Hi everyone,
I recently came across some old posts in this forum from people thinking about starting their brand in the Hi-Fi audio or loudspeaker industry. Since I have a similar idea, I have made this thread for those still thinking about this. Maybe we can exchange contacts and help each other.
My background as an employee includes 10 years of managing two small-medium-sized Hi-Fi and High-End loudspeaker factories in the EU. So, my core skills are deep knowledge of the market and production nuances.
It doesn't matter what region you are from or what background. If it's different, it might be even better.
It's nice to talk with anyone having the same passion and goals. Is it relevant for someone here?
I recently came across some old posts in this forum from people thinking about starting their brand in the Hi-Fi audio or loudspeaker industry. Since I have a similar idea, I have made this thread for those still thinking about this. Maybe we can exchange contacts and help each other.
My background as an employee includes 10 years of managing two small-medium-sized Hi-Fi and High-End loudspeaker factories in the EU. So, my core skills are deep knowledge of the market and production nuances.
It doesn't matter what region you are from or what background. If it's different, it might be even better.
It's nice to talk with anyone having the same passion and goals. Is it relevant for someone here?
It's a dying business. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/are-we-a-dying-breed.420750/ That boat had sailed 30 years ago. It was partially revived by the rising popularity of home theater in the 90's but that too is going wayside due to VR goggle technology. If you want to go into business, try earphone and VR department.
Probably it is part of the legend; but if I recall it correctly, many years ago a reporter asked Mark Levinson if it is possible to end with a small fortune working in Hi End audio and he answered "of course, you just need to start with a big fortune"
😊
😊
That's a very old saying, but still true.
If that is your dream, work for someone else. Don't put your own money (or anything else) at risk.
Only the economy of scale can make it possible to generate enough money to be worthwhile.
If that is your dream, work for someone else. Don't put your own money (or anything else) at risk.
Only the economy of scale can make it possible to generate enough money to be worthwhile.
Both small-quantity luxury and mass products can generate enough money to be worthwhile. I prefer the second option just because I know this market better.
If I said successfully, I mentioned the ones actively in business. Let's say Transparent Sound, Arendal Sound, Moonriver Audio.
Seems to me that finding and nailing a niche is the key to success in most mature markets. On one hand, audio technology is absolutely on the rise in massive #s. Think of the transducers, mics, DA/AD chips, microamps in all the mobile phones, tablets, remotes, computing devices -- a segment unreachable by all except the corporations already in high tech manufacturing. On the other hand, Supatrac, Fosi, Wiim are all doing pretty well, on the surface.
It also depends how you define success: for a one-man artisan, selling a couple loudspeakers or tonearms every month might be more than enough & sustainable if the potential market segment served is local & big enough. For big $$ entrepreneurs, it would have to be mass market orientation -- different in almost every way.
It also depends how you define success: for a one-man artisan, selling a couple loudspeakers or tonearms every month might be more than enough & sustainable if the potential market segment served is local & big enough. For big $$ entrepreneurs, it would have to be mass market orientation -- different in almost every way.
Ok, it is true one person can rarely do it all. Call it a few people cottage industry, perhaps.
It can be done if your business is more or less buying finished product, usually from China or Indonesia, or some even more manufacturing friendly place, slapping your logo on it, preferably gold colored with embossed letters, for marketing creating cool story about the passion for pure music etc etc, make some nice photos, think about the sales strategy - you are good to go! Easily doable for 1 person.
BTW: you should not be limited to 1 product or one product line. Mix audio stuff with smth else. Two thirds of businesses work that way.
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I ran into this the other day. A small producer of rejected Schiit gear? What do you guys make of it?
https://nitschsound.com/
https://nitschsound.com/
Don't listen to the nay-sayers or pessimists here!
If you have the enthusiasm and commitment then it's definitely worth starting your own enterprise!
I started 'Chris Cables' two years ago after walking away from a 35 year career in engineering and have never looked back. I just wish I had started it much sooner and the tertiary benefits of not having to commute to a workplace, working to your own agenda and controlling your own destiny are priceless!
Of course it was a risk and I had some reservations but that's par for the course. 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' is totally applicable here.
No, I'm not a hi-fi manufacturer. I'm in a secondary, supporting sector for the much larger hi-fi market. But for as long as others are going to be making separates, headphones and speakers people will always need cables. I don't worry about the advent of Bluetooth (yet).
Sales started out slow to begin with of course, but soon ramped as soon as favourable and positive reviews started flowing in - that really is free marketing!
I just hit my 1000th unit sold after 2 years of trading and sales growth occurs every month. If you're passionate about something this will manifest itself in great products that people want to buy and rave about.
I'm way past the scale-up justification milestone now and am actually struggling to keep up with demand. My biggest challenge now is finding a third party manufacturer to build some of my cable-models at the same quality level as I produce. So I'm considering keeping it at a level where I can manage it myself. No problem, scaling up introduces lots of risks and anxieties in any case. Maybe one day it will happen but for now I'm enjoying the fruits of my own labour.
Good customer contact is essential and that's a side of things I hadn't anticipated would be so time-intensive - answering a barrage of questions every day at all times of the day. Also no problem as giving clear and honest answers usually ultimately leads to a sale.
The 'customer feedback loop' is incredibly useful too and has instigated various improvements and changes to my products.
All win-win as far as I am concerned.
So I say go for it! As long as you define a realsitic business plan, can build in a margin of safety if you have other financial obligations and you can keep start-up capital to a minimum then you have nothing to lose by trying!
Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss anything, otherwise just go for it!
👍
If you have the enthusiasm and commitment then it's definitely worth starting your own enterprise!
I started 'Chris Cables' two years ago after walking away from a 35 year career in engineering and have never looked back. I just wish I had started it much sooner and the tertiary benefits of not having to commute to a workplace, working to your own agenda and controlling your own destiny are priceless!
Of course it was a risk and I had some reservations but that's par for the course. 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' is totally applicable here.
No, I'm not a hi-fi manufacturer. I'm in a secondary, supporting sector for the much larger hi-fi market. But for as long as others are going to be making separates, headphones and speakers people will always need cables. I don't worry about the advent of Bluetooth (yet).
Sales started out slow to begin with of course, but soon ramped as soon as favourable and positive reviews started flowing in - that really is free marketing!
I just hit my 1000th unit sold after 2 years of trading and sales growth occurs every month. If you're passionate about something this will manifest itself in great products that people want to buy and rave about.
I'm way past the scale-up justification milestone now and am actually struggling to keep up with demand. My biggest challenge now is finding a third party manufacturer to build some of my cable-models at the same quality level as I produce. So I'm considering keeping it at a level where I can manage it myself. No problem, scaling up introduces lots of risks and anxieties in any case. Maybe one day it will happen but for now I'm enjoying the fruits of my own labour.
Good customer contact is essential and that's a side of things I hadn't anticipated would be so time-intensive - answering a barrage of questions every day at all times of the day. Also no problem as giving clear and honest answers usually ultimately leads to a sale.
The 'customer feedback loop' is incredibly useful too and has instigated various improvements and changes to my products.
All win-win as far as I am concerned.
So I say go for it! As long as you define a realsitic business plan, can build in a margin of safety if you have other financial obligations and you can keep start-up capital to a minimum then you have nothing to lose by trying!
Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss anything, otherwise just go for it!
👍
