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    The Great Gordino Newsletter - Issue 329 - Mon 22nd Aug 2005
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    Archive Issues online at - gordonbryan.com/archive

    Hi There,

    I hope all's well with you.

    I had a great weekend, I went to my friends' wedding.
    I lodged with them for over 3 years, so it was nice to see them
    get married.
    I think it's only the 3rd, possibly 4th wedding I've been to, and
    one of *those* was my own, so it's a fun day for me.

    Last week I mentioned that my credit card had offered me the
    chance to put any picture I liked on my credit card, and I have
    taken them up, using my Great Gordino picture.

    At the moment, the card I use from them has the 'Union Jack'
    on it.
    Funnily enough, the last 2 people who have seen it have
    commented that it looks a bit National Front.

    The National Front is an odious organisation, that says Britain
    should be for the British only, and white British at that.
    They march around with British and English flags, so much so
    that if I display my own country's flag, or express pride at being
    British, I run the gauntlet of being seen as a bit racist.

    Personally I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life, and
    I almost find that justifying my non-racism only furthers the
    problem.

    Anyhoo, the reason for that mini rant is that today's story is
    about a great success story in the world of British industry, and
    it's something to be proud of.

    One of the jam night regulars is a chap called Dave Simpson.
    Everyone calls him Dave Gummy, because his band is called The
    Gummy Babies.
    He plays his self-written heavy rock, has a new cd coming out
    shortly, and since he has given me this story today, his website
    is at:
    Gummy Babies

    Dave is a whizz on the guitar, when he gets in full flow, his
    hands look like 2 spiders having a wrestling competition up and
    down the guitar.
    He also likes volume, and uses Marshall amplifiers.
    Sometimes when they need a tweak here and there, he gets
    them repaired at Marshall's factory.

    Last week he told me was going up there to collect something,
    and did I fancy a trip.

    I decided I would, so we drove the 100 mile journey to the
    factory.
    It's a massive facility, and Dave was thrilled to get his picture
    taken with Jim Marshall, the founder of the business.

    As we were having a burger afterwards, I asked Dave what Jim
    Marshall's story was, as I didn't know it.

    I do now.
    You will shortly.
    Jim Marshall was originally a drummer.
    He started giving drum lessons, and then started selling sticks
    and other accessories to his students.

    One day he was fiddling with a bass amplifier made by the
    American company Fender.

    The changes he made sounded so good that he used the amp
    for guitar instead of bass, and the word started to spread about
    Marshall amps.

    That's basically how it started, and it now stands as a huge
    British company, with a much loved and demanded product all
    over the world, an industry leader.

    Jim Marshall was awarded the OBE, and still travels all over the
    place to trade fairs, well into his 80s.

    Three things struck me during our visit.
    Firstly, they bent over backwards to accomodate us, letting us
    say hello to Jim, getting him to sign things, first class customer
    service.

    Little things, but things which stick as associated with the brand
    name, and that's a key to long term success.

    Secondly, Marshall's success came from him doing something he
    loved, following his passion.
    Again, this is an important factor in success - if you follow your
    passion, you shouldn't go far wrong.

    Thirdly, when he started, he didn't set out to create the huge
    multinational company he now has.

    His success, like so many others, came from using his brain to
    realise that by making some small changes, he could offer a
    better service, or in this case, product, than what was currently
    available.

    This has been the route followed by so many successes, like
    Virgin, eBay, and Google.

    It was a distinct possibility that on the drive home, Dave could
    have been bored senseless by my waffling about our visit, but
    he's a reader of this newsletter anyway, so he was glad to
    provide a story.
    Also, whenever I began to bore him, he simply cranked up the
    volume on the ipod Motorhead songs!

    Ok, that's it for today, have a good week, and next time you
    see music acts, try and see if they have Marshall amps in the
    background!

    'Til Next Time,
    Health and Happiness,
    Gordon
    email me at gordon@gordonbryan.com - you'll have to copy and paste
    thanks to the idiot online spammers!



    
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