—by Sylvia Woods
About a year ago I decided it was time to stop working every waking minute. It was time to slow down and smell the flowers. I envisioned actually having a life outside of work. So I packed my belongings and my Sylvia Woods Harp Center business, and moved from Southern California to the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Life is about change and growth. Although change is never easy and is often very scary, it is the only way we can grow and become better human beings.
This move was a huge leap of faith, and I had no idea how this new business model would evolve. But I listened to my intuition telling me this was the right path, and am so glad I did. I’m still working many hours every day, but I’m also taking time for walks on the beach, bike riding, reading books for my two book clubs, and enjoying life to the fullest.
Even though I made this move for my own peace of mind, I’m happy to report that my harp business has also benefited from island life. I may be 3,000 miles further away from many of my customers now, but I feel more connected than I have in years. Since I no longer have employees, everything is on my plate. If a customer calls or emails, I’m the one who responds. I also process all the orders and ship many of them from here in the islands.
One of the biggest advantages of this move is that I now have more time for composing and arranging. Hawaii has always been the place where my creativity has thrived. Many of my previous books, such as the Disney and Lennon & McCartney books, were written during my extended trips to Kauai. This past year, since I made the move, I’ve arranged 15 new songs, which are published in 11 new pieces of sheet music. I’ve been working through my list of song requests and suggestions from my customers. It is so helpful that harpists continually tell me what they want to play. That makes my life so much easier!
For many years, I put my teaching career on hold while I worked on other aspects of my harp business. Now that I have more time, I’m excited to be giving private lessons again. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I’m giving Skype lessons to students all over the world. It is fun to compare weather stories, especially in the winter when they’re freezing in 10 feet of snow, and I’m in my shorts and tank top!
Hawaii is obviously a major vacation destination, and I’m enjoying being part of many harpists’ vacation plans. Every few weeks someone comes to see the Dusty Strings harps I have in stock, or rent a Harpsicle to play while they’re here, or take a lesson or two from me, or just stop by to say hi.
There have always been two main facets in my business: writing and publishing harp music books, and selling harps, books, and other products to my customers throughout the world. Each of these endeavors has been an integral part of the whole, and they have helped fuel sales for each other. As my business has made several major transitions through the years, the methods have changed, but these two facets have remained constant.
It all started in 1978 with my instructional book Teach Yourself to Play the Folk Harp, followed by my first mail order catalogs in the 1980s. I opened my first retail store in Glendale, Calif., in 1992 and stayed at that location for 16 years. Due to economic factors and the rise in internet sales, I downsized in 2008 to a smaller storefront, and two years later moved everything to my house. This move to Hawaii is the latest step in the evolution of my harp business.
In working on this article, I realized that a lot of the changes in my business have been driven by advances in technology. The first major breakthrough was computers. They enabled me to use software to typeset my music books and catalogs, and keep track of my mailing list. Those were all huge advancements, and made me much more efficient. The emergence of the internet was the next big turning point, making it easier to communicate with customers world-wide and disseminate more useful information and products. The increase in internet sales allowed me to downsize my storefronts, and concentrate on the larger market. Recently, the prevalence of PDF downloads has made another big change in the way I sell my books. Customers love this option of buying music as PDFs because they don’t have to pay for shipping, and they get instant gratification of being able to start learning the music immediately. And now, with Skype, I can teach students wherever they happen to be. Yes, I am a big fan of technology. It has enabled me to be more productive and allowed me to give the best service to my customers, even from the middle of the Pacific Ocean!
Life is about change and growth. Although change is never easy and is often very scary, it is the only way we can grow and become better human beings. I’ve been fortunate that in so many instances I have been able to make conscious decisions for change in my life, instead of having change thrust upon me.
I am so happy that I made this latest shift in my life and my business. I love living in Hawaii. I finally have the optimum balance of my business and my personal life. I’m living in a place that soothes my soul, stimulates my senses, and charges my creativity. That is great for me, and ultimately a benefit for all of the wonderful harpists who rely on my music. I can’t foresee actually retiring for many, many years, if ever! I love what I do, and plan to continue as long as I possibly can. I love creating music for harpists to play, and helping them get what they need.
Harp people are a special breed. I am honored to contribute to this amazing community. As we say here in Hawaii, aloha and mahalo (thank you). If you’re going to be on Kauai, be sure to email me and stop by to say hi. I’d love to see you here on the garden isle! •
