I love Milt Sparks holsters. For the past 25 years they have had a six month to one year backlog, currently 40 weeks. If you clearly have that kind of demand why not hire and train more people to meet it? I get it takes time to train a skilled craftsman but this has been going on at least 25 years! I have ran my own business since 2007 and if I had that kind of “problem” I would have dealt with it long ago. Just think how many sales they miss because people say screw this I am not waiting that long. If they hired some more people I bet they could easily double their annual income.

They have all the money they want.

Owning a business and building to scale is harder than it seems. I deal with small business owners daily. We have plenty of small business owners who can weigh in on this. It's not 1+2 = 3

Which holster of theirs are you wanting?

This is so true. Adding more people at things is not a linear solution.

I agree it is not a linear progression and I understand small business. I have ran two, the first for six years until I sold it and the current one for 17 years. It is very difficult to ramp up capacity quickly but it can be done over time.

I just find it odd when businesses have that kind of backlog for decades and don’t try and meet the demand.

The holster I am looking for is an IWB for a Stacatto C2

A lot of factors go into scaling as was mentioned. It is also possible the company wants to remain small to ensure demand is high and prices can be reflected in that high demand. Lots of factors into the "why" a small company wants to remain small.

Maybe they just like the people that work there and want to keep it small and intimate. I for one have a fondness for a small intimate company that puts out a good product/service. If that means I need to wait some, then so be it.

Supply & Demand.
Hiring more people could lead to poorer quality.
Health insurance & all the other stuff goes up.
Some places just hire part/time workers , keep costs down.
Also, whin demand caught up, might have ta lay-off.
Then they might start own business, competitdown.

Lots of good reasons successful restaurants dont expand.
However, in your example I understand your sentiment.

I respect a company that isn't all about this quarters revenue. As mentioned above, growth is more complex than most people think, even for a small business. Prioritizing employee stability and product quality is probably why they are in demand.

^^^^This^^^ That is not a bad business model. Supply vs demand. Keep supply low and if quality is there demand will be there and keep prices high. I have a boat builder in South Texas that always has a 4 month-8 month backlog. There's also another benefit to running a business like this. It can help recession proof the business. The Boat business is VERY cyclical. Demand can be extremely high (2000-2002) or extremely low (currently). This particular builder has not had to endure the slowdown that the rest of us have. They keep building boats at fast as they can, and they are sold before they come off the assembly line. The backlog is just shorter during times of low demand.

I don’t know much about small business but worked for 2. One that eventually died and one that grew. Quality went down the drain about as quickly as growth occurred.

Somewhat like a restaurant that has a waiting line all the time. Much easier and economical to plan your staffing and product ordering. If you add on another room then you do more business sometimes but sometimes you may not. So you have to anticipate and adjust which can be done but not as easy as knowing everyday what to expect.
Javiers is the exception. He kept adding on and adding on and those Highland Park folks, and me, kept on coming.

Tony Kanaly worked for Milt Sparks, and took over the brand when Milt retired... but I haven't been to SHOT in a long time so no idea what kind of staff Tony has or has been successful in training AND retaining. Crafts like that, sometimes you become a revolving door with new hires in one side and fledgling competitors leaving through the other.

I guess I just see holsters as different than these examples. Boats are expensive to build and cyclical. Restaurants have busy and slow times. These folks take close to a year to make a holster and it has been this way for 20 years and never let up during good or bad times. I am not suggesting they expand into a crazy factory cranking out thousands a day or anything. Maybe my guesstimation of how many holsters they sell is way off but I would think adding 2-3 people could significantly move the needle on what they produce. Maybe it is one guy making them all by himself and he doesn't want to deal with employees I have no idea. As a businessman myself it just seems like such a missed opportunity as there are a million holster manufacturers out there and they must lose a ton of business due to the wait times. Sure some people will order and wait but I met a ton more won't and buy from a competitor.

I ran a small construction business for many years, around 15 employees. For one and a half years I doubled that to 30 employees. I didn't make any more money and worked a lot harder. I just couldn't keep my eye on everything like I could with 15. I spent all my time chasing work. I we back to 15 employees and was much happier.

Amen, work smarter!

It shows in stock for a Stacatto C2.

https://www.monkeyedge.com/milt-sparks-holsters-versa-max-2

I own and run my small business. I don't have a website. My phone, email and address are unlisted. The only way you can reach me the first time is by referral from someone who knows me. I have 2 employees. I make tons of money. No interest in engaging Joe public or the HR hassle of more employees. Work all over the world. Typically (odd exception like POs from municipalities that i know are good for the money) first time clients pay 100% up front before i will even order material - doesn't matter who they are or who referred them. Won't work for any religious organization ever no matter what they offer me. Won't work for anyone referred by my in-laws - no exceptions. My referrals are often off the record referrals from regulatory authorities who technically are not supposed to do that. My favorite clients are typically first generation rich people that came out of poverty and busted their balls to do it - like me. That's just how i roll and anyone who doesn't like it is free to go elsewhere. Over the last 25 years i have had many opportunities to grow bigger if i wanted to but it just does not suit me. I don't cheat my clients ever - but i also make damn sure i make good margin/profit on everything i do - i also tell my clients that up front.

For the record my business is design, construction and operations and maintenance of water and wastewater treatment facilities (Am a PE and have level 4 operators licenses across the board) - mostly do Safe Drinking Water Act And Water Resources Act sites where i have i reputation as a fixer that can make the bad guys (government enforcement officers) go away.

Sample referral sent by a sub contractor last week to someone that wanted my services:



I am a control freak and know it. That being said in 25 years (started my gig in mid 30s - should have started earlier) i have never been stiffed for a single penny.

Small businesses that are crafts or skilled tradesman do not hire many employees to protect the quality of their products. If it is a one man shop or a partnership the business bookeeping is pretty simple

Add employees the bookkeeping becomes a monthly or quarterly expense. Employee insurance, payroll bookkeeping, quarterly reports and payments to the IRS and to the state.

Quality, there are enough threads about the quality of some of today's employees. Leather work takes experienced or trained people. A month of training is a drop in the bucket, that's all lost production time. A lot of material costs will be lost in the training period.

If after a year the employee quits, that would be a huge loss to the owner

6 months of lost production during the training of the employee and the owner. If the employee was good, he/she could become competition by creating his own business.

Quality and low production from small one man shops causes high prices but are usually worth it.

I never owned a business but i would bet my paycheck the biggest headache is dealing with employees

Across the street from where I work is a small restoration shop that does all their vintage Ferrari, Bugatti, and Mercedes-Benz work by hand using traditional methods. Many of the cars are seven or even eight digit insured when complete. Bob, the owner, must want to take on your project for it to get done regardless of how much money you have. And don't ask how much or how long. The waitlist to start most projects is 36 months. When you're the best, you can set your own tempo.

Are these holsters that good? I have no idea.

Owning a small business does not mean scaling up. More sales do not equal more profit and owning a business is much better than a business that owns you, I hope Milt Sparks has a balanced life, spends time w family and works on his passion!!!

Seems there's always that one to deal with. Hiring lately is a real PITA, slim pickings.