Guitar Lessons: A Life’s Journey Turning Passion into Business
- ISBN13: 9780470937877
- Condition: New
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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.
Be inspired by a story of guts and gumption, an unwavering commitment to quality, and the hard lessons that made Taylor Guitars the company it is today.
Q&A with Author Bob Taylor
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Author Bob Taylor
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What inspired you to write this book?
The opportunity was presented to me, and the time just seemed right. Sometimes, I think, if you do these things too early, it’s a waste of time. In our case, it seems as if everything is right for people to want to read the book.
How would you describe Guitar Lessons to someone who has little knowledge of Taylor?
It’s a book of business lessons learned through experience and told in story form. It’s the story of starting a business as a teenager based on a craft I fell in love with, and really, how it turned into a major business by bringing great people in with me and persevering through the years.
Is there content in the book that will surprise existing Taylor Guitars owners?
I think people familiar with the company will see it as a more in-depth and candid story than what they are going to read in a blog, article, or company profile. In a book format, there’s enough time to go into depth. There are lots of Taylor guitar owners. We’ve sold a million guitars, and 750,000 of those have only recently joined our customer base in the last six or seven years. This will give them a better insight into our story and where we came from.
What lessons do you want readers to leave with?
The main lessons are that it takes perseverance and the ability to knock down obstacles as you go. There’s no singular thing that acts as a turning point in a business and gets you to finally “make it.” There may be 25 things that you need to solve for your business to be successful. Maybe you have to get to where eight or nine are solved just to stay in business, and then you go from there. But you must continue to own something, whether it means learning how to do production, marketing your products, or taking care of employees. You can run a car with six pistons, but it takes all eight pistons to fire for the car to really run great.
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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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|Business Book – Fan Book: Excellent On Both Counts!,
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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