You'd think that a business that depends solely on the Internet for sales would have a pretty slick web site. In our case you'd be wrong!
Back in December, no sooner had we booked tickets to the annual NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show than CBC notified us that our Dragon's Den episode would air the night before we left for California. We knew it would be a bit hairy handling the trip and interest sparked by the show at the same time. We had no idea how hairy!!
Most companies will wait through at least one selling cycle before rolling out the "new improved" line. Here at MacKenzie & Marr Guitars we simply don't do things like other companies. Our cedar top acoustic guitars are distinctly our own design. Our way of distributing direct-to-musicians through the web is unusual in the music industry to say the least. Waiting until we actually had some sales to tweak our product line (if one model constitutes a "line") seemed so 20th Century.
Tune in CBC on January 13 at 8 PM to see Jonathan and I pitch our business to five savvy investors on Dragon's Den. We know we have a winner in both our Tofino acoustic guitar and our business model. Selling high end acoustic guitars direct from the factory to musicians over the Internet means huge savings compared to retail. Will the Dragons recognize either our cedar top guitar or our business plan as worthy of an investment or will they tell us our "valuation is nuts, we're being greedy an/or there's no business here".
.jpg?1261584807 "Kevin O'Leary Playing the MacKenzie & Marr Tofino on Dragon's Den")
Things were just too quiet! We'd done pretty much everything we could to prepare for the arrival of the first 48 MacKenzie & Marr Tofino acoustic guitars.
We'd set up the stock room, humidified, insured, alarmed and locked down the building.
We'd tested the on-line store, and then tested it some more.
We'd proofed, published and printed our warranty to include with every order.
We'd lined up Canada Post and UPS for shipping.
We'd laid in 40 double walled cartons (with room for extra padding) to insure Tofinos were coddled in transit.
What self respecting guitar company wouldn't have a Facebook fan page? Most of them, apparently. But never let it be said that the company that broke the mold by combining cedar and Akoumé to create a very special acoustic guitar is one of them. Join MacKenzie & Marr Guitars on Facebook .
This morning we started shooting photos of the MacKenzie and Marr cedar top "Tofino"acoustic guitar. The back and sides are crafted from Akoume - sometimes spelled Okoume - a beautifully figured hard tone wood with acoustic properties similar to maple. The top is western Canadian red cedar. Combining the warmth of cedar with the crisp projection of Akoume gives the MacKenzie and Marr guitar a distinct full voice.
Little did my mother know in 1963 that the picture she snapped of Jonathan and me would end up inside one of the world's most exceptional guitars. Come to think of it - neither did I or I wouldn't have attempted the home-barber thing. It must have been the first day of school -WCI or Mac Gregor? We've got books under our arm. I'm wearing my fake Madras shirt (It didn't bleed like the real thing). Jonathan's got the same Beatles hair cut he had the year before - when there were no Beatles, at least in Waterloo Ontario - which goes to show that being first isn't always the road to fame.
