Meet Sunir Patel

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sunir Patel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Sunir, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

The work ethic comes directly from my dad – he installed it in me at a young age. He is incredibly hard working, emigrated to the U.S. in his early 20’s, and worked at General Electric for 40 years. I saw that, and I also (now as an adult) realized that he did it to do the best he could for our family. He really pushed us to work hard in school, even to the point where he would “create” homework for us, such as his own custom-made math tables! We had a strict study schedule. If I wanted to go hang out with friends or have band practice, I had to study first. When I was a teenager, I may have resented this, but I know why he did it. That’s the sort of thing that gave me the work ethic that I have today.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I run Truetone Music, a guitar shop in Santa Monica. The store has made quite the name for itself for 25 years, serving professional musicians, hobbyists and collectors, and is known as the premier place for guitar gear in the Los Angeles area (some would say all of California). Not that I think of it like that – in some ways, we operate like a start-up. In recent years, we’ve evolved into a “hybrid business”, combining brick & mortar retail with e-commerce. This was my main focus when I came in 6 years ago (prior to that, I worked at Fender Musical Instruments). We’re focused on growth, creating a great experience, and having fun.
We recently relocated the entire operation – still in Santa Monica, just a few blocks away – and have been building out the new space since then. Not only will it be a truly unique guitar store, but it’s a full-scale facility (repairs, lessons, shipping/receiving, warehouse, offices and photo/video studios). We’re very excited to open it soon.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Hard Work – to run a business like this, I feel that you have to be willing to work long & hard, and not afraid to put in the time & effort that others would seem as beyond a “normal” job. This is not a 9 – 5, clock in & out, disconnect when not here, type of gig. It’s always on.

2. Willingness to Adapt – the world is changing and if one doesn’t change with it, things will pass by. Whether it be retail itself, or marketing, or finance, there are new ways to do things. Not that the old ways are bad, but the new ways have to be adapted to. When the pandemic hit, we didn’t put our heads in the sand or freak out, we got creative and found a way to make it work. When we had to move, and didn’t have a retail store, we had to reinvent the operation again. It’s all about adpatation.

3. Try to Stay Positive – this just isn’t for oneself, it’s for everyone around (especially in relation to a leadership role). Being negative breeds negativity. Presenting an air of positivity is good for everyone involved. It doesn’t mean difficulties aren’t recognized or involve sugar-coating; it’s all about how things are handled and the general attitude.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I could say that I feel overwhelmed all the time, as I’m always doing way too much and have too much going on. I don’t see it that way. Another way to say that is that there is a lot going on, so I have to do a lot, and that I will get it done. There’s the difference – it’s a mental mindset. Being overwhelming means drowning, whereas getting it done means being able to stay afloat.
These are just words but the simplest way is to take a deep breath, put your head down and focus on what can be done immediately, and then moving into the next thing.
The other important thing is to remember that you love what you do, you’re doing it because you love it, and that the more you do it, the more you love it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.truetonemusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truetone_music
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truetonemusiconline/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruetoneMusicOnline

Image Credits

Matt Abrams