Just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge all the members here and say thank you for sticking around the MBP forum for another year. You guys are the reason this place exists and I feel very lucky to have this little corner of DIY on the interwebs. I am continually inspired by the work I see here and the overall enthusiasm and good-will we've created toward one another is a source of incredible satisfaction for me. I hope the same is true for you, too.
2017 was a moderate success in terms of the financial side of MBP. I've held off for a long time in discussing this publicly but the general trend in terms of hard sales has been decline over the last 2 years. I've had lean years, I've had wildly successful years and the "norm" appears to be leveling off into a reasonably, but not overwhelming profitable business. The only reason I mention this is because it's making me took a harder look at how I do things and what I can do better. I've sought and received the advice of several trusted colleagues so I am focusing more attention on what steps I need to take to maintain the level of service I hope to achieve. One key component to this year's success is the inclusion of the VFE projects, for which I am eternally grateful to Peter Rutter for making a reality. While I have not released as much of the VFE in 2017 as planned, I will keep at it and make it even more prevalent for the coming year.
I had hoped to end 2017 with a bang with some of the many projects I am close to releasing. It looks like most of those will get pushed to early 2018. These include the sub-mini tube projects, and many more. Things are coming to a close but not as fast as I wanted. But, I think it's just a matter of buckling down a bit and getting my s**t done. I still plan on releasing the first MBP kit next year, the For Fuzz Sake fuzz. I've been considering a Kicksarter campaign to get this going since it will take a couple of grand to launch. We'll see.
And, of course, any feedback you have to give on how things are going, what you'd like to see in the coming year, etc. is appreciated and welcomed.
I hope everyone has a great holiday! Be sure to get your entries in for the Build of the Year contest. Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate you damn heathens.
