Jason Stoddard
Sponsor: Schiit Audio
Holy moly, yeah, shipping delays.
(Or, in other words, Thursday update ahead.)
So, after Texmageddon, AKA the Big Freeze, you can basically just edit one week out of our plans. If you were working in Premiere, it's basically snipping ten seconds of someone going, "Ah, um, er, hmmmmm...." and saying nothing important. Our power was out for three days, our water was sketchy for a couple of those days, and literally everything we ordered to (a) make the house livable and (b) make the site operational was scattered in the wind. Poof.
I mean, yeah, the shipping companies told us, pretty much every day, that things were "out for delivery," but nothing came. Then they went (supposedly) back to the depot, then some of them (supposedly) went elsewhere. I bit my tongue and bided my time, and starting Monday, the deluge started at the office. Alex, Evan, and I are beat from assembling like 500 desks and racks and workstations and stuff (I exaggerate a little bit, but Alex buys stunningly heavy stuff from Uline and it's a bear to wrestle, especially when you're talking 8-foot workstations and packing tables.
(And yeah, wannabe CEOs, yeah, I assembled along with everyone else, because that is what you do. Furthermore, I don't have an office in Corpus Christi at all, since I realized that (a) I hadn't seen my actual office in Valencia for months, having spent most time in the lab, and (b) it just separated me further from what was going on. So I have a workstation in the main production room (a very nice two-desk setup), not even in Alex's "panopticon" room--a strange office in the middle of everything--production, sound check, and shipping, with windows all around. Don't be a lazy, order-barking asshole. Get off your butt and help your people sometime. It won't kill you.)
But, as of today, we have a production room that's starting to look like, well, a place you make things. Alex is interviewing and hiring. Soon shipments of boards and metal start coming in, and the real work begins. These shipments include massive, massive orders of product designed to solve the backorder problem and get us back in good standing with distributors. Soon the spice will start to flow.
Okay, one quick anecdote, then I gotta go. I spent some time with the guys from American Bank, one of whom was an audiophile. He hadn't heard much of us, because he is more on the speaker side. He was absolutely floored when I said, "Yeah, we make the stuff here, and yeah, we actually listen and instrument-test every single product that goes out the door, even the $49 ones, and we do it for less than products made overseas."
He was completely nonplussed. "So why doesn't everyone know this? Why isn't this an ad?"
So. Yeah. I'm an idiot. Maybe I need to do a bit more of this marketing-stuff.
More next week!
(Or, in other words, Thursday update ahead.)
So, after Texmageddon, AKA the Big Freeze, you can basically just edit one week out of our plans. If you were working in Premiere, it's basically snipping ten seconds of someone going, "Ah, um, er, hmmmmm...." and saying nothing important. Our power was out for three days, our water was sketchy for a couple of those days, and literally everything we ordered to (a) make the house livable and (b) make the site operational was scattered in the wind. Poof.
I mean, yeah, the shipping companies told us, pretty much every day, that things were "out for delivery," but nothing came. Then they went (supposedly) back to the depot, then some of them (supposedly) went elsewhere. I bit my tongue and bided my time, and starting Monday, the deluge started at the office. Alex, Evan, and I are beat from assembling like 500 desks and racks and workstations and stuff (I exaggerate a little bit, but Alex buys stunningly heavy stuff from Uline and it's a bear to wrestle, especially when you're talking 8-foot workstations and packing tables.
(And yeah, wannabe CEOs, yeah, I assembled along with everyone else, because that is what you do. Furthermore, I don't have an office in Corpus Christi at all, since I realized that (a) I hadn't seen my actual office in Valencia for months, having spent most time in the lab, and (b) it just separated me further from what was going on. So I have a workstation in the main production room (a very nice two-desk setup), not even in Alex's "panopticon" room--a strange office in the middle of everything--production, sound check, and shipping, with windows all around. Don't be a lazy, order-barking asshole. Get off your butt and help your people sometime. It won't kill you.)
Aside: though I find it funny that the Apple Watch has no actual setting for "work" as exercise, though they have Yoga, Surfing, and Mind and Body which contribute to your daily workout.
But, as of today, we have a production room that's starting to look like, well, a place you make things. Alex is interviewing and hiring. Soon shipments of boards and metal start coming in, and the real work begins. These shipments include massive, massive orders of product designed to solve the backorder problem and get us back in good standing with distributors. Soon the spice will start to flow.
Aside: oh yeah and I'll have a chapter or two for you next week.
Also as of today, my home office is up and running here. It's still pretty spare, but I'm back at work on design. I've also been working remotely with Cameron and Dave on some new and ongoing products, and that's working well. Though it will be good to go back to Valencia for a while, which I'll be doing next month. I expect a reasonable amount of travel as we get things worked out here. Okay, one quick anecdote, then I gotta go. I spent some time with the guys from American Bank, one of whom was an audiophile. He hadn't heard much of us, because he is more on the speaker side. He was absolutely floored when I said, "Yeah, we make the stuff here, and yeah, we actually listen and instrument-test every single product that goes out the door, even the $49 ones, and we do it for less than products made overseas."
He was completely nonplussed. "So why doesn't everyone know this? Why isn't this an ad?"
Aside: and yeah, I know, some people don't give a crap about stuff made in the USA, but you know what, it does matter to a lot of people. Same as made in UK, made in Germany, made in France, made in Japan, made in Russia, made in Brazil, whatever. I know the current wisdom is still "well, send it overseas, let's be a design/marketing company only," but does it always have to be that way? Is there no value in provenance? So I will continue to say our stuff is made in USA. Sorry if that tweaks your wagon.
So. Yeah. I'm an idiot. Maybe I need to do a bit more of this marketing-stuff.
More next week!
. Would love to see some pics of your new facility!
