FROM THE TOP JAKE CONNOLLY I CONNOLLY MUSIC
INTERVIEWED BY KATIE KAILUS
HOW DO YOU START YOUR DAY? I like this question ... and I have a crazily detailed an- swer. After all, you only get one shot at starting your day off great! I have a 5 a.m. wake-up. And I avoid looking at my iPhone for anything other than a specific task, therefore no scrolling through emails, texts, messages and the like until later. Then, I spend about 30 minutes on gratitude and priority focus as I am preparing for the gym. I’m at the gym by 5:30 a.m., and I start with 30 minutes of cardio where I spend the first half on a Hallow podcast and the second half catching up on any emails, texts and messages which arrived overnight. I finish with 30–45 minutes of strength training. Then, I clean up and head to the office. I take Sundays off, and I do the best I can when I’m on business travel. WOW, I LOVE THE DETAIL. CAN YOU SHARE WITH READERS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO LEADING CONNOLLY? There is an interesting story here, but too long for this interview. Essentially, my father and mother started John M. Connolly & Co. in 1970. My siblings and I always did warehouse-type work for the business as we grew up, but there was never any pressure to join the com- pany for a career. In fact, I was studying international business in col- lege and heading to work in a different industry when my father announced he was planning to sell the com- pany and retire. I approached him about buying the company, we agreed upon a price and financing, and finalized the sale shortly thereafter. Now, it’s hard to imagine that I almost didn’t work in the music industry! From that moment on, I focused on modernizing and growing the business based on my values and core fo- cus. Today, I feel so fortunate to work with a terrific group of people and together we were able to grow the business 10 times what it was when I first started. THAT’S AMAZING. IN JANUARY, CONNOLLY ANNOUNCED IT WAS ACQUIRING THE SCHERL & ROTH, GLAESEL AND WILLIAM LEWIS & SON BRANDS FROM CONN SELMER. HOW HAS THAT TRANSITION BEEN GOING? Although the transition has not been without its logisti- cal challenges, all other areas have been terrific. Our operations, marketing and sales teams dove right in with tremendous commitment to onboard this amazing oppor- tunity. In addition, our retailers have been wonderfully
supportive with their advice, encouragement and, of course, their purchase orders. I’m very thankful. I also want to thank [Conn Selmer CEO] John Fulton and his team at Conn Selmer who have been such great part- ners through this whole transition. WHAT DO THESE BRANDS BRING TO THE CONNOLLY MUSIC PORTFOLIO? These brands have an amazing heritage. The Glaesel and Roth families have been involved in the violin busi- ness since Stradivari’s time in the early 1700s, and the Lewis family since the early 1800s. We’re honored to steward these famous brand names. By doing so, we can support our dealers with best-in-class instruments that they and their customers can trust. WITH SO MANY BRANDS UNDER THE CONNOLLY UMBRELLA, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO PRESERVE EACH BRAND’S DISTINCT IDENTITY? I’m proud to say that Connolly Music has a long and successful history of preserving distinct brand identities. We’ve done so for more than 55 years. Each brand has its own voice, and we’re careful to remain true to that identity. With respect to the Scherl & Roth, Glaesel and William Lewis & Son brands, we look forward to leveraging their historical positioning to further differen- tiate them from where they are today. We will begin by focusing our attention on the Scherl & Roth line. LOOKING AHEAD, WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO SEE CONNOLLY MUSIC HEAD IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR SO? Over the next five years, I’m happy to say that my plan is to stay on the exact same course we’re currently on. I look to concentrate on further supporting the deal- ers and products we currently have in our portfolio, es- pecially with the addition of these new, exciting brands. I also plan to utilize the quickly shifting technologies in our industry to improve efficiencies while freeing up our team to spend more time on personal collaboration and mutually successful outcomes with our partners. SWITCHING GEARS A BIT, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE? I would describe my management style as collabora- tive, respectful and values-based. In other words, my compass and their solution — an EOS [Entrepreneurial Operating System] model.
30 I MUSIC INC. I JUNE 2026
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