MIMF

DeMont Guitars has a few small companies run outside of Chicago in Oswego, IL. DeMont Guitars, Guyatone and Ukulele Threads. We have two buildings/units, including a small store/showroom, offices a dedicated workshop with full mill, wood cnc mill, small laser and small engraver.

We both manufacture electric guitars as well as do general repairs, set-ups and custom work. We have a back-log of several hundred guitars of our own which need to be set up or repaired for sale and a continual workflow of customer work. Likewise we need to continue making our own guitars on a regular basis. Our lumber is milled from local trees, as we have a full sized portable mill, processing equipment and drying kiln. We do also make some parts for other guitar companies such as necks. Currently we have [around] 5 employees.

In an employee we need someone who is already fully able to do most any guitar repair and set up, and trouble shoot, and be able to QC all of our items in a timely fashion, and be able to teach other employees the same skills.
The job would mainly be working on guitars all day. The work shop is semi-climate controlled, but usually pretty hot with fans in the summer. There would be opportunities to design parts, use CNC machines, mill lumber or generally do just about anything a business CAN do, if the employee wanted. Or if they would just like to stay at the bench and work on guitars all day, that is completely possible.

Guyatone was Japan's first electric guitar manufacturer which we now own and continue to work with in Japan. Currently we set up plans with a major distributor in Japan and are also working on new items (which we manufacture) to be sold both in Japan and the US. Growth for us has been fast, but we are unable to keep-up with demand without enough competent repair techs.

The pay would be $12/hr on 1099 as a contract employee. We offer emergency room insurance at a low cost, but no major coverage. Also life insurance and investment plans. Cost of living in Oswego is much less than Chicago
It's a great town with a mix of just about any store you need, but also farm land just a street over.
Our plan is to continue to grow with the help of a new employee who will hopefully gain more benefits and compensation as we can afford. In the same fashion we hope for them to become a lead-team member.

As some may have gleaned in my posts, I am an attorney who works with small to medium size businesses like you describe. Mostly that means helping the owners get out of hot water or minimize costly mistakes. One thing caught my eye in your post. I know many people like to throw the dice with the IRS, but you may want to have a look at:

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/understand ... esignation

FWIW, it seems incredibly unlikely that someone working in your facility, with your tools, on your schedule would be a "contract employee". The IRS is very lax about enforcement, but when they do somehow focus on you it can be devastating. I had a client go bankrupt because he had failed to withhold for nearly a dozen employees. The penalties for not withholding are personal to the owners and officers of the company, so this radically changed my client's personal financial life as well as ending his business.

In no way a criticism, but I have to ask a question about the $12. hr wage. My first job, in 1977, was as a repair tech in a skilled environment, not a lot different than a skilled repair tech in your environment. In 1977, my starting wage was $12/hr. In 1977, you could live decently on $12 hr, now it's less than a living wage for a single person, that tech would basically be living in poverty. Is that truly the reality in 2018? I feel like I have no touch with the real world any longer.

Yep, pretty sad. If a skilled luthier could make as much as a grease monkey/auto mechanic, now that would be nice.

Undoubtedly houses in Oswego, Il sell for $4999 and gas costs $0.39/gal. Must be nice living in 1969.