Park Life

Wrong. Im starting in August or I might give a something a shot at the end of June/July as I will have the storage space. Guitars have a market, especially for people who know what they are talking about (me). Won't. happen. Ok mate. It's like Rafa taking the piss out of Drogba. I admire your ambition. It won't happen. No, you have it all wrong. It is happening. Me and my father are getting in touch with Fender europe, i have the finance so once i find my market and niche` its all go. Fender Squires sell like hot cakes, especially around August (exam result time , Obviously around November and running into december they sell fantastically. January is also a strangely amazing month for guitar sales. There is even a market for Chinese unbranded imports which is how companies like Stagg got off their feet. They are now catering for the lower end of the market and making a killing. These things do happen and people do start successful business's, it's not easy but it's achievable. Plus I have the right knowledge and backing, my mother is an accountant and my brother done some kind of business course (Parky ) However it is clear you are on the wind up and you aren't interested in sales pattern or facts All of this though, is what we were saying 6 pages ago. Dont bother with bricks n mortar just do it via t'internet. With a shop you would be looking at both a much reduced profit margin and a reduced customer base. This way you can go to work without leaving your bed, its like being a student forever! Yeh i suppose so. We'l see how the internet thing takes off but still a brick and mortar store is superior. It's all about trying the instrument, My Les Paul cost me £1k, i tried about 12 to 15 guitars before I bought it and it was the best. I was willing to spend a maximum of £2.5k and in the end i didn't have to. A lot of guitarists do the same but i will have to research internet sales of up market guitars, however i think it will confirm what i already know. The last guitar i bough was an Ibanez at £600 in november, i must have been in the shop for two hours before i dedcided i was taking it. It's all relative to individual products and customers needs. Guitar buying is more cup of tea/relax than a simple click on Amazon. Truly baby....Truly.

General Demus.

Too fucking right.

That will be a reissue. and if people are daft enough to sell proper ones for a tenner i would snap their fucking hands off. and then sell it. I fucking hate prince There were two versions of the original one had a black cover and the other had another cover...Your starter for 10 Tom?? No looking on google.

about £100. Depending on issue btw. I was offered £400 for it back in 1995 I think it was.

I don't know but I've got one. Is it a collector's item like? Truly. Especially if you've got a numbered one. They didn't press many relatively speaking before it was withdrawn.

Out of vague interest how much is the black album (Prince) worth these days?

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best. Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that. I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO. I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve. There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it. What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan? I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account. Don't you see that puts you in a slightly different position to Tom then? Fuck me gently! The guy is talking about starting off by investing in high street premises ffs. That is why I'm giving him a different kind of (as you've spotted) more motivational advice. Business advise isn't worth the paper it's written on, I've never read a single book about business and never will. The main issue here is that every business is unique taking into account a multitude of factors and no one can really say at the get go whether it will work. I say again IMHO it comes down to the passion of the person and how much of themselves they want to put into it. I was in Milan a couple of weeks ago and I'll be in Barcelona tomorrow, the practices and needs of these companies although both in Europe are a million miles apart...For me it always comes down to the people. What Tom wants to do will work primarily cause he identifies with it so much. Most millionaires have a handful of failed businesses behind them. It's nothing to worry about, the main thing is beginning the journey. Fucking hell man. Of course they do. As do a lot of failed businessmen. Tom clearly isn't short on motivation. The thread is just pure common sense as far as I can see. Fair enough. I'm not Fop you know.

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best. Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that. I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO. I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve. There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it. What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan? I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account. Yer HIRED! "...by the time I was 23 I had a Porsche" He was fucking priceless, wasn't he? "Well frankly if you don't sign up to this, what it says to me is that Clinton Cards doesn't care about our planet." Tbh Gemma I was so dozey I didn't even realise what I was doing was starting a business.

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best. Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that. I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO. I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve. There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it. What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan? I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account. Don't you see that puts you in a slightly different position to Tom then? Fuck me gently! The guy is talking about starting off by investing in high street premises ffs. That is why I'm giving him a different kind of (as you've spotted) more motivational advice. Business advise isn't worth the paper it's written on, I've never read a single book about business and never will. The main issue here is that every business is unique taking into account a multitude of factors and no one can really say at the get go whether it will work. I say again IMHO it comes down to the passion of the person and how much of themselves they want to put into it. I was in Milan a couple of weeks ago and I'll be in Barcelona tomorrow, the practices and needs of these companies although both in Europe are a million miles apart...For me it always comes down to the people. What Tom wants to do will work primarily cause he identifies with it so much. Most millionaires have a handful of failed businesses behind them. It's nothing to worry about, the main thing is beginning the journey.

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best. Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that. I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO. I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve. There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it. What is it and who gave you the finances to start it without you showing them some sort of business plan? I went to the bank with 4 contracts signed in my hand worth £38,000 and asked if I could open a business account.

It's fucking frighteningly casual advice at best. Fact of the matter is if Tom's to get it off the ground then he's going to need funds, and that means he's going to need some pretty robust answers to the types of points that have been raised when he goes knocking on the bank's door. Field of Dreams platitudes alone are gonna get the lad laughed out of any business meeting and even Parky would have to accept that. I run my own business what made it work wasn't anything to do with business things it was all to do with that I wanted to do it. That has to be in place first. All the other stuff although important is secondary. IMHO. I also sometimes get paid to go and talk to other companies in my field on where they could improve. There is a lot of commonsensical advice in this thread I agree. But finally in my experience what it will stand and fall on is Tom's desire to do it.

The Mail has to be the most clueless paper in Christendom.

You need a name people remember. T-Keith would be good. Yeh. I would probably go for something simple but for a guitar shop it has to appeal to the middle classes because apart from middle aged freaks with a guitar fetish that's where the money is. Middle class people are quite happy to pay full RRP & you often see old fellas coming into to shops and spending thousands casually, the shop just has to have the right look and feel to get them in. Strangely I have found out that there is a lot of money in plectrums. Even at an ebay level you can get them for 35p each (when you buy 24), so if you bought them at supplier price you would make a killing, selling in bulk or individual (Between 60p & £1.50). Unless Guitar Guitar closes down Newcastle is a no go and I don't think Durham has the demand. You see you already know quite something about the market and ways to build revenue streams (boring words). Don't let the boring bits deter you. It is more likely that good ideas or ideas you have a passion for become successful businesses. That is more or less an accepted fact. An idea with no passion behind it no matter how well run rarely succeeds or delivers above mediocre results. You have the core attributes/knowledge regarding the market and the products ( I feel you already know deep down what will work). Take it from there. Perhaps a custom guitar making service as an add on? I have no idea it's just a thought. It's a thing the rich like.

Tom man, I don't think anyones having a pop at your ambition. At the very least the posts which are sounding a word of caution are highlighting the sorts of questions your potential creditors would be asking you before extending finance. Forewarned is forearmed marra, so it's all good. Yeh it's going to require a fuckload of planning. I can imagine it taking a couple of years to organize and still it might result in nothing but it's worth trying. Business has very little to do with planning if it had anything to do with planning then all these cunts with Business Admin degrees would be millionaires instead of cunts which is what they are...... Take your dream and try it. There is always a way.....

You need a name people remember. T-Keith would be good.

That's the way baby.

Mobile phone towers etc....

The gold Feynoord one looks tasty.

id bet manu do for starters , and they are gonna win the league . manu,lpool,city, sunderland 50m+ chelski 100m (i hope not) villa,pompy,arsenal,everton 30-50m . thats the least of what will get spent by those teams i reckon. other clubs are not going to stand still why we try and push on , and the top 10 are definately going to spend this year , half are pushing for uefa spots , the rest champ league spots . the first lot of tv money last season was just the start of it . the thing that convinces me is man utd constant spending , they dont ever want to stand still , and without major investment they will never be caught . every step forward we take they take one aswell . we could afford to spend extra transfer money and take it back out of the club over a 5 year perior , and take two steps this year . To make a quantum change we need to spend around £100m, but that is if we can attract enough quality as HP says.

“Providing the owner backs me – and I’ve no proof of that yet, but no doubts he will – I can get three or four players in and if I can do that – and we have luck and no injuries to key, key players – then we might be able to win the ‘second league’ in the Premiership.” http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastl...61634-20865971/ to me that reads like he's pushing for a larger investment , he's pretty sure we are going to get enough for the 3-4 players , and with that he can make a challange on the teams in 10th to 5th . if ashley wants more than that he needs to rethink how much he's investing . thats how i take that anyway . seems like he's a fair idea of what he's getting . I'm guessing the net spend will be around £30-£40m.

Abramovich loves football. He's spent millions in Russia setting up academies and getting kids playing the game, he helped CSKA to winning the UEFA cup, he was instumental in getting Hiddink in for the Russian national team, and then there's what he's done at Chelsea. Ashley might be enjoying himself, but I think it's clear he has no interest in being so altruistic. It's just another gamble to Ashley if you ask me, far more of a plaything than Abramovich who loved the game long before coming to England. Ashley only worries that England didn't get into the Euro's because Umbro shirt sales won't get the normal summer boost. Glad to have him here, but I don't think the comparisons are entirely accurate. Of course Abramovich's love of the game brings it's own problems, he has a strong opinion on the footballing direction of his club so you get situations like the Shevchenko purchase and Grant's coup d'etat for example. Whilst I don't know whether or how much Abramovich loves the game, a lot of the work he has done in Russia has been because of political pressures on him. He simply couldn't be seen to be pumping millions into Chelsea while ignoring his homeland, he had to do something over there. His main concern when he builds a new yacht is the plasma screens and how much footie he can consume from around the world. He really loves the game. Been on his yacht like? No unfortunately. But a friend of mine here is doing the interior of his new one and was chatting in a somewhat alarmed manner about the need for so much plasma. I'd really like to meet him. He was here over xmas for a party for the company that builds/manages his boats. He was fleetingly glimpsed hunkered down in a side room watching Russan footie while the party went on around him.

The Russians love a sing song.