Could you please research my forum and post the 1000+ positive reviews and threads to even out the balance a little?
I hate to beat this horse, and I do not like threads which expose any maker to unwarranted personal attacks. However, since Mr. Koster has chosen to wade in and defend himself, and since there is value to this thread vis a vis education for those conducting a business, I have a question for you, Dan;
Firstly, of those 1000+ positive reviews, how many were responses to either your business method or to general after sales service?
In this industry, it appears that there are many enthusiasts willing to fly a maker's banner for them if the maker provides innovative and interesting designs and quality materials.
The number of these enthusiasts can potentially increase with the overall number of knives produced. So too, can the number of disillusioned or dissatisfied enthusiasts.
The problem is, if there is a critical mass reached with the latter group, then their effect on your business can become exponential.
This leaves the business owner/entrpreneur/knife maker constantly looking for new customers who may not have the historical knowledge that the long term patrons may have.
Although the cutlery industry seems in many ways to be growing, the high end is still a fairly small pond.
It is a real trick to grow your customer base, as a private enterprise. What is trickier is keeping the customer base you have, whilst growing it.
There is no doubt that when omelets are made, eggs get broken. The broken eggs can either be tossed aside to rot, or assimilated into the omelet, making it larger and tastier. I know that is a stupid metaphor, but I haven't yet had my coffee, and I hope that it's at least clear.
I hope that I do not sound too preachy, but as a business owner myself, I have seen all too often in my industry the exact same thing I'm seeing here.
