Note from Missouri Bullet Company

funkymonkey1111 · March 7, 2012, 10:24 PM

just saw this on their facebook feed:

A heads-up: We are on the verge of making a fundamental change in our business model and wanted to give you all some early information about it, as you have all been nice enough to have taken the time to come here to our company Facebook page and deserve to be the first to know. The problem is that business is good. Too good. We can't meet demand. As you know, we have wholesale customers that acco...unt for major purchases and both the quantities ordered and the volume ordered are increasing steadily for them. Meanwhile, the retail trade is mushrooming out of control. Today, for example, Jo Ann took approximately fifty telephone calls, all while she was trying to pack, ship, and size bullets. Yesterday, two trucks arrived for wholesale pickups and Jo Ann and myself had worked until 2:30 AM yesterday trying to complete the orders, while Mark worked all that night and then throughout the day yesterday before the trucks came. And this is killing us. We're not spring chickens any more and can't keep this up. And so we have tentatively decided that we are going to close the door to new retail (internet) trade and exclusively service only the wholesale customers and our existing customer base, which we be grandfathered in. We are going to kill the Blue Press advertisement ASAP and impliment an access code on the ordering portion of website, which will have been sent to our 14,000+ existing customers when we ready the move.

This is what happens when a company evolves to meet changing circumstances and we don't want to do it. Not making new sales is likely to cause me a heart attack but it's something we have to do.

Anyhow, I welcome your comments as we formulate our plans for the future.

Brad

grandpajoe · March 8, 2012, 02:26 AM

I've dealt with Brad at MO Bullets and he seems like a good guy who makes a good product. I started casting my own last year so very seldom buy commercial cast, but before that I used their company and was pleased with them and the bullets. Hopefully they will weather the storm and not hurt themselves or their company.

oakfloor · March 8, 2012, 03:30 AM

Expand, hire more people, make more money, there's a demand for your bullets..go for it! you know how many people would die just to have that much work?

chris in va · March 8, 2012, 03:50 AM

I can't believe he won't just hire a couple extra people instead of refusing sales. Bad business model.

NWPilgrim · March 8, 2012, 04:44 AM

I don;t know who is working with him now but it could be just family. It is a huge hassle and liability step to go from tightknit family to hiring strangers who might sue you, steal from you, be lazy, report you to OSHA, EEOC, EPA, IRS, et al, or claim workplace injury and file for disability.

I was reading an article that said in the past decades virtually all NEW jobs came from startups in the first five years. But in the last couple of years with all the anti-business regulations, health care, EPA and everything going against them, small businesses are for the first time at a net zero new jobs. They are choosing to stay small or close down rather than take the jump into hiring outside employees.

Perhaps MO bullet chose to dodge the govt regulation/taxation "bullet" and stay small.

I hope this means I will still be able to buy their bullets through Grafs.

Salmoneye · March 8, 2012, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Expand, hire more people, make more money, there's a demand for your bullets..go for it! you know how many people would die just to have that much work?

Though I agree, you then have to get into a whole different business model with insurance, workman's comp, a larger space, capital investment in more equipment, etc...

Don P · March 8, 2012, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Though I agree, you then have to get into a whole different business model with insurance, workman's comp, a larger space, capital investment in more equipment, etc...

I also absolutely agree and we all would be foolish to assume and state that "WE" would grow and expand without "WE/US" knowing all the facts and "THEIR" personal situation with regards to their business.
Just the way I see it and my opinion.

bossman · March 8, 2012, 11:15 AM

Good for them,I guess. It was great to have company that catered to us small fry's like we were wholesalers. Hate to see that go away but I do understand making very large sales to a few places instead of thousands of us small fry's. Maybe we can get some of the leftovers.

oneounceload · March 8, 2012, 12:30 PM

Quote:

I can't believe he won't just hire a couple extra people instead of refusing sales. Bad business model.

Sounds like expansion would work for him in this case........add more machines, automate as much as possible, next thing you know, he'll be buying out his neighbors at Sierra....................

Don H · March 8, 2012, 12:54 PM

Going from a hands-on role to a management role is something a lot of people don't want to do because they'd no longer be doing what they really want to do. Money isn't everything; job satisfaction counts for a lot!

chris in va · March 8, 2012, 01:13 PM

He mentioned they weren't spring chickens anymore. I suspect any 'job satisfaction' got supressed years ago. Probably do them some good to hand over the business to some fresher labor force and reap the earnings.

Been there, done that.

Crosshair · March 8, 2012, 01:54 PM

Quote:

I can't believe he won't just hire a couple extra people instead of refusing sales. Bad business model.

As others have pointed out, current government rules and regulations make that a HUGE liability. My boss would rather pay me and my co-workers for 50 hour weeks rather than take the risks associated with hiring new employees.

The last 20 years of government has done this to our economy, where expansion of profitable businesses is not undertaken because of the liabilities created by government. When paying bribes to Chinese officials every week is cheaper and easier than doing business in the US that should tell you something about the US regulatory environment.

There is method to this madness of course, its real purpose is to protect the large firms, who write/influence the regulations, from competition from smaller start-ups. Start up companies can't afford the legal start up costs, so they never get started or never grow. The big firms simply pass these costs onto their customers, since they have squished anyone who might actually compete against them.

Ultravox · March 8, 2012, 03:23 PM

If you go read the Facebook comment thread Brad is responding to just these questions.

He is trying to hire more people but no one is applying for the jobs he has open.

Quote:

I'd love to hire more people. We seem to be sucking air on locating qualified applicants, however. Believe me, we're trying. We ran a want ad in the local newspaper last week. We have received a total of ONE resume. And in terms of expanding the operation - we have eight Magma LubeMasters and either Magma Bullets Masters with another one due in two weeks. I don't know of any cast bullet manufacturer with anywhere near that level of production infrastructure.

Quote:

We have over 14,000 retail customers. And we have major reloading distributors buying a million bullets a month from us. I don't think that servicing that market could honestly be called "stagnation."

3kgt2nv · March 8, 2012, 03:46 PM

one other issue when everyone screams hire help do you want a total noob casting your bullets. when hiring for a "job" its hard to get the dedication of a family member has with a family run business. Your name means alot and in the world of the internet it only takes a few bad or low quality batches of bullets to hit the market to affect your reputation.

Shootest · March 8, 2012, 04:44 PM

A total noob should not be casting your bullets, they should be answering phones, labeling boxes, loading trucks and so on. Freeing up more qualified persons for the casting, sizing, and quality control that has made the company grow to this point. That is what is called good management.

oneounceload · March 8, 2012, 05:00 PM

Quote:

He is trying to hire more people but no one is applying for the jobs he has open.

There is a simple way to solve that - it is called making the job lucrative enough to attract qualified personnel

If you want to hire a registered Civil Engineer with 15 years experience, and you offer him 20K, how many folks do you think you'll get?

Must be nice that employment in MO is so low folks can afford to pass on a job opening....OR the pay scale doesn't match what unemployment is paying.......

There are several bullet folks in that state, hiring away from your competition is one way to get seasoned qualified folks

3kgt2nv · March 8, 2012, 05:25 PM

Quote:

A total noob should not be casting your bullets, they should be answering phones, labeling boxes, loading trucks and so on. Freeing up more qualified persons for the casting, sizing, and quality control that has made the company grow to this point. That is what is called good management.

takes time to train a noob on how to handle customer service more so than to baby sit a casting machine. once the machine is running teaching the qc part of the job should go quick. handling the phones for 1 mill plus a month customers will take longer if they dont know the correct terminology or have a background to draw from.

Cascade1911 · March 8, 2012, 06:08 PM

Ultimately, it's Brads decision to make. As I've dealt with him in the past with good results I hope I'll be able to buy his products in the future. If no, there are other good bullet companies out there that I've worked with as well. I applaud his success.

I don't know how well it applies but in the business I'm in, the owner of the company I work for originally had a partner. They had a difference in philosophy on business and decided to go their separate ways. My boss does everything he can to grab every bit of business he can. If we have to cut to the bone to get the job we work hard to improve the process so we can make a profit. His ex partner selects only the most profitable jobs that fits his model. The company I work for is about four to five times larger but apparently (according to my boss and other sources) the net profit between the two partners is about the same.

warningshot · March 9, 2012, 06:30 AM

I know nothing of his work but he sounds like the man has integrity. I look forward to buying some of his bullets when he gets his customer base squared-away.

Don P · March 9, 2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Quote:
I'd love to hire more people. We seem to be sucking air on locating qualified applicants, however. Believe me, we're trying. We ran a want ad in the local newspaper last week. We have received a total of ONE resume. And in terms of expanding the operation - we have eight Magma LubeMasters and either Magma Bullets Masters with another one due in two weeks. I don't know of any cast bullet manufacturer with anywhere near that level of production infrastructure

I need to find a job. Living in FLA does me no good. I would go to work for him in a heart beat. Work is work even for me at 59 years old.
problem today is all the whipper-snappers are wanting to do as little as possible and make as much as possible. Work ethics have gone down the old crapper in this country.

Quote:

There is a simple way to solve that - it is called making the job lucrative enough to attract qualified personnel

If you want to hire a registered Civil Engineer with 15 years experience, and you offer him 20K, how many folks do you think you'll get?

Anyone know for a fact what they are offering for pay, amount of hours, in essence all the details of the employment offer?

huntinaz · March 9, 2012, 09:29 AM

I was gonna buy some .309" 165gr bullets from them for the 30-30. I haven't tried their stuff yet but was only a matter of time with their great reviews. Most likely now I will look around first before paying the retail markup. Bummer.

Ultravox · March 9, 2012, 10:39 AM

Just as a note, Powder Valley sells Missouri Bullets and their prices are the same or lower than what you get if you buy direct.

BDS-THR · March 9, 2012, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don P

I need to find a job. Living in FLA does me no good. I would go to work for him in a heart beat. Work is work even for me at 59 years old.
problem today is all the whipper-snappers are wanting to do as little as possible and make as much as possible. Work ethics have gone down the old crapper in this country.

Anyone know for a fact what they are offering for pay, amount of hours, in essence all the details of the employment offer?

Why don't you call Brad and ask him yourself? (816) 597-3204

If you are serious about working for Brad, you can always download the employment application from the website, fill it out and send it to Brad (who knows, you just might be his next bullet caster

) - http://www.missouribullet.com/downlo...pplication.pdf

huntinaz · March 9, 2012, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Just as a note, Powder Valley sells Missouri Bullets and their prices are the same or lower than what you get if you buy direct.

Thanks for the tip, i will check it out

Don P · March 9, 2012, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Why don't you call Brad and ask him yourself? (816) 597-3204

If you are serious about working for Brad, you can always download the employment application from the website, fill it out and send it to Brad (who knows, you just might be his next bullet caster

I thought about it and the wife wished me well in my endeavor and that I should let here know how Missouri is. The other issue is, it is one hell of a commute

I just downloaded the employment application and I didn't see anything about college, bullet making experience. Seems to be a basic application. Too bad its so far from home

March 7, 2012, 10:24 PM	#1
funkymonkey1111 Junior Member Join Date: May 18, 2011 Posts: 1	Note from Missouri Bullet Company just saw this on their facebook feed: A heads-up: We are on the verge of making a fundamental change in our business model and wanted to give you all some early information about it, as you have all been nice enough to have taken the time to come here to our company Facebook page and deserve to be the first to know. The problem is that business is good. Too good. We can't meet demand. As you know, we have wholesale customers that acco...unt for major purchases and both the quantities ordered and the volume ordered are increasing steadily for them. Meanwhile, the retail trade is mushrooming out of control. Today, for example, Jo Ann took approximately fifty telephone calls, all while she was trying to pack, ship, and size bullets. Yesterday, two trucks arrived for wholesale pickups and Jo Ann and myself had worked until 2:30 AM yesterday trying to complete the orders, while Mark worked all that night and then throughout the day yesterday before the trucks came. And this is killing us. We're not spring chickens any more and can't keep this up. And so we have tentatively decided that we are going to close the door to new retail (internet) trade and exclusively service only the wholesale customers and our existing customer base, which we be grandfathered in. We are going to kill the Blue Press advertisement ASAP and impliment an access code on the ordering portion of website, which will have been sent to our 14,000+ existing customers when we ready the move. This is what happens when a company evolves to meet changing circumstances and we don't want to do it. Not making new sales is likely to cause me a heart attack but it's something we have to do. Anyhow, I welcome your comments as we formulate our plans for the future. Brad

March 8, 2012, 03:30 AM	#3
oakfloor Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2009 Posts: 111	Expand, hire more people, make more money, there's a demand for your bullets..go for it! you know how many people would die just to have that much work? Last edited by oakfloor; March 8, 2012 at 03:38 AM.

March 8, 2012, 04:44 AM	#5
NWPilgrim Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2008 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,346	I don;t know who is working with him now but it could be just family. It is a huge hassle and liability step to go from tightknit family to hiring strangers who might sue you, steal from you, be lazy, report you to OSHA, EEOC, EPA, IRS, et al, or claim workplace injury and file for disability. I was reading an article that said in the past decades virtually all NEW jobs came from startups in the first five years. But in the last couple of years with all the anti-business regulations, health care, EPA and everything going against them, small businesses are for the first time at a net zero new jobs. They are choosing to stay small or close down rather than take the jump into hiring outside employees. Perhaps MO bullet chose to dodge the govt regulation/taxation "bullet" and stay small. I hope this means I will still be able to buy their bullets through Grafs. __________________ "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. ... The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition." - James Madison

March 8, 2012, 11:15 AM	#8
bossman Senior Member Join Date: November 16, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 996	Good for them,I guess. It was great to have company that catered to us small fry's like we were wholesalers. Hate to see that go away but I do understand making very large sales to a few places instead of thousands of us small fry's. Maybe we can get some of the leftovers. __________________ NRA life member When the going gets tough, I just open another beer.

March 8, 2012, 12:54 PM	#10
Don H Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2000 Location: SLC,Utah Posts: 2,704	Going from a hands-on role to a management role is something a lot of people don't want to do because they'd no longer be doing what they really want to do. Money isn't everything; job satisfaction counts for a lot! __________________ Don http://www.utahconcealedcarry.com/forum/

March 8, 2012, 02:26 AM	#2
grandpajoe Member Join Date: June 10, 2011 Posts: 53	I've dealt with Brad at MO Bullets and he seems like a good guy who makes a good product. I started casting my own last year so very seldom buy commercial cast, but before that I used their company and was pleased with them and the bullets. Hopefully they will weather the storm and not hurt themselves or their company.

March 8, 2012, 03:50 AM	#4
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	I can't believe he won't just hire a couple extra people instead of refusing sales. Bad business model.

March 8, 2012, 01:13 PM	#11
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	He mentioned they weren't spring chickens anymore. I suspect any 'job satisfaction' got supressed years ago. Probably do them some good to hand over the business to some fresher labor force and reap the earnings. Been there, done that.

March 8, 2012, 03:46 PM	#14
3kgt2nv Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: hudson valley NY Posts: 517	one other issue when everyone screams hire help do you want a total noob casting your bullets. when hiring for a "job" its hard to get the dedication of a family member has with a family run business. Your name means alot and in the world of the internet it only takes a few bad or low quality batches of bullets to hit the market to affect your reputation.

March 8, 2012, 04:44 PM	#15
Shootest Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2011 Location: Just outside Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 722	A total noob should not be casting your bullets, they should be answering phones, labeling boxes, loading trucks and so on. Freeing up more qualified persons for the casting, sizing, and quality control that has made the company grow to this point. That is what is called good management. __________________ The private ownership of firearms is an American Heritage. Anyone who disputes that is Anti-American and unpatriotic. NRA Life Member

March 8, 2012, 06:08 PM	#18
Cascade1911 Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2011 Location: Dutchess County, NY Posts: 450	Ultimately, it's Brads decision to make. As I've dealt with him in the past with good results I hope I'll be able to buy his products in the future. If no, there are other good bullet companies out there that I've worked with as well. I applaud his success. I don't know how well it applies but in the business I'm in, the owner of the company I work for originally had a partner. They had a difference in philosophy on business and decided to go their separate ways. My boss does everything he can to grab every bit of business he can. If we have to cut to the bone to get the job we work hard to improve the process so we can make a profit. His ex partner selects only the most profitable jobs that fits his model. The company I work for is about four to five times larger but apparently (according to my boss and other sources) the net profit between the two partners is about the same.

March 9, 2012, 06:30 AM	#19
warningshot Senior Member Join Date: October 7, 2009 Posts: 995	I hope to meet with these Missouri people one day. I know nothing of his work but he sounds like the man has integrity. I look forward to buying some of his bullets when he gets his customer base squared-away.

March 9, 2012, 09:29 AM	#21
huntinaz Senior Member Join Date: September 21, 2010 Location: az Posts: 1,332	I was gonna buy some .309" 165gr bullets from them for the 30-30. I haven't tried their stuff yet but was only a matter of time with their great reviews. Most likely now I will look around first before paying the retail markup. Bummer. __________________ "When there’s lead in the air, there’s hope in the heart”- Hunter’s Proverb "Feed me, or feed me to something. I just want to be part of the food chain." -Al Bundy

March 9, 2012, 10:39 AM	#22
Ultravox Member Join Date: January 11, 2011 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 75	Just as a note, Powder Valley sells Missouri Bullets and their prices are the same or lower than what you get if you buy direct. __________________ Come check out my custom 1911 grips and other wooden items at my Etsy store.