----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 9:58 PM
Subject: [motm] Shipping Status
This is to re-iterate a previous message about current shipping status and to
try to set the 'tone of expectation' in the months to come.
a) I am ∗out of kits∗ until the end of this month. In order to ship as many kits
as possible before Christmas, I did not re-stock the last quarter of 2003. Why?
Because re-stocking takes ∗time∗, and I wanted to spend as much time as possible
shipping and building assembled modules. I shipped more modules the last quarter
of 2003 than I did in any previous year. Even though I shipped about 100 less
total modules in 2003 than in 2002, in the last 6 weeks of the year, I set a
personal record for shipments. Even though I planned to stop shipping on Dec.
15th, I shipped all the way up to Christmas Eve.
b) After that, I took 3 weeks off.
c) Since then, I had to spend 1 full week on taxes. I am a S Corporation, I have
about 65 ∗pages∗ of tax stuff. In order to "run the expenses" for 2003, I have
to hand-sort, tally and categorize over 300 invoices, PayPal receipts, etc.
d) So, I have been back into MOTM re-stocking for about 3 weeks. And I have 3
weeks to go until the kits begin to replenish. I have 1200 jacks, 200 switches,
900 pots and 800 knobs to assemble and sort out. I have placed orders for
$17,000 of sheet metal and $10,000 of pc boards. All the while trying to catch
up on the '510 finishing touches, the '650 firmware testing, and other stuff
like shipping 40 CEM chip orders piling up.
e) As stated many times, in many ways, I simply cannot go any faster. I do not
∗want∗ to go any faster. This is to try to prevent burn-out. I had a dose of it
after Christmas. I do not want to raise prices 40% to "speed things up". I do
not want strange people in my house bagging parts. I ∗DO NOT∗ want to use MOTM
to support my family (which I did in 2003, but not any more). I wish I had the
government pay 60% of my (phantom) employee's salary (Germany). I wish I had 7
full-time workers that were paid by a parent company (a US manufacturer). On the
other hand, I don't want to hole up, have no website or email, and reduce my
user base to 10 people (another US manufacturer).
f) Just because email can get from you to me in 3 seconds, please to not expect
a reply in 1 minute. I may, and probably will, reply in 1, 2 or maybe 3 days. If
you want more immediate response, pick up the phone and call 817-498-3782
between 8PM and midnight Texas time. Part of my own problem is in 2002 and 2003,
I spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME on the Internet. I look at the emails, I sometimes I
will respond right after I read them. But, and please try to understand this
"odd" behavior, just because I don't immediately reply doesn't mean I'm 'blowing
you off'. It means that I'm tired, I'm working, and I have decided a response
can wait.
g) For the overly-paranoid: no, I'm not "shutting down" and "winding things up".
What I am doing is trying to catch up, but in an orderly fashion. I will be the
first to admit that in the past, my way of doing "business" has been erratic,
because MOTM was never designed to ∗be∗ a business. MOTM is a ∗hobby∗, although
as hobbies go you have to admit it's elaborate :) I try to please everyone, but
I can't. I miss promised ship dates (by many months). Orders fall into black
holes. I make the occasional billing mistake. In other words, I screw up just
like anybody else. But I certainly try to get as much of it right as I can.
h) Looking ahead: I've learned my lesson. I'm not going to announce ∗anything∗
until it's ready to ship. I mean, sitting here, with manuals, etc. ready to go
out the door. So, it may be 8 months from now until something 'new' shows up.
But, I think that's the best way to set expectations going forward. Trust me,
I've thought long and hard trying to figure out what to do (sell out, abandon
ship, you name it). The pressure of 2003 was the worst I've been under since EE
undergrad school. I want to continue, JH and I have plenty of ideas in our
nearly 50yr old brains, and I hope that you will all allow me to get over this
last shipment "hump". I am lucky I even ∗have∗ a backlog. I am ∗astonished∗ that
between MOTM, Oakley, Encore and Stooge, there are more MOTM format modules in
use than Moog produced in 12 years. Hang in there, I'm going back to work now,
and keep the irons warm.
Paul S.