Success is something achieved after countless hours of hard work and dedication towards one’s goal. Those who think of it as something that can be gained after a one-nighter are always left disappointed. Whether it be a success in one’s career or the success of a business, it needs to be built gradually to assure stability. Whether a business starts as a small mom-and-pop store or as a giant corporation, an increase in business only comes after the business or the executives have spent ample time in their field and have an in-depth understanding of it. Many people think that with enough preparations made, a business can succeed without having made its place in the industry. Only a company with management that is well informed of their field’s inner workings can hope to make their climb to success a streamlined journey. A Real-world example of such a company can be seen when observing the success story of Gary Upton’s bass string instrument company “Upton Bass.”
Although true success is impossible overnight, there are still many ways one can expedite the process of achieving it. There are many marketing and advertisement techniques that help promote the brand name and bring it to the attention of the masses. However, only focusing on marketing and ignoring all other basic elements can also become the downfall of one’s business. When a client chooses a business, it is not the marketing magic that helps retain them. The only way a company can survive and flourish in today’s economy is by ensuring the quality of service received by the customers. It is imperative that the business devise a business plan that addresses a crucial problem of their targeted audience and the best quality of service while solving them. Upton Bass is a company that was built to address the commonly faced problem of stringed instruments artists with a high level of quality and attention to detail.
Gary Upton founded Upton Bass in 1999 in Jewett City, CT. The foundation of his business was set by Gary’s realization of an instrumentalist’s daily worries. For any musical artist that used a stringed instrument, their instruments were their greatest assets. Performers considered them a partner, and most usually preferred to use one specific stringed instrument for an extended time until there was no other choice but to replace them. A stringed instrument is probably the most delicate out of all other instruments in regards to the delicacy involved in tuning the string and retaining its tone. A musician’s life is a hectic one, to say the least, with their professional calendar usually pre-scheduled for months at a time. With shows scheduled back-to-back at a great distance, locations left little room for any unforeseen problems. But problems are unfortunately known to happen at the most inconvenient times. The biggest issue a stringed instrument artist could encounter is being on the road and needing their guitars tuned or repaired. Gary being a widely known bass guitarist, had experienced these issues all the time in his career and agreed to them being one of the most stressful times of his career. With their preferred instruments out of order, artists need to fall back on other replacements that have been observed to impact their performance negatively. A repair company that could provide superior quality of maintenance and repair was hard to find, and artists had to spend many days with their guitars out of commission.
Gary decided to end the suffering of his fellow artists and found Upton Bass that could be the answer they needed. Upton Bass opened for business in a shop in Jewett City. After the initiation of the business, there was a tide of clients wanting to get their guitars maintained by Gary and his team. The reason for this sudden surge in business immediately after starting was the name Gary had earned in the musical industry. His reputation exceeded him, and his audience and fellow musicians recognized him. Every artist knew that if there were anyone that could provide the quality of service they desired, that would be Gary’s, Upton Bass. Everyone that came to Upton Bass left content, and the company’s popularity grew to a level where they soon needed to shift to a bigger location in Downtown Mystic, CT, in 2004. Upton Bass started selling equipment as well and became known to sell only the highest quality guitars. Soon, they experienced a shortage of space and skills and needed to move again. However, this time their new location did not sit well with the founders, and the search for a new home for Upton Bass started immediately.
Upton Bass found its new home in a barn that existed unnoticed on Gary’s property. This barn had the charm that the founders desired, and everyone agreed to make this their new base of operations. Upton Bass has gained phenomenal success from the initial days and has grown significantly. They received awards such as the 2009 Silver Medal for overall tone by the International Society of Bassists and the 2013 Certificate of workmanship by the International Society of Bassists. The reason for this success was behind the years of hard work done by Gary as a bassist and the fame he earned. His previous fame became the selling point of his business, and he was awarded it with immediate recognition.
