Podcast appearances and mentions of Chuck Surack

Are you ready to discover how a company can truly put the customer first and inspire a community through music? In this episode of Thrive LouD with Lou Diamond, we dive into the remarkable journey of Sweetwater, a company that has become a pillar in the music and audio industry. Our guest, Justin Dunbar, the Director of Customer Experience at Sweetwater, shares the story of the company's growth from its humble beginnings in the back of a VW bus to becoming a billion-dollar business with a unique focus on customer relationships. Key highlights of the episode include: The Origin Story: Learn about Chuck Surack's vision in the late '70s that led to the creation of Sweetwater and how the company's foundation in customer experience has remained strong to this day. Building Connections: Justin explains the important role of sales engineers and how they create personalized experiences for Sweetwater customers by sharing their expertise and passion for music. Handling a Pandemic Surge: Discover how Sweetwater adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to accommodate an influx of new customers, particularly in the booming podcasting and home studio markets. Community Engagement: Justin shares Sweetwater's impact on the local community in Fort Wayne, Indiana, through charitable initiatives, music education, and support for local nonprofits. To delve deeper into Sweetwater's offerings and learn how they can elevate your musical journey, visit Sweetwater.com and explore their extensive range of products, expert advice, and remarkable customer service. Join us on this episode to understand why Sweetwater is not only a leader in audio equipment but also a champion of customer experience and community engagement. TIMESTAMPED OVERVIEW 00:00 Building Customer-Centric Music Experiences 05:52 Tailored Sales Engineer Matching 09:14 Sweetwater's Personal Touch Experience 12:29 Sweetwater's Impact on Fort Wayne 13:56 Sweetwater's Boom During COVID 17:24 Sweetwater's Unmatched Audio Gear Sales 24:12 Sweetwater's Employee Wellness Culture 25:40 Sweetwater's Expert Community & Innovation Follow Us:

After building a billion-dollar music business, Chuck Surack is applying the lessons he learned to save an aviation icon. He talks about his passion for flying helicopters, why he decided to buy Enstrom, and the challenge of restarting production. Chuck also offers plenty of tips for growing a business and creating a culture of excellence, with some peeks behind the scenes at Sweetwater. In the Ready to Copy segment, Chuck shares his favorite place to land a helicopter, what he looks for when hiring an employee, and what it was like to work with Stevie Wonder.SHOW LINKS: Enstrom Helicopter: https://enstromhelicopter.com/ Sweetwater: https://www.sweetwater.com/ PilotWorkshops Mastery: https://pilotworkshop.com/products/vfr-mastery/

Join Mark for the latest episode of the Chief Executive Summit, featuring Mike Clem, CEO of Sweetwater, the nation's largest online retailer of musical instruments and audio/video equipment for creators. Mike shares his inspiring journey from tech and e-commerce professional to leading Sweetwater—a $1.5 billion company with over 10 million customers and a culture centered on building lifelong relationships. After two pianos and four trumpets later, Mark is sold on Sweetwater. Key insights from the conversation: Heart and Culture: Sweetwater thrives by fostering one-to-one relationships and providing over-the-top customer service, from free tech support to personalized guitar inspections. Mike discusses how this culture was shaped by founder Chuck Surack, who started the company in 1979 in the back of a VW bus. Leadership Transition: Mike shares how his 20 years with Sweetwater prepared him to step into the CEO role, including his commitment to preserving its people-first culture while navigating rapid growth. Employee Engagement: With 2,700 employees, Mike emphasizes the importance of leadership accountability for team happiness and engagement, noting how this approach strengthens customer experiences. Balancing Stakeholders: Learn how Mike leads with heart while balancing the needs of employees, customers, investors, and the community. This is a masterclass in scaling with purpose and staying true to core values in leadership. Don't miss it!

In this episode of Indiana 250 Off the Record, host Nate Feltman talks with Chuck Surack, founder of Surack Enterprises and Sweetwater Sound. Chuck shares his journey from touring the country as a saxophonist and keyboard player with several bands and then eventually starting Sweetwater Sound, one of the world's largest retailers of musical instruments and audio equipment. After selling a controlling interest in Sweetwater in 2021, Chuck has focused on various entrepreneurial ventures and philanthropy.  Today Surack Enterprises includes companies in aviation, real estate development, hospitality, eyecare and sports.  Chuck has been a major player in the redevelopment of Fort Wayne's downtown and a supporter of music education in Northeast Indiana.  Chuck also shares his thoughts on the decision to close Indy's downtown heliport and the future of professional soccer in Indiana.   Facebook: facebook.com/IBJMediaGroup X: x.com/ibj_media Instagram: Instagram.com/ibjmedia LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ibjmedia IBJ Media: https://www.ibjmedia.com/ Indiana 250 website: https://www.indiana250.com/ 

Northeast Indiana's continued growth This week, we are in Fort Wayne for our Engage Indiana series. We talk with business and community leaders about projects transforming the city and region like never before. We also talk with Fort Wayne-based Do It Best CEO Dan Starr about the just completed acquisition of True Value, creating the “largest hardware cooperative on the planet.” The Terminator joins Warsaw company Arnold Schwarzenegger is officially on the Zimmer Biomet payroll in a new position created just for him. It's one of the biggest orthopedic medical device companies in the world and the first to sign on a celebrity. Indianapolis Omni Severin Hotel's $24M makeover The oldest luxury hotel in downtown Indianapolis has unveiled a new look. We'll show you the new art deco style and how it honors the hotel's history. The Story of Sweetwater Sweetwater, the largest music retail company in the nation, was founded in Fort Wayne. Chuck Surack, who joined our Engage Northeast Indiana panel, shares the story of its path to success.

Lindsey Graham wants to move Secret Service from DHS to Treasury. Making Indianapolis the sports capital. Chuck Surack buys downtown Indy hotel to put damper on Hogsett's plans for heliport Another Kamala Accent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Helicopter Podcast, host Halsey Schider speaks in person at HAI Heli Expo with Dennis Martin from Enstrom Helicopters, an organization with a rich heritage in the aviation industry. Martin shares insights into the pivotal moments and achievements that have defined Enstrom's identity over the years. He discusses his extensive experience with the company, from his initial roles to his current position, and what makes flying an Enstrom helicopter a unique experience. With new leadership under Chuck Surack, Enstrom is navigating a course toward innovation while staying true to its roots. Hear about the latest innovations that continue to distinguish Enstrom helicopters in terms of reliability and versatility across various industries, as well as the company's strategy for global expansion and supporting their existing fleet. 

What does candy, Dolly Parton, and sound equipment all have in common? The guest of this week's podcast, CEO of Sweetwater, Chuck Surack. In this episode, Chuck tells the origin story of Sweetwater from VW Bus to 1,000,000 Sq Ft of space. Then, Josh asks the question we all want to know - why does Sweetwater send out so much candy with each purchase… and the answer is so wholesome.00:00 Intro01:48 Josh's Love Of Sweetwater02:53 Sweetwater's Origin Story15:35 Why Sweetwater Sends Out 350,000 Pounds Of Candy A Year20:49 Chuck As A Non-Typical CEO25:17 Josh's Closing Questions -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-► Special Podcast Listener Deal On Our Scientific Facebook Ads Testing Course + Free 30-Minute Ads Expert Call Included (Only $10) ► Leave Us An Honest Rating, Email An Image Of Your Rating To team@theecommercealley.com, We'll Send You A $10 Amazon Gift Card As An Appreciation Gift!► Follow Josh on social media: YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | ► Click here to join our free Facebook group to get additional resources & access to weekly LIVE workshops that will help grow your revenue.

Chuck Surack, founder of Sweetwater Sound, shares his journey of music, entrepreneurship, and leadership, emphasizing the importance of serving people well and persevering through challenges. From a VW bus to one million square feet, God has used Chuck and his family to impact so many in Fort Wayne and beyond. Links & Episode Notes Chuck Surack Sweetwater Surack Family Foundation SweetCars Growing up in southern Ohio Boy Scouts of AmericaScout Law Beginnings of Sweetwater Mobile recording studioVolkswagen Bus NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Kurzweil K250 Macintosh 512K What's in the water?Sweetwater training process Effect of the pandemic Growing as a leader amidst success Approach to hiring Looking for servant leaders Beyond Sweetwater Surack Enterprises Longe Optical Big decisions Choosing not to participate in the '08 recession Rising to the occasion of leading during the pandemic Selling Sweetwater in August 2021CEO Mike Clem Lessons that come with success The Sweet Life Love Fort Wayne Made to Advance is a production of Engedi Church and is hosted by Brian Aulick.

Jason Koons has been with Sweetwater since mid 2000 when he accepted an internship in the Sales Department with ambitions of working his way into the recording studios( background and schooling). He was 20 years old and didn't really know who he was was yet, but quickly fell in love with all things Sales & Business Development. He spent 22 years truly sprinting, learning all he could about the craft and being an intentional student of sales, and that led to being the top producer for the company 17 of his 22 years as a Sales Engineer. What's more, those weren't just 17 years straight but each and every month of that as the top producer…203 consecutive months. He held the honor of having talked to more customers of Sweetwater's over his tenure than any other Sales Engineer and in his final month in that role, made the decision to find fulfillment in leadership at Sweetwater Sound.   In January of '22 he accepted the role of Director of Sales Growth & Development where he could focus on bringing the already successful top-performers at Sweetwater to their next levels, as well as contribute to overall sales initiatives and company motions while growth continued. Jason grew up as an adult at Sweetwater…He is very grateful for the opportunities in life this company has afforded him and his family (and countless other families) and he cares deeply about maintaining Chuck's original vision and ethos while exploring new areas of growth.   Jason Quotes: "This is about, really, chasing your bliss and, and finding your creative outlets." "Chuck Surack was and is still the most successful person I've ever met. So it just made sense for me to just model my ethos and, what I did around what he had done." "The thing I think I'm most proud of is that while, these days we're nearly a 1.7 billion company, 23 years after I had started, the culture aspect of it from 40 sales engineers to now 612 sales engineers, it just hasn't changed." jason_koons@sweetwater.com https://www.sweetwater.com/   Featured song for this episode is "Ride On", check it out on Spotify here https://open.spotify.com/track/5VQzjlHv7qZzyZIOSGkhjU?si=eb0d5a683f2e43d8 For a custom-branded song you can reach James at james@thejamesoconnoragency.com   Apple podcast review link Please leave us a 5 Star review, its easy to do, and really helps up out to grow the show! https://digitalhealthtoday.com/support/how-to-review-itunes/ Thank you for doing this my friends! Be blessed, James~  

In 1979, musician Chuck Surack started a business in Fort Wayne called Sweetwater Sound by creating a mobile recording studio in a Volkswagen Bus. Fast-forward a bit more than four decades, and Sweetwater has evolved into one of the nation's most prominent e-commerce sites for musical instruments and audio gear, with $1.6 billion in sales for 2022. Surack and his wife, Lisa, had total ownership of the company until 2021 when they sold a big stake to a private equity firm. The Suracks have used that money to help further their already extensive philanthropic giving. Chuck also has more time to focus on Surack Enterprises, a collection of companies unrelated to Sweetwater, including several that stem from his interest in aviation. And that's the reason why Chuck has been in the news in Indianapolis in recent weeks. The Indianapolis Airport Authority wants to decommission the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport, a move that's supported by the city of Indianapolis due to the site's attractiveness for redevelopment. Chuck is helping lead the charge to persuade the Federal Aviation Administration to deny permission to decommission the heliport. Chuck has a helicopter charter company that uses the heliport, but he also joins aviation experts and the Indiana Department of Transportation in arguing that the heliport is uniquely positioned to advantage of new developments in urban aviation. That includes electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically. In this week's edition of the IBJ Podcast, Surack sheds more light on his decision to sell a controlling stake in Sweetwater and step away from day-to-day operations. And he explains the reasoning behind his desire to keep the heliport open. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

Our guest today is Jeffery Green. Jeffrey is a professional sales engineer, musician, composer, and theorist with Sweetwater, the world's largest online musical instrument retailer, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He holds a Bachelor of Music & Music Engineering Technology from Ball State University, where he also won a Distinguished Music in 2012. He holds certifications from Avid/Digidesign, Apogee, Moog Pro, and is skilled with recording, synthesizers, software/DAWs, MIDI, and controllers. He is also a talented and experienced cellist, with experience performing on the electric cello at raves, classical recital halls, clubs and festivals.Topics discussed:Jeffrey's beginnings and interest in the cello, his background in electronic music and recording, his career in musical instrument retail with Sweetwater, Sweetwater's founder Chuck Surack. his certifications from manufacturers such as Avid, Apogee, Moog, etc., the unique ideas behind Sweetwater's campus and their philanthropic efforts, Providence Equity's purchase of a majority share of Sweetwater stock, the historical changes and predictions for the future of musical instrument retail, Jeffery's most unusual experiences in this business, and the relationship between MFM and Sweetwater and possible collaborating to empower musicians. He also offered some information about possible Sweetwater discounts for MFM members. Music on this episode:"Tangled" by Jeffrey Green and Steve Stoll, from the album Tangled,  for the ambient label Datebloem in 2009"Rift Raft" by Jeffrey Green and Griffin Green, for the TV series of the same name"Cello Improvisation" Live performance by Jeff Green

This episode is about a different kind of displacement - rock musicians forcibly removed from doing the only thing they know how to do. Live rock is the nation within our nation, and the coronavirus pandemic stopped it cold. How have musicians survived in exile? What are the ways rockers have exercised their expressive spirit after physical connection with live audience is removed from the rock equation? You're about to delve into a music industry changing by the minute. You're about to get inside the human mind of performance artists; their lives, their hearts and their ideals. You're about to hear from celebrities who have been the backbone of the Minneapolis music scene. And you'll be there in the end when one rocker, against all the setbacks placed before him, attempts to make his big comeback. Get ready to rock. This is American Refugee. Mike Michel, rock guitarist Brian Liebeck, Icehouse, club owner Nathan Krantz, First Avenue, booking agent Chuck Surack, CEO, instrumental retail Tom Garneau, studio engineer Jacob Slichter, musician and author Youa Vang, journalist and promoter Written, Engineered & Produced: Sam Graber Music: Mike Michel Recorded: Minneapolis, MN Original Release: April 2021 https://odaction.com/americanrefugee

Hear from Chuck Surack, the Founder & CEO of Sweetwater Sound.  Chuck shares his insights on growth and innovation. 

The inspiring story of Chuck Surack who started in a VW Bus and has grown Sweetwater.com to over $1B in sales. Chuck is a humble man who does a lot for music education on top of being a business leader in online music instrument sales. www.sweetwater.com See all brands here: www.sweetfamilyofcompanies.com #sweetwater #CEO #music #vwbus #guitars

Join Mike, Dan and Ashley this week in remembering the iconic saxophonist, Boots Randolph. Not only was he a major player in the Nashville Sound playing on such hits as “Return to Sender” and “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” but had his own smash hit with “Yakety Sax!” In Boots' 2003 NAMM interview you will hear from the man himself as well as Chuck Surack, Founder of Sweetwater Sound and Tim Smith, Studio Musician and Professor at Frost School of Music who sat down to remember their dear friend.

From humble beginnings, Chuck Surack started one of the largest retailers of musical equipment. Why is Chuck on our podcast you ask? Because if you have ever participated in one of our trainings, you will see that Chuck sings from the exact same hymnal as Garage Composites.

NEWS Nielsen's mid-year recorded music report has some interesting data pointsKorg and Roland get big fines in the UK GUEST Sweetwater Sound's founder and CEO Chuck Surack Chuck Surack supplemented his playing career as a sax and keyboard player with a makeshift recording studio in the back of a his Volkswagen bus. That mobile studio was the departure point for what was to become the largest online music retailer in the world - Sweetwater Sound. The company now ships over 3,300 guitars, 830 keyboards, 460 drum kits, and 5,300 microphones every week from its facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  As successful as Sweetwater is, what you probably don’t know is that Chuck also owns a dozen other business in the area, including a luxury car dealership SweetCars, private charter business companies Sweet Aviation and Sweet Helicopters, and optical retailer Longe Optical, in many cases rescuing the business from bankruptcy to save local jobs. During the interview we talked about the surprising history of Sweetwater, the musical instrument business before and after the coronavirus, how the company finds high quality employees, the big difference between buying from Sweetwater or Amazon, and much more. On the intro I’ll take the latest look at recorded music sales in Nielsen’s half-year report, and why both Korg and Roland got slapped with huge fines in the UK for their business practices. var embedVars = { epId: 47575511, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };

NEWS Nielsen’s mid-year recorded music report has some interesting data points Korg and Roland get big fines in the UK GUEST Sweetwater Sound’s founder and CEO Chuck Surack Chuck Surack supplemented his playing career as a sax and keyboard player with a makeshift recording studio in the back of a his Volkswagen bus. That mobile […] The post Episode #326 – Nielsen Mid-Year Music Report, Korg And Roland Get Fined, And Sweetwater’s Chuck Surack appeared first on Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle Podcast.

Chuck Surack is the founder of the online music retailer Sweetwater. The business employs over 1800 people and is privately owned by Chuck and his wife. Chuck's business began in 1984 with a now legendary story of his discovering and reverse engineering the Kurweil keyboard. The business has expanded in many directions since. While many businesses are struggling amidst the pandemic, Sweetwater is currently thriving. Chuck has long been a supporter of his community and businesses of his hometown Fort Wayne, Indiana. We talk about the importance of putting people first, constant professional development, and the little touches that help a business stand out. Episode Highlights We start by talking about growing up in Indiana (05:44) and go on to discuss: (07:55) A high touch customer experience (12:45) Building a strong culture (19:09) Supporting and growing other businesses (25:00) The changing music scene amidst the pandemic (30:25) Buying back a company (40:12) Personalizing product and packaging (44:15) Professional development as a company priority For more resources and show notes go to MorningTempo.com

Sweetwater is on track to soon be a billion dollar business - one with almost no debt, a terrific reputation in the industry and with customers. How did Chuck do it? And how is he managing his business during the COVID pandemic of 2020? Plus, like a good box of Raisin Bran, there are TWO SCOOPS of new parts of the Sweetwater story unveiled in this episode! Listen and be the first to know what’s coming next for this super giant! Want help with your business? Find Articles, Resources, and Coaching/Consulting services at http://www.musicretailconsulting.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/musicretail/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/musicretail/support

Thank you for tuning into "Starting Small", a podcast about brand development, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the modern world. This episode is with Chuck Surack, a CEO and founder of one of the worlds leading instrument retailers, Sweetwater. You will hear stories from his childhood, entrepreneurship inspirations, and ultimately his journey to success with this 1.2 billion dollar music retail empire.

“What worries us today is really is a lot of mental health stuff- there are so many people in our company and companies all around the country, all around our community, where you just don’t see it, you don’t know it, but you know they’re struggling… we do consider our employees family.” - Chuck Surack, Sweetwater OwnerIn the inaugural episode of the WIRED Podcast, Clinton talks with Chuck Surack, Founder and Owner of Sweetwater Sound, about why mental health is important to him and his wife, Lisa, and what all business owners need to think about when it comes to caring for their staff.Support the show (https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/remedylive)

You can't go a week without hearing about Sweetwater in our community. Chuck Surack started a music recording business in his VW van and poured his life into building what is now the largest online retailer of music instruments and pro audio gear in the US. They experienced another record-setting year in terms of sales growth and job creation, adding over 400 new employees in 2018. Forty percent of those coming from outside of Fort Wayne, IN. There is a great press release outlining all the details of that growth here: Sweetwater Announces Another Record Year Sweetwater isn't just getting attention because of their economic impact in our region. Chuck is one of the most generous businessmen in our area who invests millions of dollars into other community projects, a number of local businesses, and in hundreds of philanthropic efforts. He and his wife are extremely generous and care deeply about people, which was a motivator for this podcast . Working with over 150 different groups of volunteers, many coming from the corporate world, NeighborLink gets a look into a lot of different organizational cultures over the course of the year. The reality is, all entities take on the life of the leader and reflect their values, good or bad. You would tend to believe that it would be hard to stay connect to the org culture when you have 1,500+ employees and more things trying to get your attention than you can keep up with. Somehow, Chuck is able to keep up with those right alongside his very competent leadership team. There is an ethos that runs deep in the culture that shows outsiders like me that this is an important place to work, and you want to take responsibility for its success as an employee. Many see it as an opportunity to be employed at Sweetwater, not just a job. I first met Nate Edwards through a local church in a neighborhood where we did a lot of projects. His congregation was trying to figure out how to be more intentional neighbors and be a resource for their community. Nate is a dynamic and energetic guy who brings all that energy to all the things he's involved in, not just work. He also happened to have relocated to Fort Wayne to take a position at Sweetwater in the early 2000s when there was almost 200. He's now a manager in the sales department and we've developed a relationship over the years. He's been thinking critically about ways they do their work at Sweetwater and how it could impact NeighborLink. As we have these discussions, I learn a little more each time about how unique their culture really is. One of the things I learned is that Sweetwater uses a “neighborhood” model for diversifying and building their teams of sales engineers and support staff. They've had this model for over 15 years and I was instantly intrigued because I've never heard of another business using a neighborhood model of connecting teams internally. Essentially, they break down all their employees into smaller groups of 10-12 employees with two neighborhood leaders in each group. These groups are made up of diverse backgrounds and employment duration in an effort to make what is huge, small. They've learned that relationships and creating small communities of people that have a shared vision will care for each other much better than keeping large numbers of people together. In addition to connecting their sales engineers and support teams together, they connect each neighborhood with a different division of the company, like distribution. Another way to encourage organization cohesion when division is natural. Nate Burkhardt was recruited from a competitor and moved his family across the country from California to work at Sweetwater. That's a significant move and has more than just an economic impact on a family. Life is disrupted and starting new in a big company can be overwhelming, even if you're competent in the job. These neighborhoods allowed him to get connected inside and outside of work quickly. These neighborhoods support each other at work and create opportunity to be connected socially, including opportunities to be generous together. As you listen to the podcast, you'll hear Nate talk about how vital these neighborhoods are to the success of the company, but to each other. Nate Edwards talks about having 25 new sales engineers start in his area each month, which is the kind of growth that feels like you're chasing after to keep up with. The neighborhood model allows new employees to be dispersed with other employees at various states of their journey, whether that's just a few months or a few years. From listening to these guys, it sounds like you're never alone and have all the resources you need to succeed if you want to on day one. There is nothing like starting a high intensity job and feeling like you've been thrown into it without help. The operational impact of this effort is that Sweetwater has roughly 10% turnover rate in their sales team each year, which is unheard of in the sales profession, let alone in their industry. Investing in creating community, focusing on relationships, and supporting your people is worth every penny and moment of energy if I hear these guys right. There is a communal love for music, musical gear, and all the structure needed to keep you motivated and supported. It always comes down to people and Sweetwater is investing in their people.

Sweetwater, the No. 1 online retailer of music instruments and pro audio gear, experienced another record-setting year in terms of sales growth and job creation in 2018. They added just over 400 employees to go over 1,500 employees in 2018. With that type of growth, organizational culture is vital to manage that growth in a healthy way. Nate Edwards and Nate Burkhardt, two members of the sales team, share about how Sweetwater has been using a "neighborhood" concept for over 15 years to structure their growing team into smaller groups for relational connectivity and co-worker support. Caring for people has been the foundational ethos of Sweetwater since Chuck Surack started the company from a VW bus, and is the reason for extremely high employee retention and attraction to NE Indiana. Neighboring in the workplace can happen and makes a tremendous difference to the organizational culture.

Chuck Surack founded Sweetwater Sound in his VW Bus. Now he's closing in on a billion dollars annual revenue. Topics discussed include: Resources (5:00) Getting started in a VW Bus (12:30) Old tech vs new tech (16:00) Advantages and disadvantages of audio tech (18:45) How the Kurzweil K250 changed everything (20:00) Customer service and sales training (29:00) Trends in audio (33:00) The NAMM Show (35:30) The Amazon threat? (37:45) Acquiring businesses (46:00) Where’s Sweetwater 10 years from now? (54:55) Mentions: Business Schooled Podcast Tower of Power NAMM Special thanks to Chuck Surack for sharing Sweetwater's story Contributors to this episode include: Host - Jeremy Goodrich Music Production - Mark Vinten Audio Editing - Christopher Lang Copy Editing - Talia Chakraborty If you enjoyed this episode, stick around: SUBSCRIBE on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you catch your podcasts.  REVIEW the show and SHARE with friends. JOIN the Scratch Entrepreneur Group so we can make it Facebook official. Thanks for listening!   Want insurance without the headache? We’re here for you. More great stories & information at: Youtube - Blog - Podcast Facebook - Twitter  

How does a man start a company in his VW bus and grow it into a multi-million business? He doesn't. God does. This week, we have the unspeakable privilege of sitting down with Chuck Surack, Founder of Sweetwater Sound, Inc. My good friend Chuck takes time to transparently share his journey.

How does a man start a company in his VW bus and grow it into a multi-million dollar a year business? He doesn't. God does. This week, we have the unspeakable privilege of sitting down with Chuck Surack, Founder of Sweetwater Sound, Inc. My good friend Chuck takes time to transparently share his journey.

Chuck Surack is a lifelong entrepreneur: optimizing paper routes at five years old, building a 725 million dollar business, and rejuvenating several small businesses in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In the second half of this two-part interview, we discuss other online retailers (such as Amazon), Chuck Surack's role in Sweetwater, and his other business ventures. Listen to Part 1 (Ep.008) for more great advice from Chuck Surack!Notable Timestamps:00:00 Introduction1:19 Sweetwater, Amazon, and other online retailers4:40 How Sweetwater manages their customer relationships7:40 SEO and internet presence10:02 Chuck Surack's role in Sweetwater operations11:19 Spreading the Sweetwater message and letters from fans13:49 Warning signs in a business16:49 Chuck Surack's other business ventures20:01 Last words of advice TL;DL: At 21:19, I share my thoughts and takeaways on the interview.Connect with me! (links)chazokada.comFacebookTwitterInstagramPleases share, rate, and review the podcast too :)

Chuck Surack is a lifelong entrepreneur: optimizing paper routes at five years old, building a 725 million dollar business, and rejuvenating several small businesses in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In this half of the two-part interview, he speaks about the importance of Boy Scout values, how he started working with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, and Dolly Parton, and the distinguishing factor of the Sweetwater business model. Check out Part 2 (Ep.009) for more advice from Chuck Surack!Notable Timestamps:00:00 Introduction2:12 The entrepreneurial spirit/getting started10:24 Business and the internet13:12 What is a sales engineer?16:18 Behind the scenes at Sweetwater20:20 Investors and owning Sweetwater23:44 Growing to a 725 million dollar business25:32 Turning entrepreneurial ideas into a real businessTL;DL: At 30:40, I share my thoughts and takeaways on the interview.Connect with me! (links)chazokada.comFacebookTwitterInstagramPleases share, rate, and review the podcast too :)

Move over Austin and Nashville, there’s another music capital in the US. Alexis Ohanian touches down in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to meet Chuck Surack, CEO and founder of Sweetwater, to learn how he went from doing business out of the back of a VW van to running a worldwide music retailer. Be sure to subscribe and review Business Schooled after listening, and learn more at synchrony.com/businessschooled

Our time with Chuck of Sweetwater! We are more than grateful for his time as he has done so much for Fort Wayne.

Chuck Surack is a legend in music circles, having created one of the largest MI retailers in the world with Sweetwater Sound. It is interesting to understand how he got there - from a mobile recording studio-in-a-bus, through his initial (and sometimes painful) experiences as a sound designer, then into building a massive business getting us the gear we want. Chuck is much more than a successful retail businessman. He continues to be an active musician and complete gear nut. And he is actively involved in helping young people continue to make music part of their lives through his work with non-profit organizations. Chuck has also been one of the great supporters of user groups and online communities. I saw this first-hand when he helped make the K2000 mailing list and online users group one of the most vital places on the web. It's been my great pleasure to interact with Chuck over the years, and this interview should help you understand why I hold him in such high regard. Enjoy!