Customer stories


The Larry Little Company

Keeping in Tune

All it takes is one sour note to ruin the harmony. Every musician knows that. But the same goes for business -- when you've got a system that works, there's no need to tamper with success. Especially when that system is as reliable as FileMaker Pro -- the award-winning database software application from FileMaker Inc.

Musicians everywhere know The Larry Little Company as one of the leading publishers of instructional materials. Whether you're interested in learning to play the guitar or the banjo, the keyboard or the drums -- whether you want to tear off a few fast chords on the harmonica or if you just want to sing -- there's a Larry Little instructional product waiting to show you the way. The company's materials are distributed as books, videos and CD-Roms, and they're sold through music retailers nationwide.

FileMaker Pro had been helping keep track of these products at The Larry Little Company headquarters for more than five years, tracking dealers, handling the invoices, and helping to ensure fast, reliable service. 'It took little time to learn to navigate the fields,' recalls Joe Brincku, the manager at The Larry Little Company's offices in Naples, Florida. 'I guess you could say that I became a FileMaker whiz -- self proclaimed, of course.'

All went well until early in the year 2000. A shipping company implemented a new software system that required The Larry Little Company to switch from its long-established Macintosh platform to Microsoft Windows. And with that changeover came a switch away from FileMaker to Microsoft Access.

The results? 'What a disaster!' groans Joe. Access proved to be difficult to set up and difficult to use, and led to greater and greater frustration. 'It's so user unfriendly, it is amazing they have anyone using it,' recalls Joe. 'To sum up with an old saying -- 'don't fix it if it ain't broke.'' After three months using Access, The Larry Little Company made the switch back to FileMaker Pro. 'Our office will work smoothly again,' declares Joe, 'and this makes our 'mistake factor' go way down. We are able to make changes to our system and know that these changes will not disrupt the delicate balance we like to call 'our workers!''

With FileMaker Pro back in place, running four systems on one shared network, Joe is looking ahead to expansion. Plans are in the works which will allow for direct on-line ordering through the LarryLittle.com website -- a system which will use FileMaker Pro to provide complete, on-demand ordering histories for customers and easy and reliable processing of incoming orders. 'We are confident that FileMaker will grow without any complications,' says Joe. 'FileMaker has performed without fail so far. We are extremely happy with the ease of setup and the ability to grow with us as our customer base does.'

Easy to use, easy to maintain, and always ready to grow. For Joe Brincku and his staff at The Larry Little Company, FileMaker Pro makes sweet music indeed.



Contact information

Contact Info for Customer:

Joe Brincku
Manager
The Larry Little Company
941-514-8256
joe@inutritionals.com


Filemaker Contact:

Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
http://www.filemaker.com


Overview
  • The Larry Little Company, a leading publisher of musical instructional materials, used FileMaker Pro for over five years to manage dealers, handle invoices, and ensure fast, reliable service. Then, early in 2000, Larry Little switched to Microsoft Access -- with disastrous results. (There's the happy ending to this story, since Larry Little switched back to FileMaker Pro after only 3 months.)
Industry
  • Creative Markets
  • Entertainment
  • Information Technology
  • Small Business