Strong foundations help music business survive turbulent times

“Once people went back to work, they started selling all the instruments they’d bought. For a while, the second-hand market was thriving and no one wanted new instruments.” 

Since then, the turbulence created by world events and external factors has continued. 

“Trump’s tariffs, the Ukraine war, the Iran war… all those things have had, and continue to have, a dramatic effect on the business. When 80% of your business is with US customers, the impact is huge.” 

It’s against this backdrop that the consultancy side of the business has come into its own, keeping the business afloat, but Iain also credits the skills he learnt on the Help to Grow: Management Course, which he completed at Queen’s University in Belfast in 2024, for the company’s continued survival. 

“We didn't quite expect it to go from boom to bust quite so quickly after COVID. Quite honestly, I think we'd be bankrupt now if I hadn't done the course. A lot of the procedures we put in place due to the course, and the strategic thinking we did then, allowed us to underpin the business enough to survive.” 

The focus on having the right processes in place was vital in creating a resilient business and the finance module proved particularly valuable. 

While increased fuel prices and shipping costs are still impacting profits, Iain is confident the changes they’ve implemented as a direct result of Help to Grow: Management, like setting aside the right amount of reserves and paying attention to their overheads before trading got tricky, will help them survive. 

“I think if we hadn’t done the course, we would not be standing at this point.” 

Getting the staffing structure right has also helped with the business’s resilience. 

“The course inspired me to learn to delegate a lot more so that I’m not facing burnout or running myself into the ground.” 

Before the course, the business had five staff. They now have six in the UK and employ additional workers in China on casual contracts when needed.  In addition, an existing team member was promoted to an operations manager role, freeing up Iain’s time for business development. 

“I was spending far too much time in the business rather than on the business. Our operations manager now takes care of a lot of the day-to-day stuff.  It means I’m able to look more strategically at where we’re headed next.” 

One of the business’s most exciting plans for the future includes creating an innovative new product of their own, sparked by conversations with academics at Queen’s University during the Help to Grow: Management Course. 

Working with researchers from the university, Iain is looking at developing a new guitar made out of flax, a traditional Northern Irish product.  

“It’s 100% sustainable, easy to grow and Northern Ireland has a long history of growing flax for the linen industry, so it has that heritage aspect to it too. We’re currently trying to perfect some of the processes for manufacturing but the idea is that at some point we have a product of our own that we can bring to market.”

Iain would thoroughly recommend the course to other business leaders, whatever stage they’re at. 

“I was in my mid-50s when I started it, but I thought ‘I might be long in the tooth, but you’re never too old to learn.’ I wanted to be up to date with modern business thinking.  

“It’s an investment of time, but it's definitely worth it in terms of understanding your business better and seeing how you can change some of the processes, and perhaps even change some of the people in it to make it more effective.  

“I loved the social aspect and the connections too. Hearing the struggles and the wins of other businesses going through similar things was really helpful. I would say those conversations over coffee and donuts were as important as the actual learning itself.”