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The Keys to Success -- CowBoy Growing Story
Cowboy Sewing Machines began as a dream between two best friends from across the world. Bill Jiang in China and Ryan Neel in the United States. Through our 20 plus years of friendship, we have formed a very unique bond that has been very rewarding and special.
22 years ago we started with nothing but a dream and loads of ambition -- limited resources, no social background, no-one to guide us.
Today Ryan owns a nice home and a factory in United States!
Today I own a nice home and factory in China!
Yet these achievements were not because of charging high prices or trying to maximize profits. Instead, we built our business on fair prices and very high standards of quality. We do not provide cheap, unreliable equipment, but instead we are committed to offering our customers the very best value for the money they spend -- and more importantly, we provide expert customer service and back up each machine we sell. That’s why more and more people from many different countries trust CowBoy/HighTex for their machinery needs!!
We are eternally grateful to those who have supported our business. I would like to share some business principles we have learned over the years that have guided us toward our success. Hopefully it will help you to understand the meaning behind the CowBoy/HighTex Brand. When you decide to purchase our industrial sewing equipment, or you want to join our business, or start your own new business -- we will be with you every step of the way!!!
1. Be 100% honest
"Honesty is the Best Policy" is an age old adage, and it is the basis from where we build our relationships. Ryan and I have been friends since 2004, while I worked for a small apparel industrial sewing machine factory. We were half a world apart, had never met in person, and if he or I hadn't been honest, we couldn't become good friends just through emails and phone calls, and there would have been no subsequent story.
In our business dealings throughout the years, we had the courage to ask for help and feedback when needed, have been realistic about what we can and cannot do and are honest to clients, colleagues and ourselves. It is one of important reason CowBoy/HighTex has earned the respects of clients from around the globe.
2.Fight to win -- or die
There is a very famous saying in China: "Burn the boats/bridges behind you, to destroy all possible ways of escape or retreat, pushing forward with resolute determination and commitment without the option of turning back".
Before entering the sewing machine industry, I worked as a painter, a pump worker, a quality inspector and a quality manager. Whenever I found that my current occupation was not going to change my standing or improve my position in life, I would resign immediately. Unlike most other people, I did not find a new job first and then resign. So when I was young, I was often unemployed and extremely poor -- but I stuck to my dreams and ambitions.But if I did not stick to my principles with high resolve, and instead always allowed a pathway to retreat and compromise -- today I might still be a painter or quality inspector as I started many years ago!!
Before starting a business with Ryan, I spent 8 years to pay off debt (for education) relying on a very basic salary, and had nothing but a small savings of 40,000RMB (about $5000 USD). If our business failed, then all of my savings would have been lost, and my life completely destroyed, and maybe I would have lost the courage to continue on.
Before starting his business, Ryan was a small leatherworker who worked out of his parents home, and worked as grocery store manager for his full time job. And he had very little money saved. For his initial orders with me he would borrow money from credit cards, then transfer the money to me in order to purchase leather machinery. If he lost the money, he would have been in a very bad position.
I do not encourage adventure for no reason. But if you are still young, you must have super strong determination when you start a business -- you must succeed or perish. If you start with a "try" mentality and are only willing to invest 10% of money and time, then the probability of success is 10% only. But if you invest everything, and put the most of your time and resources into the business, then your chances of success will rise exponentially.
3. Trust and loyalty
In the early days of our cooperation together, we were unable to produce our own sewing machines. We just purchased, rebuilt them to higher standards of quality and then re-sold them. Ryan and I visited many manufacturers of sewing machines and cutting equipment, and cooperated with more and more reliable suppliers. Ryan would rebuild and test this equipment 100% before sale. With the growth of our business, we establish a technical team in China and regularly trained them with the help and experience of Ryan, to rebuild and test the machine 100% before shipping. I was always very open with Ryan about who we bought our machines from, and the advantages and disadvantages of each supplier.
If Ryan try to purchase from the manufacturer, to save on the commission paid to me, he could save a lot of money.
And if I tried to sell to other American dealers and users directly, I can make more money.
But.....But if I did things that way, we would not have today's CowBoy -- the largest leather sewing equipment supplier in United States. And CowBoy/HighTex would not have become a global company. Now we have professional dealers in Germany, UK, France, Italy, Australia, Russia, India, South Africa and Brazil.
4. Respect All
When we purchase from our suppliers, we never ask for their lowest possible price. On the contrary, we respect the reasonable profit needs of the supplier. If the supplier does not have reasonable profits, their quality cannot be guaranteed and they cannot exist. Then our business is also greatly affected.
When we sell to our customers, we show the best respect to our clients. The responsibility of all CowBoy/HighTex sales engineers is not simply trying to sell more machines, but to provide real, honest, and factual information to clients, in a genuine and respectful manner -- therefore helping our clients to make the right decision for their needs.
We also show respect and appreciation to internal colleagues and employees. We listen actively to their needs, concerns, feedback, and goals. Ultimately we aren’t just building a company, we’re building a family!!
5.Follow a dedicated path
The people who succeed are intensely passionate about something. We concentrate almost exclusively on heavy duty cutting and sewing equipment, to the exclusion of everything else.
In the past 22 years, every day and night, Ryan and I have worked for business, Cowboy Sewing Machines is our whole life! We have 22 years of hard earned hands-on experience. A key advantage for our company is professional experience in the field of heavy materials and thick thread.
6. Quality and service
Quality and service are always the cornerstone of any business! CowBoy/HighTex was founded as a company that places quality over quantity. True to our founding principles, we are committed to delivering top quality machines every time.
We place the customer as the cornerstone of everything we do. We fully commit to consistently delivering on expectations, to go the extra mile to get the job done and give 100% in all that we do.
We strive to be the most trustworthy supplier of heavy-duty industrial sewing and cutting machines!!!
7. Long term goals before short rewards
Think Like a Farmer!! A farmer never looks in the short term. He must think months, even years ahead as he nurtures the land, sows his crops, and plans his next harvest. Year after year, he builds the land to yield better gains, and learns new ways to produce bigger and better. The same is true for Cowboy.
Do not be in a hurry for making quick and easy money, instead, focus on stable product quality. Build long lasting and enriching relationships with your customers and have a genuine interest in insuring their success.
It is my sincere hope that these guiding business principles are useful in your own business, as they have proven themselves to work for both Ryan and I over the years. A successful business is the result of years of hard work, planning, both success and failure, and also a tremendous amount of discipline. Know that when you choose to purchase form Cowboy/Hightex -- you will be receiving our very best and focused efforts drawn from years of knowledge and experience!!
Bill Jiang
2024-10-28
Milestone of CowBoy
 2024: Buy a factory in Ohio, USA
2022: Start to produce Kinedyne serial powerful servo motor for heavy duty industrial sewing machine
2020: Buy a new factory premises to cope with increasing demands
2010: Upgrade business to HIGHTEX SPECIAL SEWING MACHINE CO.,LTD, star to produce heavy duty industrial sewing machine, leather craft equipment and heavy duty automatic programmable sewing machine
2008: Star to produce heavy duty automatic & programmable sewing machines and hot knife cutting equipment for other heavy weight applications, for example, lifting & lashing equipment, FIBC/Big Bags, safety harness and climbing ropes, upholstered furniture, as well as military industry
2006: Establish Sino-American joint-venture business “COWBOYCOMPANY”, train technical team for rebuilding leather sewing machine and automatic sewing equipment in China.
2004: Start to import heavy duty industrial leather sewing machines from China
2001: Start to resale industrial sewing machines and support equipment for the leather and heavy material industries, become the factory-authorized distributor of Consew, Tacony™ Corporation, Superior™ Sewing Machine Parts, Diamond Needle Corporation, Organ Needles, Groz Beckert Needles, Southern Thread™ and Linhanyl Thread
1996: Founding of the Neel's Saddlery and Harness workshop – use several industrial sewing machines and leather crafting equipment for stitching saddles, harness, leather belts, hand bags etc. This hands-on experience is the foundation stone of success in CowBoy / Hightex sewing machine business.
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