I'll take a crack at this. I'm offering this to anyone entering this trade from the perspective of making a living to support a family. Take it in that context only. It's my opinion after being engaged in this trade at a number of levels. Take it for what its worth to you and please don't take offense as I have not called anyone out in particular. (xcept for George G.
)
You have LRI, GAP, SAC, and a host of others. ALL are after the consumer's dollar. We don't just compete with each other on this site. The list of competitors is almost infinite.
This industry is largely cottage in nature.
THAT MEANS:
Anyone with an FFL and some tools can enter into the trade. They can work out of a 1/2 million dollar building or they can work out of 200 square feet down in the basement. Once you enter this trade, all of those folks become someone your competing against. THEY DO have an advantage. Often this trade is not the primary source of income. It's a hobby to them. They can afford to basically take as long as they want on a job.
You cannot. Get that into your skull right now.
Your not an "artist".
"Artists" are often unemployed, poorly groomed, guitarists sitting around in inner city Seattle bumming cigarette money in exchange for shitty Nirvana covers. . .
YOU are a tradesman. You
WORK. Remember this and you'll be 90% of your competitors from day one.
If your entering this as a business treat it as such. Gunsmithing academies teach 1960's practices because a lot of em teaching started back then. They failed to adapt, then they just failed. So, they got teaching jobs so that they can regurgitate the mediocrity that they slipped into.
That's a rude and bold statement. The truth often is. All one has to do is look around and see the names that keep regurgitating. What happened to those shops??? They died a slow miserable death. All the Bench Rest world championships in the world don't mean a thing if you can't cover expenses.
NEVER put "tool and die" maker on a resume. Just don't do it.
I'll bet a million dollars that NEVER happens to George Gardner. It's cause George is a smart muther trucker who runs a tight effin ship. Be insanely jealous of this fact and work your ass off to emulate and try to improve upon it.
It's 2014. You can fight it as long as you want. I encourage you to do so, there's more money for me to try and capture this way.
Be a businessman. Don't be a guitarist.
It's the old saying, "Those who can
do. Those who can't,
teach."
You MUST automate your business. It's far cheaper and easier to control a half dozen CNC's manned by a couple really sharp guys than it is to manage 20 guerrillas. Every guy I know that starts in this and grows eventually gravitates towards automated equipment. You have to if your going to make a living. Time IS MONEY.
Remember, your not an
artist. Your a
businessman. If you build a great product, price it fairly, and make things right when they go wrong, you'll succeed.
Good luck and welcome to a wonderful industry.
C.