The Distance

Bruce Roper never planned to start a business. As a teenager, he wanted to be a Beatle. As an adult, he moved to Chicago after a brief stint running a music store and began fixing guitars. Over the next quarter century, Bruce built up a modest but steady one-man business repairing and building instruments, as well as teaching guitar building. Bruce's students come to him seeking the secrets of making guitars, but he's the first to say there are no secrets. It's just a matter of doing it, and there's no substitute for the decades of experience Bruce has accumulated.

Show Notes

Bruce Roper never planned to start a business. As a teenager, he wanted to be a Beatle. As an adult, he moved to Chicago after a brief stint running a music store and began fixing guitars. Over the next quarter century, Bruce built up a modest but steady one-man business repairing and building instruments, as well as teaching guitar building. Bruce's students come to him seeking the secrets of making guitars, but he's the first to say there are no secrets. It's just a matter of doing it, and there's no substitute for the decades of experience Bruce has accumulated.

What is The Distance?

What's the hardest thing about business? Not going out of business. The Distance features stories of private businesses that have been operating for at least 25 years and the people who got them there. Hear business owners share their stories of hard work, survival and building something that lasts. The Distance is a production of Basecamp, the company behind the leading project management app.