Hi Martin
I have considered just leaving. But as my wife keeps telling me, we would be leaving a $60K, (not $150K), diamond laying in the grass for someone to pick up. Here on Oahu there are only 8 or 9 full time techs, but they are all as busy as I am. Yes, they will be able to pick up the slack, and some of my customers will probably go to them, anyway. But i care about my customers, and I want to make sure they are serviced by someone I can honestly recommend.
As far as someone coming here thinking they can get my customers by just placing an ad in the paper, that's not going to work. This is a very small island, and talk about personal recommendations, that's how this island operates. It's called the pineapple express. A life long Hawaii customer even asked me if I knew a grandfather clock repairman because she didn't want to pick one out of the Yellow Pages.
This will be a great opportunity for someone young and ambitious to step in and take over a very successful piano service business.
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Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-08-2020 19:04
From: Martin Snow
Subject: piano tuning business for sale
Willem, I've noticed this post over the last year or so and I'm wondering if you've considered alternatives to your outright sale. I'm sure I don't need to point this out but when you retire just by default the other local techs are going to pick up for no purchase price a good number of your customer tunings, and even an enterprising young tech. who moves to the island will similarly do quite well with some advertising of their services again without forking out 150k. I know that after 40+ years building and developing a business it's hard to let it go without the semblance of appropriate remuneration. I retired my 33 year Greater Boston customer tuning service area in 2019 when we moved to northern Vermont and a year earlier I had 'sold' my piano store and inventory to a local tech. The terms were acceptable to me and realistic to him without an outright sale. I have kept my same cell # and voicemail and so every call that comes in I forward to him and monthly he sends me a check for the agreed amount for each tuning or service call for that month. To this point I have been very pleased with this arrangement but fully expect that over the years this will decline. One advantage of having a good number of "once in a while tuning customers" is that they'll be calling for a few years fully expecting that I'm still in the area!,! I wish you all the best in life's next chapter...martin
www.snowpianos.com.
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Martin Snow
South Burlington VT
617-543-1030
Original Message:
Sent: 11-08-2020 01:25
From: Willem Blees
Subject: piano tuning business for sale
Piano Tuner Business for Sale in Hawaii
Last year I announced that I want to retire after working as a piano tuner for over 45 years. Since then I've advertised the business and while I've gotten a few prospects, no one has come forward to give a qualified offer.
The business I've developed in Hawaii has over 2000 customers and includes about 350 prescheduled appointments. I average 20 appointments per week, working 5 days a week, with some Saturdays, which has generated an average of about $150,000 in revenue for the past 3 years.
With a lot of people working from home, despite the pandemic, my business has been very strong this year. We have a very strong military presence, with quite a few bringing their piano, or buying used ones that need to be serviced. The other major employers are the medical and education sectors. Tourism, which was the driving force of the economy here until March, is slowly coming back, and is expected to be fully recovered in about a year.
The person I would like to have continue serving my customers should be an RPT, have good customer relations, a strong ethical standard, a pleasant personality, and comprehensive knowledge of pianos and piano service.
If you're interested in working in paradise, where the weather is always warm and sunny, (well, it does rain sometimes), please contact me for more information.
Wim Blees, RPT.
808-349-2943
Wim@Bleespiano.com
WWW.Bleespiano.com
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Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789
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