Starting a guitar shop is a lot of people’s dream, but not a lot of people have actually done it. Lynn Wheelwright of Pro Music Outlet in Clearfield, Utah never intended to have his own guitar shop, he just wanted to repair guitars.

Shortly after he signed on to provide repairs out of his friend’s shop, his friend passed away, leaving him in charge of the store. Once he realized the situation he was in, he decided to buckle down and create “the best guitar shop there ever was.” Using zero-interest credit cards to fund his business, he built that little guitar shop into a pillar of the local music community.

I once heard a quote that the best business plan is quality of product, and I couldn’t agree more. One of the problems small business owners like Lynn face is the advent of online mega stores, who can charge a lot less for the same product. For a brick and mortar to survive in today’s economy, they have to focus on excellence, a combination of quality and expertise.

If you know anyone that has a small business we could feature on the American Dream Film Series, leave a comment below!