a business model

[greenoak]

we deal with an amish family ....they build for us...they are so good , andi thought some might be interested in another persons way to look at their business.. ... their model is ...THEY CAN DO ABOUT ANYTHING WE NEED..fast ande at the agreed price..... from wood work, to replacing glass, to special woods, to stained glass, to bending metal for tables..to replicating saws,,,.. its pretty amazing...we dont have to mess with any of their sub guys...they do it all and they take the responsibility..they are super accurate and careful....they do what they say.... .we dont even have to know the stained glass man..we very very rarely hear about any problems or have delays..... they apparantly have a great network going on within their small tight community ..and all within horse riding range for them....they dont drive or have electricity....they do have a very high tekkk gas run shop.....and menards delivers to them every week...
we have been wlth them about 6 yrs....son jon goes there and delivers and picks up every week...they are super fast also...
they arent cheap but they are high quality and say yes to about anything we come up with....and they turn our designs into reality....they save us so much hassle...and we love dealing with just one person and not all the ones it really takes to get our things done...

[greenoak]

ps....they have no internet...they do have a little community phone booth out by the road...
...i think about this model and know its not for us.... we cant offer it because it is the opposite of our niche...we are all about ;;as is where is, cash and carry....... and the huge price raise offering this much service would change our whole niche and probably ruin our business...and we probably wouldnt be that good at it..or know reliable enough subcontractors......
but it does make you think ....and it resolves a lot of problems for us and we totally benefit from being their customer.. we spend a lot with them every week... ....i could think of a lot of businesses that could be based on this idea.... ..
i guess this is too wonky a subject for here, since no response.......but i really like seeing other ways to do things....how other businesses look at the world.....and im kind of amazed at how these families survive and support each other in a bad economy with no car and when their customers cant even call them on the phone........
the amish businesses have a really good rate of survival....much higher than average...just read about that somewhere...

[Spider]

It might look good on the surface, Ann - and certainly is from a quality and service point of view - but think about the cost of living of such folk as don't use cars and telephones and all the other accoutrements of modern life. There might also be much to be said for such a simple life, too. But the rest of the world doesn't live like that, so I cannot see such a business model being valuable to business at large.

There might be some lessons to be learned but the high cost you mentioned and the apparent low income the workers receive would make it untenable as a general business model. Who would be their customers? Only folk who did not live and work in a similar world.

[greenoak]

they are about the hardest workers i know...and efficient, and totally focussed on their work .....i dont look at them as simple ..they offer a service and have happy customers...and they definitley arent cheap in any way..i dont know what they pay but i dont figure its low.....im not sure but i would guess they make a lot of money for their time..they have a big house and land ....their customers arent necessarily in the amish community....we arent amish....and most of their customers who i know arent amish...they are just paying for great wood work..hardly anyone can do what they do...its almost a lost art.....they are different...but they still have to make a living...
...they have a super expensive high tekk woodshop....even a system that sucks up the sawdust...
we work on a small margin... if we added custom it would be a whole different thing...thats their niche, not ours... ...
i can think of lots of applications for their recipe...like taking over a stores advertizing and printing..doing all the web things for somebody..... being responsible for a stores trucks and cars.... elder care.... many ideas are coming to mind...total lawn care....where one guy takes care of lots of details and deals with the best people for them...leaving the customer happy and served...and just having to deal with one person..
also....for me on retailer forums , since we own the property, others often say that our store doesnt have the expenses that renters have....its true in a way but just not quite right...but an easy assumption....the amish carpenters having a simple easy life is in that boat maybe.....

[dynocat]

One thing you haven't mentioned, ann, is just the descriptor word "Amish," alone connotes "handcrafted," "quality," "handmade," "real wood," "hardwood," etc. They, nor you, as the reseller, need to do any marketing selling product features and benefits. It's built into the name. That's why Amish furniture, etc. is sold all over the country far from their places of manufacture. The name alone demands high prices, so it's unlikely customers haggle over pricing either.

[greenoak]

thats sure a plus..ha ha , my customers would haggle over anything..
i love it that our huge cabinets are pulled out of chicago , sometimes in pieces, and driven down the huge multi lane dan ryan express and then taken to the horse and buggy amish to be rehabbed for our customers.......it gives them a little soul...

[Paper Shredder Clay]

That is not necessary true. I know some Amish people who use credit card machines, telephones and a couple computers but not much. They are successful because they care in the quality of their work.

[greenoak]

you cant really totally generalize about the amish....what is allowed is up to the local bishop...our amish connection doesnt have credit card machines or computers...they are allowed a community phone booth...
. i know the amish have a great reputation.....but they have slackers too...our crew is really good...and dependable...
ann