Rayco Resophonics

Rayco Resophonics: Resophonic and Hawaiian Acoustic Guitars

Owners: Mark Thibeault & Jason Friesen
Location:  Smithers, BC
Website: www.rayco.ca
  

The Business

Smithers, BC-based Rayco Resophonics builds resophonic and Hawaiian acoustic guitars with the highest standards using koa, figured maple, mahogany and rosewood.

The guitars, which have a distinctive look and sound, take anywhere from four to six months to build, and are in demand by musicians who play with big name artists including Bryan Adams and Carrie Underwood.

Thibeault and Friesen market their instruments online and at tradeshows throughout Canada and the US, and ship their guitars to Germany, Australia, the UK, France and Spain.

The Founders

Rayco founding partners Mark Thibeault and Jason Friesen are both former employees of a large guitar manufacturer in Vancouver, BC.  Thibeault has been a semi-professional musician for 25 years, and also has a BFA Honours in Visual Arts, which go hand in hand in his guitar design projects.  When he moved to Smithers, he decided to keep building instruments by starting Rayco Resophonics, and Friesen moved to the area to join him shortly after.

The Small Business BC Connection

Thibeault and Friesen used Small Business BC’s online business planner template to help assess the feasibility of starting Rayco Resophonics.  They found this process instrumental because it forced them to think critically, identify expected outcomes, and prepare for potential shortfalls.

Small Business BC Seminars & Resources for businesses like Rayco Resophonics:

• Retail Distribution – Move your Product Line to Retail Market
• Small Business Strategies for USA Marketing and Trade Initiative
• Small Business Sales Strategies
• Working a Tradeshow

Entrepreneurial Advice

Thibeault and Friesen believe that one of the keys to success is to provide a quality product, and that you should be confident and uncompromising in that quality.

They also note the importance of becoming familiar with the challenges faced by businesses in your chosen location.  Being in a small, remote location can cause problems, but the fact that Rayco produces guitars in worldwide demand helps their business stay lucrative.

The business partners have also received support from Community Futures, where advisors gave them encouragement and confidence to start, the tools to move forward, and ongoing guidance throughout the eight years they’ve been in business.

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