylor was the main talent
“Then a few years into it, when we realized our future was really an In making and selling guitars, and Bob was really the talent, then we, you know, we decided to call the guitars Taylor Guitars, and we added a little Taylor underneath the neck on the little l…”