Guitar Lessons: A Life’s Journey Turning Passion into Business
Guitar Lessons: A Life’s Journey Turning Passion into Business
The inside story of the founding and growth of Taylor Guitars, one of the world’s most successful guitar manufacturers Bob Taylor mixes the details of his experience as a tradesman and cofounder of Taylor Guitars, a world-famous acoustic and electric guitar manufacturer, with philosophical life lessons that have practical application for building a business.
From the “a-ha” moment in junior high school that inspired his very first guitar, Taylor has been living the American dream, crafting quality products with his own hands and building a successful, sustainable business. In Guitar Lessons, he shares the values that he lives by and that have provided the foundation for the company’s success.
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Full Disclosure: I sampled numerous Taylor guitars in my local guitar shop for years, I participated in a Taylor Guitars factory tour in 2009, and I purchased a Taylor guitar at the conclusion of that tour. I absolutely love my Taylor GS-K.
So, I was very intrigued when I learned Bob Taylor was writing a book. I pre-ordered it on Amazon and waited. While I cooled my heels I learned more. I heard that it wouldn’t be a typical book for brand or hobby fans, it would have a business flavor. But it wouldn’t be a typical “how I did it” business tome. Well, what would it be then?
When GUITAR LESSONS arrived, I tore into it and completed it in 3 nights. It took a minute to get used to the style and direction – it is mildly off-beat, in a good way. In fact, as I read more, I learned that the writing is, in fact, exactly ON target. It IS Bob Taylor. It is just as unique as he is, and, once you warm to his style, it becomes comfortable. We get to know Bob just a little.
In an nutshell, I describe the book as a passionate engineer and craftsman writing his version of a business book. Bob’s style is to tell stories and share lessons learned – all while heavily infusing our journey with his passion for building and enhancing guitars.
Or, maybe it is an engineering autobiography, focused on the process and product.
Who will enjoy this book? Luthiers, musicians, business people, entrepreneurs, engineers, marketers, and more. While easy to read and understand, it is as rich and complicated as its author. The more I think of it, this might be why I describe the book as “off-beat”. Bob Taylor has managed to weave a complex and meaningful business and life, capture it in a book, and make it easy and fun to absorb.
Well done!
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|Excellent book about the realities of business,
To protect me from the next new business fad I read a lot of business books for what I call self-defense. This is not your typical business book. You can read it without fear of being sucked into the next new thing. It is a story of a company that enters a crowded business segment, a segment with long product traditions, and changes everything. It is also a book that addresses the more heady topics of the nature of “equity”, the relations between company owners and employees, the concept of lean manufacturing and “one piece flow”, the impact of technology on a manufacturing process, and the change that must occur with company growth. As an employee of a company in the music business but in a far different segment than Taylor I have long admired their ability to grow in a very mature and crowded market place. Bob Taylor reveals the secret.. work, work, work, and then more work for 40 years.
I highly recommend this book and a careful reading will tell you more about the realities of business than a 100 by the self promoting so called business gurus.
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|Very Inspiring,
Having recently become a fan of Taylor Guitars after having played Martins for years, I was supremely impressed by the dedication, sacrifice, and all-around good intentions that seem to weave the history of Taylor Guitars. Bob Taylor’s story is a perfect “what if” story. What if they decided to pack it in so many times when they could not get guitars sold, had production problems, or were just tired of the whole struggle. Instead, they stuck it out and continued to pursue their passion and now they make 500 guitars per day. It’s one of those stories where you believe that Bob deserves every good thing that happens to him at this point in his career. And man, do his guitars sound great…I even own the new GS Mini, which is simply phenomenal for travel, ease of play, and all around fun guitar. I would certainly recommend this book for musicians, but also any entrepreneur that goes through exactly what Bob and Kurt Listug (the other founder) went through when it comes to fulfillment, book keeping, marketing, payroll, facilities, setbacks, and simply figuring out a better way to do things. Thanks Bob for the book and the guitars!
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