Bingo you hit nail on the head, most people have zero idea the steps it take to turn raw wood into a Cue. Most Cuemakers have a large investment in equipment, wood, shaft wood, spray equiptment, and all the stuff & tooling etc. It takes to produce just one Cue.
cue maker question
- Thread starter trinacria
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Bingo you hit nail on the head, most people have zero idea the steps it take to turn raw wood into a Cue. Most Cuemakers have a large investment in equipment, wood, shaft wood, spray equiptment, and all the stuff & tooling etc. It takes to produce just one Cue.
it has nothing to do with how long it takes to make a cue or whether the virus set them back.
you call your customer if there is a delay and give him the option of cancelling the order . that is business. if you dont, the customer should cancel the order as you have shown your practices are not good and your work will likely reflect that.
in business if you give a time frame you stick to it or notify the customer that there is a problem. and let him decide what to do.
you call your customer if there is a delay and give him the option of cancelling the order . that is business. if you dont, the customer should cancel the order as you have shown your practices are not good and your work will likely reflect that.
in business if you give a time frame you stick to it or notify the customer that there is a problem. and let him decide what to do.
Thats wonderful buddy I am very happy that you haven't been effected by the virus. Every struggling business on the planet should take a note from your book and TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY to criticise others who are experiencing difficulties in these extremely tough times. . I suppose that must be the American way to kick others when they are down.
Wonderful guy, thankyou for the positive inspiration, but keep your negative thoughts about other businesses that might be struggling to yourself next time. As being a businesses owner of 27 years you should know a lot better than to judge others when times are tough.
Thats the least anyone can really ask from such a successful businessmen whose is a real business with offices and staff with water coolers and NOT a hobby business. This thread is a joke, there are people dying out there and people losing 27 years of hard work building businesses!!! It is no time for smart arses and trust me what goes around comes around and the more you judge others the more bad luck you are bringing on yourself.
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Yes in normal times, but you have no idea what position the company is in and how large their backlog is and how many customers they need to contact and what their human resources are. There might be one old guy sitting in the office with his head in his hands with no idea how to do the simplest tasks. There are so many variables that you may not be taking into account with such a sweeping statement. Very narrow minded in my opinion.
I run 3 businesses and shit has happened which I couldn't;'t have possibly have planned for. We have had internet cuts, telecommunications breakdowns and customers inquiring about orders I shipped in March that are still sitting at our local airport! Things are coming up against us that would blow your mind. There has to be some type of understanding that BUSINESS IS NOT AS USUAL AT THE MOMENT and everyone is doing their best. So let us stop moaning and complaining. We can all take pleasure in doing that when things get back to normal.
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Harold, you are referencing negativity and it feels like you are dishing some yourself.
I'm not looking to have an arguement with you, or anyone else for that matter, but I would like you to consider this:
If as the op said, his cuemaker promised him a sneaky in 2 weeks, isn't it reasonable to think that the cuemaker had knowledge that it can be done that quickly? It causes me to think he certainly had what he needed in his shop, no need to first start ordering, and maybe even further than that, that he poss had a sneaky or some sneakies already in the que just waiting to be finished. Speculative, I know, but a reasonable assumption I believe.
Since the op didn't indicate any followup from the cuemaker, this also causes one to think that there's something wrong on the cuemakers end. I'm exquisitely aware that a pandemic is underway and am in no way looking to 'kick others when they are down" and I'll also assure you that that kind of behavior would not "be the American way."
I'm 70 miles from NYC, one town over from me 35 died at the Shady Knoll Nursing Home, one of my d-i-l's is an RN at Columbia Presbyterian Hosp in NYC, she contracted Covid 19, my girl lives in a lovely north NJ apt building with approx 100 total residents; 11 died in that building, we had to extricate her from that situation for a month. There has been death and difficulty all around here. Suffice to say, I'm not in need of any further lessons on the effects or awareness of the pandemic.
You are mad with me because I responded to your telling the op that patience is a virtue by my saying I thought not bs'ing customers was also virtuous. If the cuemaker had a covid related delay; that could and should have been made known to his customers, imo. Then the customer can decide how patient they'd like to be - or not.
As it happens, we've become conditioned to many cuemakers missing their promise dates, and there wasn't even pandemics going on during those delays.
I'll give you this much, Harold. If the guy had a legit issue, covid related or not, on why he couldn't meet the finish date then cut him a break I would say. But have to keep in mind that if a guy says he'll have your sneaky in 2 weeks, I'm always gonna believe he doesn't have much left to do.
Finally, as for me judging others, I didn't think I was being overly judgy. Just thought I was offering my opinion to the op who solicited our opinions and suggestions.
Peace Harold. I think you're an okay guy.
best,
brian kc
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Nearing 70 i've been self-employed most of 50+ years though never been a great businessman. Have had up to 7 or 8 employees in past years a few decades ago. Among my gigs has been 1600 PA ave, & on outward. Not all small potatoes. So mostly "been there" though with little to show for it. 
Agree with kickinchicken.
When starting, people want the work more than the profit, and they hate to offend anyone. So in all good faith (but failing to be honest with themselves) it's easy to overpromise and underdeliver, offending everyone.
Currently i still do small quantity commercial millwork & make construction related specialty tooling, sometimes design/build furniture, occasionally collector (woodworking) planes, and off-n-on, 4 or 6 pt FS simple pool cues (sneakies). You can order furniture from me if the project is interesting enough. Planes and cues i never take orders & there is no waiting list (for the planes). You can't imagine how much that has pissed some people off. But i sleep pretty well and no one can say anything about my business practices, whatever happens.
Millwork & construction custom tooling everything happens on time. There is close communication with the GC, sometimes daily. You don't miss deadlines, you don't deliver substandard if they are paying for the best, and you don't avoid heads-up com the minute you suspect there might be an hour's delay let alone a week or more.
I don't have a stellar record (some would even say it's occasionally been pi$$ poor :sorry with time & delivery on furniture but at this date the customers i work with expect that, and my comm is almost flawless. Pics and narrative on at least a weekly basis. If it's necessary to stop and do a "real" job, I immediately tell them. They don't have to wonder, and they can decide to hold off on a progress payment if i'm not performing or stop to do a millwork job.
The other items, none of anyone's business but mine.
Sell 'em when they are ready in my own mind, to whoever waves cash at the time. Planes get to my agent in Canada and he finds a buyer and sends me cash.
For collector items unless it is going in a scheduled show, hitting perfect deadlines is seldom critical to the client. Beyond all ability to forecast, ship happens. But steady, reliable, honest communication is essential to most. Wouldn't you want the same?
I can't imagine selling FS sneakies to order. There's no profit in it, so why put yourself through the headache? Build 'em to suit yourself, then put them on the market.
smt
Agree with kickinchicken.
When starting, people want the work more than the profit, and they hate to offend anyone. So in all good faith (but failing to be honest with themselves) it's easy to overpromise and underdeliver, offending everyone.
Currently i still do small quantity commercial millwork & make construction related specialty tooling, sometimes design/build furniture, occasionally collector (woodworking) planes, and off-n-on, 4 or 6 pt FS simple pool cues (sneakies). You can order furniture from me if the project is interesting enough. Planes and cues i never take orders & there is no waiting list (for the planes). You can't imagine how much that has pissed some people off. But i sleep pretty well and no one can say anything about my business practices, whatever happens.
Millwork & construction custom tooling everything happens on time. There is close communication with the GC, sometimes daily. You don't miss deadlines, you don't deliver substandard if they are paying for the best, and you don't avoid heads-up com the minute you suspect there might be an hour's delay let alone a week or more.
I don't have a stellar record (some would even say it's occasionally been pi$$ poor :sorry
with time & delivery on furniture but at this date the customers i work with expect that, and my comm is almost flawless. Pics and narrative on at least a weekly basis. If it's necessary to stop and do a "real" job, I immediately tell them. They don't have to wonder, and they can decide to hold off on a progress payment if i'm not performing or stop to do a millwork job. The other items, none of anyone's business but mine.
Sell 'em when they are ready in my own mind, to whoever waves cash at the time. Planes get to my agent in Canada and he finds a buyer and sends me cash.
For collector items unless it is going in a scheduled show, hitting perfect deadlines is seldom critical to the client. Beyond all ability to forecast, ship happens. But steady, reliable, honest communication is essential to most. Wouldn't you want the same?
I can't imagine selling FS sneakies to order. There's no profit in it, so why put yourself through the headache? Build 'em to suit yourself, then put them on the market.
smt
bad times or not you are two months behind on a simple order you owe the customer a call. no excuse can be made unless in a coma and have no other employees.
i can can see why some defend them as that is how they would also conduct business. same kind of people that dont pay back a loan on time and dont call either and just avoid the person.
i can can see why some defend them as that is how they would also conduct business. same kind of people that dont pay back a loan on time and dont call either and just avoid the person.