 |
 For
over 30 years DAK Industries 1 was the most exciting, informative
place to find electronic breakthroughs to enhance our productivity
and our leisure time activities. So, what could possibly have
gone wrong? Read on. |
Here's the scoop
Dear Past DAKonian,
In 1966, when DAK One
was about 2 years old I was running it from my dorm room at UCLA. I had so many
customers visiting me that the dorm manager asked me to leave. I thought
that was bad.
But, it turned out
to be a real opportunity. I'll tell you why and how we can all benefit in a minute.
If you remember my
64 page catalogs - - I used to write to you that I had the greatest job in the
world. And, from the fact that I was even mailing you my catalog, I was probably
a lot like you. I was sort of the ultimate electronics freak.
Plus, I liked to
be ahead of the crowd. That's why my job was so neat. I got to play with the
newest electronic innovations, usually even before they hit the market. Doesn't
that sound like the 'job' you'd like to have too?
Anyway, over the next
30 years, we did play with all the newest and greatest innovations. 250,000 of
us added equalizers to make our stereo systems explode with awesome life, over
100,000 of us added subwoofers to inject thunderous rich bass to our sound and
well over 150,000 of us connected on-line with what I called the 1200-baud Smart
Duck Modem.
Over 450,000 of us
took the radar challenge and showed that a Maxon Radar Detector I found in Korea
could take on the biggest name in publicly held radar detector companies.
And more than 75,000
of us got our introduction to computers with BSR's 386 and 486 computers. Plus,
over 350,000 of us benefited from the productivity gains we got from CD ROM drives
and scanners, years before the general public could catch up with us.
I'd guess that
the 900,000 of us who automated our breadmaking were some of the best fed, contented
people anywhere in the country. And, air ionizers purified the air for over
150,000 of us.
During this time there
were over 400 fellow employees at DAK 1. Each played an important role in the
DAKonian experience. We had a whole team of engineers who made sure the products
were technological marvels.
Over 100 of us worked
in customer service and technical support. And we even had a team of technical
writers who created step-by-step user manuals for the products we offered. (The
manufacturers never do seem to get it right.)
Anyway, I primarily
concentrated on 1) Finding products. I traveled to the Far East over 50 times
to find just the right products at the right price. 2) For most of the
years, I created all the ads you read and I even took all the pictures you saw.
I lived, ate and breathed
electronics. In fact, for 7 years near the beginning, before I got married,
I even lived in the factory. And 3) I established the banking relationship.
Oh well.
Then, in 1994, after
30 years, I had to leave again. You know, my wife once gave me a T-shirt with
a picture of a beaten-up knight on his horse, his lance broken with the caption,
"Sometimes the Dragon Wins".
Well the truth is, in 1994
I lost DAK 1. And it closed. I really can't blame anyone but myself. I was
behind the banking relationship.
It was the beginning
of the Asian Meltdown. As far as I can see, my bank decided to retrench and we
lost our credit line. I had never been able to find an American bank that liked
the high volume/low margin business I had built.
And, it wasn't even profits.
Thanks to your massive buying support I am proud to say that we were indeed profitable
year after year. (Plus my accounting department had been looking for a new bank
for years. They had wanted an American bank in the worst possible way. I fought
them off. My fault.)
Only the Asian banks
loved the high volume that we achieved through factory direct low prices that
helped their exporting clients too. And oh yes, we did move a ton of products.
Unfortunately for me, "the times they were a changing".
But there's an opportunity
here too. I got to spend 4 years with my wife traveling, SCUBA diving, learning
about the Internet and studying the pure 'basic science' of emerging technologies,
something that in the 30 odd years I ran DAK 1, usually spending 90 hours a week
I'd never had enough time to do.
But as much as I loved
the time off, I got bored. I wanted back. I missed the products. I really did
love my job. And most of all I missed you.
So when the Bank
accepted my offer to buy back the DAK name, I jumped right back in with both feet.
And like the Phoenix, now I've risen from the ashes with the all new webcentric
DAK2000.com.
I promise to bring
you even more neat new products at even better prices than I ever could do with
DAK 1. It's going to be great.
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Sincerely,
DAK INDUSTRIES 2000.com. INC.
Drew Alan Kaplan
President
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