United We Stand
Hi Friends!
There definitely seems to be a lot of anxiety floating around out there right now. I think it’s clear that interest rates and inflation have been creating a big impact on people’s ability to do business in a day-to-day capacity for a while now. Couple that with what most people see as a pretty unfavorable incoming political situation (regardless of what side you are on) and business owners, investors, employees, etc., in this space and beyond are understandably nervous.
Over the 4th of July weekend, I spent time reflecting on this and thinking about what we as Americans have done in past times of economic discomfort and how we’ve been able to move past them.
If there was ever a class that was taught on how to overcome things like this, Leo Fender of Fender Guitars would be a very solid professor.
As we all know, Leo Fender is widely regarded as the grandfather of the electric guitar and by default really responsible for initial origins of rock and roll in the United States and around the world. Things were not always so easy for Fender, however.
In the late 1950’s this country was changing and Americans were becoming more sophisticated. With new technology becoming available, consumers were demanding more from the products they purchased, and quickly. As a result, the standard Blonde finish of the base model Telecaster and two-tone Sunburst of his flagship Stratocaster were no longer meeting expectations. As serious collectors know now, Fender had a custom finish program that began sometime in the mid-1950’s, but it was primarily one off for special customers, and wasn’t available to the general public. As America entered the 1960’s, Fender knew he had to make a change.
As the average Americans obsession with brash, colorful automobiles grew and more people had access to color television, Fender knew he had to increase the number of available finishes across the marketplace, but he needed to do it quickly, affordably, efficiently, offer quality and capture imaginations all at the same time. The choice was clear for Fender. He needed to look directly to the automotive industry to save his still very fledgling young empire.
So, in 1960 in conjunction with DuPont, Leo Fender introduced an unprecedented 14 new colors on to the marketplace. Each, directly from the catalogs of the big three American automakers. Colors like Olympic White (from GM/Cadillac), Fiesta Red (as seen on the Ford Thunderbird and Fairlane) and Shell Pink (from Chrysler/DeSoto) became instantly iconic, vaulting Fender to the next level of his business and changing the musical instrument game around the world forever.
I think it’s important to look back and recognize events like this in American history. There’s not just examples within the business community, but painted everywhere across the canvas of America. When times get tough and challenges arise, we’re always better when we band together and help each other solve problems. Often times solving someone else’s problem can be the solution to solving your own, too.
It’s difficult to imagine that now would be different from any other time in that regard.
United we stand, divided we fall.
I hope everybody had a great 4th of July weekend!
That’s it for this week…
Darin Roberge