Jay, imgine this: you own RED X and you receive a fax one day, an order from somewhere in china and they want to order 3000 units (or widgets, or whatever), with the possibility of similar future orders. what are you going to do? besides, if the niche is attractive enough they'll be making their own similar gadget with astonishing speed. the internet and a "global economy" where no one sees good guys or bad guys anymore. just buyers and sellers. it's just getting started, too! "oh shit" is right.>>> enough said......RED X RULES
>>> Jay, imgine this: you own RED X and you receive a fax one day, an order > from somewhere in china and they want to order 3000 units (or widgets, or > whatever), with the possibility of similar future orders. what are you > going to do?>>> besides, if the niche is attractive enough they'll be making their own > similar gadget with astonishing speed.>>> the internet and a "global economy" where no one sees good guys > or bad guys anymore. just buyers and sellers.>>> it's just getting started, too! "oh shit" is right. Life is a circle, the earth is a sphere and we are all one family, celebrating mass-produced, inexpensive clones for the new world citizen: "The capabilities of the Cobra factory in Thailand, and Kinetic in Taiwan... have grown to the point where high quality is possible, and the cost of producing boards in the U.S... has become prohibitive. Its all good news..." http://www.americanwindsurfer.com/1999reviews/2000_reviews/sm.html (Do you hear the sound of cascading money? Listen close to home my friends, WE are the real enemy.) Dharmon
yeah, i hear the register loud and clear...as probably do my 'family' members in china who were steamrolled in tienamen(?) square, or who are prisoners of conscience. in fact, all they have to do is peer out from between the bars at the KFC, Nike and EDS signs. do they ever wonder what happenned to that bastion of democracy? "it's all good"? hmmm, i'll meet you halfway on that one. thanks for your thoughtful post.>>> Life is a circle, the earth is a sphere and we are all one family, > celebrating mass-produced, inexpensive clones for the new world citizen:>>> "The capabilities of the Cobra factory in Thailand, and Kinetic in > Taiwan... have grown to the point where high quality is possible, and the > cost of producing boards in the U.S... has become prohibitive. > Its all good news...">>> >>">http://www.americanwindsurfer.com/1999reviews/2000_reviews/sm.html>>> (Do you hear the sound of cascading money? Listen close to home my > friends, WE are the real enemy.)>>> Dharmon
Ramon, I am one of the owners of Red X. And I got that phone call yesterday from our distributor partner. And I said "Don't go there. Just Remember OP." And the number of boards in discussion far exceeded the number that would end up in Costco.
Tom, well....hats off to you and your partners. anyone who can resist a lucrative deal to adhere to a higher ethical standard is definitely in the minority nowadays. What happened with OP, and how did that weigh on RED X's decision?>>> Ramon,>>> I am one of the owners of Red X. And I got that phone call yesterday from > our distributor partner. And I said "Don't go there. Just Remember > OP." And the number of boards in discussion far exceeded the number > that would end up in Costco.
>>> Tom, well....hats off to you and your partners. anyone who can resist a > lucrative deal to adhere to a higher ethical standard is definitely in the > minority nowadays. What happened with OP, and how did that weigh on RED > X's decision? Op originally was a small local manufacturer that like most other surf clothing companies sold their product through specialty "Surf Shops". They gained market share farely rapidly and for a while in the seventies were the "in clothing line". Just when they got to the point that they had the premere surf market position, they started selling to the major retailers. Their sales went through the roof. But, the specialty "surf shops" dropped them like a hot potatoe. Well the buyers from the majors typically check out whats hot at various different types of "specialty retailers" to see what they want to buy next year. And since the Surf Shops dropped Op, well it wasn't long after that Op was a use to be. That's not to say that they are not attempting a come back now with the whole Retro gig. But, it will never be the same. Lesson learned "Don't sell your soul".
>>> Op originally was a small local manufacturer that like most other surf > clothing companies sold their product through specialty "Surf > Shops". They gained market share farely rapidly and for a while in > the seventies were the "in clothing line". Just when they got to > the point that they had the premere surf market position, they started > selling to the major retailers. Their sales went through the roof. But, > the specialty "surf shops" dropped them like a hot potatoe. Well > the buyers from the majors typically check out whats hot at various > different types of "specialty retailers" to see what they want > to buy next year. And since the Surf Shops dropped Op, well it wasn't long > after that Op was a use to be. That's not to say that they are not > attempting a come back now with the whole Retro gig. But, it will never be > the same. Lesson learned "Don't sell your soul". Ummm, that's one way of looking at it. The other is that OP was very savvy, in that instead of relying on a relatively small, cyclical business with surf shops, they managed to crack the big time and do major numbers with the name retailers. Loss of surf shop business was a blip on the spreadsheet. Their downfall was more caused by mismanagement and overall market conditions than anything else.The original crew made theirs and got out. As for "don't sell your soul," there's nothing inherently immoral about making the decision to expand your company, and make money. Sad fact is, in clothing, if you want to be successful, and not just eek out a living, relying on surf shops only isn't going to get it.
>>> Ummm, that's one way of looking at it. The other is that OP was very > savvy, in that instead of relying on a relatively small, cyclical business > with surf shops, they managed to crack the big time and do major numbers > with the name retailers. Loss of surf shop business was a blip on the > spreadsheet. Their downfall was more caused by mismanagement and overall > market conditions than anything else.The original crew made theirs and got > out. As for "don't sell your soul," there's nothing inherently > immoral about making the decision to expand your company, and make money. > Sad fact is, in clothing, if you want to be successful, and not just eek > out a living, relying on surf shops only isn't going to get it. You hit that on the head. I find it too easy for people today to say that a person or company has "sold their soul" regarding their balance sheet or to generalize about a thing they love being accepted beyond their small circle. I like what I like because it works - sell it at Costco sell it out of a cabin in the Dakotas, or on the moon.
My local Costco has boards in two sizes, 6'6" and 6'9". This seems a bit weird to me. Why are they selling shortboards? A random Costco customer has almost zero chance of actually using a shortboard. So to repeat the question, why would someone attempting to sell boards in bulk sell only shortboards?
Jay, imgine this: you own RED X and you receive a fax one day, an order from somewhere in china and they want to order 3000 units (or widgets, or whatever), with the possibility of similar future orders. what are you going to do? besides, if the niche is attractive enough they'll be making their own similar gadget with astonishing speed. the internet and a "global economy" where no one sees good guys or bad guys anymore. just buyers and sellers. it's just getting started, too! "oh shit" is right.>>> enough said......RED X RULES
>>> Jay, imgine this: you own RED X and you receive a fax one day, an order > from somewhere in china and they want to order 3000 units (or widgets, or > whatever), with the possibility of similar future orders. what are you > going to do?>>> besides, if the niche is attractive enough they'll be making their own > similar gadget with astonishing speed.>>> the internet and a "global economy" where no one sees good guys > or bad guys anymore. just buyers and sellers.>>> it's just getting started, too! "oh shit" is right. Life is a circle, the earth is a sphere and we are all one family, celebrating mass-produced, inexpensive clones for the new world citizen: "The capabilities of the Cobra factory in Thailand, and Kinetic in Taiwan... have grown to the point where high quality is possible, and the cost of producing boards in the U.S... has become prohibitive. Its all good news..." http://www.americanwindsurfer.com/1999reviews/2000_reviews/sm.html (Do you hear the sound of cascading money? Listen close to home my friends, WE are the real enemy.) Dharmon
yeah, i hear the register loud and clear...as probably do my 'family' members in china who were steamrolled in tienamen(?) square, or who are prisoners of conscience. in fact, all they have to do is peer out from between the bars at the KFC, Nike and EDS signs. do they ever wonder what happenned to that bastion of democracy? "it's all good"? hmmm, i'll meet you halfway on that one. thanks for your thoughtful post.>>> Life is a circle, the earth is a sphere and we are all one family, > celebrating mass-produced, inexpensive clones for the new world citizen:>>> "The capabilities of the Cobra factory in Thailand, and Kinetic in > Taiwan... have grown to the point where high quality is possible, and the > cost of producing boards in the U.S... has become prohibitive. > Its all good news...">>> >>">http://www.americanwindsurfer.com/1999reviews/2000_reviews/sm.html>>> (Do you hear the sound of cascading money? Listen close to home my > friends, WE are the real enemy.)>>> Dharmon
Ramon, I am one of the owners of Red X. And I got that phone call yesterday from our distributor partner. And I said "Don't go there. Just Remember OP." And the number of boards in discussion far exceeded the number that would end up in Costco.
Tom, well....hats off to you and your partners. anyone who can resist a lucrative deal to adhere to a higher ethical standard is definitely in the minority nowadays. What happened with OP, and how did that weigh on RED X's decision?>>> Ramon,>>> I am one of the owners of Red X. And I got that phone call yesterday from > our distributor partner. And I said "Don't go there. Just Remember > OP." And the number of boards in discussion far exceeded the number > that would end up in Costco.
>>> Tom, well....hats off to you and your partners. anyone who can resist a > lucrative deal to adhere to a higher ethical standard is definitely in the > minority nowadays. What happened with OP, and how did that weigh on RED > X's decision? Op originally was a small local manufacturer that like most other surf clothing companies sold their product through specialty "Surf Shops". They gained market share farely rapidly and for a while in the seventies were the "in clothing line". Just when they got to the point that they had the premere surf market position, they started selling to the major retailers. Their sales went through the roof. But, the specialty "surf shops" dropped them like a hot potatoe. Well the buyers from the majors typically check out whats hot at various different types of "specialty retailers" to see what they want to buy next year. And since the Surf Shops dropped Op, well it wasn't long after that Op was a use to be. That's not to say that they are not attempting a come back now with the whole Retro gig. But, it will never be the same. Lesson learned "Don't sell your soul".
>>> Op originally was a small local manufacturer that like most other surf > clothing companies sold their product through specialty "Surf > Shops". They gained market share farely rapidly and for a while in > the seventies were the "in clothing line". Just when they got to > the point that they had the premere surf market position, they started > selling to the major retailers. Their sales went through the roof. But, > the specialty "surf shops" dropped them like a hot potatoe. Well > the buyers from the majors typically check out whats hot at various > different types of "specialty retailers" to see what they want > to buy next year. And since the Surf Shops dropped Op, well it wasn't long > after that Op was a use to be. That's not to say that they are not > attempting a come back now with the whole Retro gig. But, it will never be > the same. Lesson learned "Don't sell your soul". Ummm, that's one way of looking at it. The other is that OP was very savvy, in that instead of relying on a relatively small, cyclical business with surf shops, they managed to crack the big time and do major numbers with the name retailers. Loss of surf shop business was a blip on the spreadsheet. Their downfall was more caused by mismanagement and overall market conditions than anything else.The original crew made theirs and got out. As for "don't sell your soul," there's nothing inherently immoral about making the decision to expand your company, and make money. Sad fact is, in clothing, if you want to be successful, and not just eek out a living, relying on surf shops only isn't going to get it.
>>> Ummm, that's one way of looking at it. The other is that OP was very > savvy, in that instead of relying on a relatively small, cyclical business > with surf shops, they managed to crack the big time and do major numbers > with the name retailers. Loss of surf shop business was a blip on the > spreadsheet. Their downfall was more caused by mismanagement and overall > market conditions than anything else.The original crew made theirs and got > out. As for "don't sell your soul," there's nothing inherently > immoral about making the decision to expand your company, and make money. > Sad fact is, in clothing, if you want to be successful, and not just eek > out a living, relying on surf shops only isn't going to get it. You hit that on the head. I find it too easy for people today to say that a person or company has "sold their soul" regarding their balance sheet or to generalize about a thing they love being accepted beyond their small circle. I like what I like because it works - sell it at Costco sell it out of a cabin in the Dakotas, or on the moon.
My local Costco has boards in two sizes, 6'6" and 6'9". This seems a bit weird to me. Why are they selling shortboards? A random Costco customer has almost zero chance of actually using a shortboard. So to repeat the question, why would someone attempting to sell boards in bulk sell only shortboards?
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