We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Damon Duster a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Damon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How has Covid changed your business model?

COVID impacted everyone, every industry, and every Country. From 2020 to present it has slowed the turn around time down for vinyl records. There is multiple reasons for this. First off, the world shutdown but demand for products didn’t which helped contribute to the world wide supply chain issues. Orders where piling up for records while materials were either dwindling or simply not available. This massive back log of orders or lack of materials is still seen today but is getting better with time. Funny thing is, we had our best sales year ever in 2021. I believe that the Governmnet stimulus checks helped in 2021, however, 2022 was one of our worst years to date due to both longer turn times on records and less money to spend on excess goods. So, to rectify the vinyl issue and the slowing of consumer purchases, we focused more on cassettes, 7″ lathes, and CDs. They are a lot shorter turntime, materials are readily available, and they are less money for consumers.

Damon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Nomad Eel Records was born out of the love of music and art! Our main focus is to put out music we love on high quality vinyl records. We also do cassettes, CDs, lathe cuts, and digital music upon the bands request as well. If you look at our catalog of music, not only does it span many styles, but many of the bands have multiple releases with us. Can’t tell you how lucky we are and how proud we are to call all them friends! Seeing the bands succeed is like watching your kids growing up and going to college!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

By far the most effective strategy for growing our clientele is by word of mouth from band to band and also by the quality of our releases that are distributed world wide.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’d say the accumulation of all of the jobs and experiences I have had in my life. Although I have learned something from every one of them I will only name a few highlights. For instance, I learned the importance of customer service working at Long’s Drugs Store as a clerk where I did a little of everything. I managed, and for a short time, owned a Comic Book Store where I learned Managerial and business skills. In the Army I learned even more skills to include resiliency, leadership, attention to detail, and focus on completing the mission. Being a single father of two has taught me patience and continues to push me to grow. Last year, I earned my Masters Degree in Management and Leadership while having a full time job and my kids. In addition to Owning and opperating Nomad Eel Records, I am a contracted Senior Aquisitions Logistician for Space Force. I continue to strive for excellence and always look forward to what I can learn in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nomadeelrecords.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nomadeelrecords/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nomadeelrecords/
• Other: https://nomadeelrecords.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Damon Duster