Truetone’s Weil Wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award




Bob Weil, founder and president of Truetone, was recently named Entrepreneur of the Year by Gordon
College in Wenham, Massachusetts.

The award was given, “for an alumnus who exemplifies
the characteristics of an entrepreneur – vision and charisma, courage and
determination, resourcefulness and hard work, creativity, and innovation.”



Weil started Truetone in January, 1995, under the name “Visual Sound,” based
on the first product he invented, the Visual Volume pedal. It is a classic
start-up story, with early products being built on the kitchen table,
financial difficulty, bright moments which kept him going (like playing Bono’s
guitar backstage at a U2 concert), and finally creating some home-run
products that became industry standards. The company changed its name to
Truetone earlier this year in keeping with Weil’s vision of providing great
sounding, reliable products for musicians, at a reasonable price, while
keeping the marketing message on point and truthful.



Weil was surprised by the recognition by Gordon College. “When I started
the company 20 years ago, I never would have dreamed I would win an award
for Entrepreneur of the Year. I’ve spent the last many years just trying to
make useful, reliable tools for musicians, and yes, we’ve had a lot of
success and learned from some notable failures. If I think about it, there
really is a great story to tell, just like so many other American success
stories. My business is a lot smaller than most of the others you hear
about that started on a kitchen table and then became part of the Fortune
500. We’re not nearly big enough to be on that list, but I’ve got a great
team around me and am very grateful for a loving and supportive family as
well.”

Truetone gear is sold in every US state and in over 50 countries.

Photo: Gordon College president Michael Lindsay with Truetone founder and president Bob Weil.