After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic downturns, I
was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the economy
is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for
another high tech job.
I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,
family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a custom
furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good way to
get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people able &
willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a few
people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but that
doesn't seem very efficient either.
Yeah == I know:
the prospects are slim at best to make a living at this,
the probably of finding people who wnat this stuff aren't good,
...
Thought I'd get some opinions.
Thanks
The web can be your friend. A classy web site with pro-level pix of your w=
ork will be helpful (and cheaper than a slick brochure). Etsy already has =
been mentioned. One of the staff at the local Woodcraft sells a good numbe=
r of his turnings via Facebook. His stuff is nice, but nothing special.
Larry
On Sunday, March 16, 2014 1:57:45 PM UTC-5, xxxx wrote:
> After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic downturns, I=
=20
>=20
> was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the econo=
my=20
>=20
> is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for=
=20
>=20
> another high tech job.=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,=20
>=20
> family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a custom=
=20
>=20
> furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good way t=
o=20
>=20
> get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people able =
&=20
>=20
> willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
>=20
> existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a few=
=20
>=20
> people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but that=
=20
>=20
> doesn't seem very efficient either.
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Yeah =3D=3D I know:
>=20
> the prospects are slim at best to make a living at this,
>=20
> the probably of finding people who wnat this stuff aren't good,
>=20
> ...
>=20
> Thought I'd get some opinions.
>=20
> Thanks
On Monday, March 17, 2014 2:04:40 PM UTC-5, xxxx wrote:
> Thanks for all the responses. I haven't decided if I'm going to try this or
>
> not. Selling to retail shops probably won't work because of the price and
>
> time. I took 2 nesting tables of walnut with "southwestern" cutouts and
>
> design to a local shop. They had some painted ones for $150 a piece of
>
> course mine looked a lot nicer which wasn't a factor. He offered $25 a
>
> piece after a lot of talking. Of course I was thinking in the $100 each
>
> range. He was importing his "handmade" stuff from Mexico.
I've been thinking more about this and I wonder if you could go business to business asking if they need something specific. I can imagine a business needing cubbies that will fit in a particular place, or a table or cabinet for a specific location.
On Sunday, March 16, 2014 1:57:45 PM UTC-5, xxxx wrote:
> After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic downturns, I=
=20
>=20
> was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the econo=
my=20
>=20
> is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for=
=20
>=20
> another high tech job.=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,=20
>=20
> family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a custom=
=20
>=20
> furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good way t=
o=20
>=20
> get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people able =
&=20
>=20
> willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
>=20
> existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a few=
=20
>=20
> people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but that=
=20
>=20
> doesn't seem very efficient either.
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Yeah =3D=3D I know:
>=20
> the prospects are slim at best to make a living at this,
>=20
> the probably of finding people who wnat this stuff aren't good,
>=20
> ...
>=20
> Thought I'd get some opinions.
>=20
> Thanks
You might consider working in the general area of woodworking like decking =
or custom cabinet making, although there you are probably competing against=
established businesses in your area with higher volume and lower productio=
n costs. I was at a farmer's market where a guys was selling some interesti=
ng things, boxes, bird houses, things like that. Also, I wouldn't give up o=
n Craigslist. Try advertising something like: "Wooden furniture and other p=
roducts made to your specification." I think a lot of people would like som=
ething or another for their houses that they hoped they would find some day=
-- end tables, blanket chests, bookshelves, whatever. The downside is that=
many will be surprised when they see how much these things actually cost w=
hen you factor in your time. Best of luck.
On Sun, 16 Mar 2014 19:24:19 -0500, Swingman <[email protected]> wrote:
>On 3/16/2014 1:57 PM, xxxx wrote:
>
>> Thought I'd get some opinions.
>
>There's riches in niches ... a niche can be as simple as doing when
>others are talking.
Years back when my father passed I made his burial urn. The funeral
home offered to buy all I could make. The price offered was possible
but it meant doing lots of the same things and using a lot of jigs.
Realize you may end up doing a lot of work you don't want to do until
your established. I found it more profitable to maintain my master
electricians license. Now I have an excavator and backhoe and find
that pays better to support the woodworking.
On 3/17/2014 1:04 PM, xxxx wrote:
> Thanks for all the responses. I haven't decided if I'm going to try this or
> not. Selling to retail shops probably won't work because of the price and
> time. I took 2 nesting tables of walnut with "southwestern" cutouts and
> design to a local shop. They had some painted ones for $150 a piece of
> course mine looked a lot nicer which wasn't a factor. He offered $25 a
> piece after a lot of talking. Of course I was thinking in the $100 each
> range. He was importing his "handmade" stuff from Mexico.
>
Have you considered making contacts with high-end interior designers,
realtors who specialize in expensive houses, maybe even art galleries?
"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> A couple of more thoughts...
>
> If I wanted to do this - I don't - and if I lived where there were
> sufficient potential clients - I don't - I would forget about
> homeowners and go for businessmen; specifically, high end desks,
> consol tables, conference tables, etc. By "high end" I'm thinking
> of desks at $10,000 - $15,000 up.
>
> There is a reason for that and I speak from experience...when I was
> a photographer a large chunk of my clientele were upper echelon
> executives, lawyers, realtors, business owners, etc. Those people
> have the money and they are generally easy to work with; a housewife
> may nit pick you to death; they generally don't.
>
> What they want is something useful, of course, but also something
> that shows they have arrived. I used to do a lot of lawyers; when a
> young lawyer starts making money he usually bought two things
> (IME)...first, a Rolex and second, a Mercedes roadster. Why a
> Rolex? They don't keep any better time but they have a "name". I
> did love those new watches, though, always made sure they showed in
> a couple of the photos, made me a lot of money. New lawyer was
> happy too, he not only had a name watch but he had it in a photo by
> me (I had a name too). A "name" really helps because with many
> people the object itself is less important than the name associated
> with it.
----------------------------------------------
You sell the sizzle, not the steak, especially to the newly "arrived".
Lew
Perhaps you could create a portfolio and then visit people that do "interior design" and discuss with them how you could generate unique pieces for their clients.
Bill
On Sunday, March 16, 2014 2:57:45 PM UTC-4, xxxx wrote:
> After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic downturns, I
>
> was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the economy
>
> is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for
>
> another high tech job.
>
>
>
> I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,
>
> family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a custom
>
> furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good way to
>
> get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
>
>
>
> Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people able &
>
> willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
>
> existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a few
>
> people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but that
>
> doesn't seem very efficient either.
>
>
>
> Yeah == I know:
>
> the prospects are slim at best to make a living at this,
>
> the probably of finding people who wnat this stuff aren't good,
>
> ...
>
> Thought I'd get some opinions.
>
> Thanks
>>> Thought I'd get some opinions.
>>
>>There's riches in niches ... a niche can be as simple as doing when
>>others are talking.
>
>Years back when my father passed I made his burial urn. The funeral
>home offered to buy all I could make. The price offered was possible
>but it meant doing lots of the same things and using a lot of jigs.
>Realize you may end up doing a lot of work you don't want to do until
>your established. I found it more profitable to maintain my master
>electricians license. Now I have an excavator and backhoe and find
>that pays better to support the woodworking.
I've been thinking of a simple wooden " cozy " -
to accept the <standard ?> crematorium metal container ..
It can be very simple & cheap - or made with some special wood
from the deceased's life - or fancied-up with carvings etc ..
.. surely this service already exists .. ?
John T.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: [email protected] ---
On 3/16/2014 1:57 PM, xxxx wrote:
> Thought I'd get some opinions.
There's riches in niches ... a niche can be as simple as doing when
others are talking.
--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)
Thanks for all the responses. I haven't decided if I'm going to try this or
not. Selling to retail shops probably won't work because of the price and
time. I took 2 nesting tables of walnut with "southwestern" cutouts and
design to a local shop. They had some painted ones for $150 a piece of
course mine looked a lot nicer which wasn't a factor. He offered $25 a
piece after a lot of talking. Of course I was thinking in the $100 each
range. He was importing his "handmade" stuff from Mexico.
On Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:37:32 -0700, Mike M
>Realize you may end up doing a lot of work you don't want to do until
>you're established.
Isn't it almost always that way? It's a lucky person who can earn a
decent living doing what they love to do.
>Now I have an excavator and backhoe and find
>that pays better to support the woodworking.
Smart man. You found something that lets you continue to do what you
love to do.
On 3/16/2014 1:57 PM, xxxx wrote:
> After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic downturns, I
> was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the economy
> is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for
> another high tech job.
>
> I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,
> family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a custom
> furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good way to
> get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
>
> Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people able &
> willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
> existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a few
> people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but that
> doesn't seem very efficient either.
>
> Yeah == I know:
> the prospects are slim at best to make a living at this,
> the probably of finding people who wnat this stuff aren't good,
> ...
> Thought I'd get some opinions.
> Thanks
>
In this day and age, the vase majority of potential customers flock
towards big names for their furniture. Most don't want to wait.
If you are serious about making a living doing this I hope you have deep
pockets to begin with. You are going to have to find customers that
appreciate, want, and can afford quality furniture. You have to offer
what the big boxes don't.
Most people that can afford you, will be suspect of someone that they
have never heard of, so having a portfolio or inventory of available
product will help to persuade your potential buyers.
I progressed into selling my work after doing woodworking seriously
since the late 70's. I had a previous career that paid the bills until
I retired at 40. Woodworking was strictly a hobby up until then. I
began selling my work to those that had seen my work the previous 15
years. I am successful with selling to almost every one of my potential
customers but I do not go after this work to pay the bills. This is a
hobby that pays for itself and gives me a nice lump of gravy.
Leon wrote:
> On 3/16/2014 1:57 PM, xxxx wrote:
>> After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic downturns, I
>> was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the
>> economy
>> is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for
>> another high tech job.
>>
>> I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,
>> family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a
>> custom
>> furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good
>> way to
>> get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
>>
>> Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people
>> able &
>> willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
>> existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a
>> few
>> people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but
>> that
>> doesn't seem very efficient either.
>>
>> Yeah == I know:
>> the prospects are slim at best to make a living at this,
>> the probably of finding people who wnat this stuff aren't good,
>> ...
>> Thought I'd get some opinions.
>> Thanks
>>
>
> In this day and age, the vase majority of potential customers flock
> towards big names for their furniture. Most don't want to wait.
>
> If you are serious about making a living doing this I hope you have
> deep pockets to begin with. You are going to have to find customers
> that appreciate, want, and can afford quality furniture. You have to
> offer what the big boxes don't.
>
> Most people that can afford you, will be suspect of someone that they
> have never heard of, so having a portfolio or inventory of available
> product will help to persuade your potential buyers.
>
> I progressed into selling my work after doing woodworking seriously
> since the late 70's. I had a previous career that paid the bills
> until I retired at 40. Woodworking was strictly a hobby up until
> then. I began selling my work to those that had seen my work the
> previous 15 years. I am successful with selling to almost every one
> of my potential customers but I do not go after this work to pay the
> bills. This is a hobby that pays for itself and gives me a nice lump
> of gravy.
It's seems like lots of those who CAN DO woodworking TEACH IT. For the
"celebrities", that seems to bring in about $150 day/person before
expenses. The Marc Adam school of Woodworking close to where I live,
gets about $175/day-person (+ $40 annual application fee). To the OP,
maybe you would consider teaching courses in your locality? Realize that
teaching and doing Are two different things. You would need to spend
considerable time "getting organized". Maybe go to the woodworking shows
and ask yourself whether you can, or are interested in doing the kind of
work that the presenters are doing. Just a thought. Good luck!
Bill
Talk to a furniture store company maybe?
Some of the natural oak or wood furniture stores....
consignment?
You are competing with factory.......that is the hard part.
I know your quality is better.
Factory is cheaper.....
Like myself, I like building residential homes.....
Now it seems modulars are the more economic avenue....
john
"xxxx" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic downturns, I
was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the economy
is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for
another high tech job.
I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,
family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a custom
furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good way to
get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people able &
willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a few
people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but that
doesn't seem very efficient either.
Yeah == I know:
the prospects are slim at best to make a living at this,
the probably of finding people who wnat this stuff aren't good,
...
Thought I'd get some opinions.
Thanks
woodchucker wrote:
>
> careful on that consignment stuff. A local woodworker was making
> chests for tack equipment and getting equestrian shops to take it on
> consignment. He was not getting paid. He stopped in a few of the
> places they had sold them without letting him know. Then they did not
> pay him once he saw they were sold. They put it off repeatedly. He
> said he does not do consigment any longer.
>
Echo. Consignment only sounds good to the guy who is taking the
consignment. Please be smart about this idea.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
Swingman wrote:
> On 3/16/2014 1:57 PM, xxxx wrote:
>
>> Thought I'd get some opinions.
>
> There's riches in niches ... a niche can be as simple as doing when
> others are talking.
Yeahbut... is anybody else talking? This has always been one of my fears.
Seems a great idea can come into my mind but... well - you know. I've never
been able to resolve the difference between a great idea that no one else
thought of, and a bad idea that no one else is talking about. That's really
a tough call...
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
jloomis wrote:
> Talk to a furniture store company maybe?
> Some of the natural oak or wood furniture stores....
> consignment?
>
> You are competing with factory.......that is the hard part.
> I know your quality is better.
> Factory is cheaper.....
> Like myself, I like building residential homes.....
> Now it seems modulars are the more economic avenue....
> john
Locally, there is a guy who has made a good business (maybe not a great
business) out of doing repair work for Hardin Furniture. I'm sure he's also
picked up some custom work but I don't know how much. Maybe that is an
approach.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
Bill wrote:
> Leon wrote:
>> On 3/16/2014 1:57 PM, xxxx wrote:
>>> After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic
>>> downturns, I
>>> was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the
>>> economy
>>> is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking
>>> for
>>> another high tech job.
>>>
>>> I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,
>>> family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a
>>> custom
>>> furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good
>>> way to
>>> get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
>>>
>>> Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people
>>> able &
>>> willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
>>> existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know
>>> a few
>>> people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but
>>> that
>>> doesn't seem very efficient either.
>>>
>>> Yeah == I know:
>>> the prospects are slim at best to make a living at this,
>>> the probably of finding people who wnat this stuff aren't good,
>>> ...
>>> Thought I'd get some opinions.
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>
>> In this day and age, the vase majority of potential customers flock
>> towards big names for their furniture. Most don't want to wait.
>>
>> If you are serious about making a living doing this I hope you have
>> deep pockets to begin with. You are going to have to find customers
>> that appreciate, want, and can afford quality furniture. You have to
>> offer what the big boxes don't.
>>
>> Most people that can afford you, will be suspect of someone that they
>> have never heard of, so having a portfolio or inventory of available
>> product will help to persuade your potential buyers.
>>
>> I progressed into selling my work after doing woodworking seriously
>> since the late 70's. I had a previous career that paid the bills
>> until I retired at 40. Woodworking was strictly a hobby up until
>> then. I began selling my work to those that had seen my work the
>> previous 15 years. I am successful with selling to almost every one
>> of my potential customers but I do not go after this work to pay the
>> bills. This is a hobby that pays for itself and gives me a nice
>> lump of gravy.
>
> It's seems like lots of those who CAN DO woodworking TEACH IT. For the
> "celebrities", that seems to bring in about $150 day/person before
> expenses. The Marc Adam school of Woodworking close to where I live,
> gets about $175/day-person (+ $40 annual application fee). To the OP,
> maybe you would consider teaching courses in your locality? Realize
> that teaching and doing Are two different things. You would need to
> spend considerable time "getting organized". Maybe go to the
> woodworking shows and ask yourself whether you can, or are interested
> in doing the kind of work that the presenters are doing. Just a
> thought. Good luck!
>
> Bill
>
>
If you would like any more suggestions from someone not really qualified
to give any, "Think Kitchens". It has been demonstrated that people are
willing to write big checks for them--compared to what they pay for
custom made smaller things, except maybe musical instruments. It seems
like the artistic part of "custom made" take too much time. I think you
might do better to remove the word custom. I was talking to someone who
made mountain dulcimers (a folk instrument), and he told me that he made
them 10-15 at a time--that he Didn't Make Anything one at a time. Of
course, that explains how he was able to price a decent looking
instrument at $125... I also spoke to a mother and child hemming and
hawing over the price of one. I asked, "Do you know how long it would
take to make that?!"
Bill
"xxxx" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big
> economic downturns, I was laid off my SW engineering job.
> Thought it was ironic since the economy is supposed to
> 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for
> another high tech job.
>
> I have been building furniture for at least that long for
> ourselves, family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht
> the idea of starting a custom furniture, woodworking
> business for paying customers. What's a good way to get
> the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
Designers and decorators. Architects too, especially for business/office
types. What you do has to be first rate for them, though; moreover, you
need to be able to build to their design (and their designs are sometimes
way less than practical).
A showroom helps. Someplace - high traffic - where the population can look
and go, "Ooooo". If you have a mall, a kiosk there would be viable. With a
brochure rack. Brochure has to be first rate too.
I knew a couple of guys in Honolulu that did very well, they had a showroom
in the same building I was in. At one time, koa furniture in Hawaii was
quite common; common and inexpensive...even the folks in public housing had
it. Back then one could buy koa lumber for $0.50 brd/ft; now it is pushing
$50. Much of that increase is due to the marketing of exemplary koa
furniture by the guys I mentioned.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net
"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> "xxxx" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]
> > After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big
> > economic downturns, I was laid off my SW engineering
> > job. Thought it was ironic since the economy is
> > supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling
> > about looking for another high tech job.
> >
> > I have been building furniture for at least that long
> > for ourselves, family, and a few friends. I'm playing
> > wiht the idea of starting a custom furniture,
> > woodworking business for paying customers. What's a
> > good way to get the word out to people intested in
> > custom furniture?
A couple of more thoughts...
If I wanted to do this - I don't - and if I lived where there were
sufficient potential clients - I don't - I would forget about homeowners and
go for businessmen; specifically, high end desks, consol tables, conference
tables, etc. By "high end" I'm thinking of desks at $10,000 - $15,000 up.
There is a reason for that and I speak from experience...when I was a
photographer a large chunk of my clientele were upper echelon executives,
lawyers, realtors, business owners, etc. Those people have the money and
they are generally easy to work with; a housewife may nit pick you to death;
they generally don't.
What they want is something useful, of course, but also something that shows
they have arrived. I used to do a lot of lawyers; when a young lawyer
starts making money he usually bought two things (IME)...first, a Rolex and
second, a Mercedes roadster. Why a Rolex? They don't keep any better time
but they have a "name". I did love those new watches, though, always made
sure they showed in a couple of the photos, made me a lot of money. New
lawyer was happy too, he not only had a name watch but he had it in a photo
by me (I had a name too). A "name" really helps because with many people
the object itself is less important than the name associated with it.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net
Michael wrote:
> On Monday, March 17, 2014 2:04:40 PM UTC-5, xxxx wrote:
>> Thanks for all the responses. I haven't decided if I'm going to try this or
>>
>> not. Selling to retail shops probably won't work because of the price and
>>
>> time. I took 2 nesting tables of walnut with "southwestern" cutouts and
>>
>> design to a local shop. They had some painted ones for $150 a piece of
>>
>> course mine looked a lot nicer which wasn't a factor. He offered $25 a
>>
>> piece after a lot of talking. Of course I was thinking in the $100 each
>>
>> range. He was importing his "handmade" stuff from Mexico.
> I've been thinking more about this and I wonder if you could go business to business asking if they need something specific. I can imagine a business needing cubbies that will fit in a particular place, or a table or cabinet for a specific location.
Of course, there are 500 page catalogs containing bookcases, tables, and
cabinets of every configuration. Most businesses are probably not
looking for that custom, one of a kind bookcase. This niche may not be
impossible, but it seems hard to penetrate.
xxxx wrote:
> After 34+ yrs, layoffs to numerous to mention, big economic downturns, I
> was laid off my SW engineering job. Thought it was ironic since the economy
> is supposed to 'be doing better'. I have mixed feeling about looking for
> another high tech job.
>
>
I assume you were getting benefits for you (and your wife?) from your
work. In my uninformed opinion, that's a decent reason to stay
in the workforce until you can get to Medicare age (65). No one says
you can't try a new job. I know enough about software engineering
to know that if you can do that, then you could probably do alot of
different jobs.
If you want to use your hands, maybe look up a company that will let you
help do (kitchen) cabinetry.
I hope you are successful finding something you are happy doing! Maybe
just being around some new faces will help.
I understand how being in-between jobs sucks. You WILL get through this!
Bill
> The price offered was possible
> but it meant doing lots of the same things and using a lot of jigs.
> Realize you may end up doing a lot of work you don't want to do until
> your established.
That has been a bad situation for many new business owners. They take a
hobby you enjoy and turn it into just another job. My wife did that
many years ago. She made a good buck, but no longer had a hobby.
Once established and more work than you can handle, you can do away with
unwanted jobs, but in the beginning, you have to eat. You will get the
customer tha wants a cabinet made from curly cherry and they wants a
wash of paint to bring out the swirls. Ir a walnut table with two coats
of primer. Or a dozen boxes that gets you bored after number two.
On Sun, 16 Mar 2014 19:24:19 -0500, Swingman <[email protected]> wrote:
>There's riches in niches ... a niche can be as simple as doing when
>others are talking.
Yup. The only difficulty is finding the right niche.
On 3/16/2014 5:31 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On Sun, 16 Mar 2014 18:57:45 GMT, xxxx <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
>
>> I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,
>> family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a custom
>> furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good way to
>> get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
>>
>> Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people able &
>> willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
>> existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a few
>> people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but that
>> doesn't seem very efficient either.
>>
>
>
>
> Just to piggyback on a few things Leon mentioned:
>
> Forget Craig's List. Most people there are bargain hunters. Consider
> a small ad in a local shoppers paper if you have one. You have to
> find those few people that have the money to buy and are willing to
> wait for that perfect piece of furniture they want.
>
> Word of mouth is the best advertising, but that takes years to
> develop.
>
> Do you have enough photos of your work for a portfolio? If not, try
> to go back and take pictures, but be sure the piece you made is still
> pristine or it will reflect badly on you.
>
> Don't sell on price. Don't price over or under. You want to be known
> for quality, not cheapness. If you quote $1200 for a piece and the
> customer offers $800, walk away and don't negotiate. That type of
> person will try to find a fault on the finished piece so they can try
> for a discount when you deliver.
>
> If a piece would take 30 hours for a skilled craftsman, but you know
> it will take you 10 hours more because you never made that, you have
> to take a hit on price. If you represent yourself as an experienced
> furniture builder, the customer does not want to pay extra for you
> learning a new skill.
>
> Any specialty shops near you that sell quality merchandise on
> consignment? Make a couple of small pieces and sit them in their
> shop. Be sure your name and phone number are displayed so a
> prospective customer may contact you directly if they want something
> other that what you display. Note that I said specialty shops, not
> the second hand consignment shops that sell used junk. Maybe a
> jewelry box in a gift shop would work.
careful on that consignment stuff. A local woodworker was making chests
for tack equipment and getting equestrian shops to take it on
consignment. He was not getting paid. He stopped in a few of the places
they had sold them without letting him know. Then they did not pay him
once he saw they were sold. They put it off repeatedly. He said he does
not do consigment any longer.
Just what he told me.. I have no first hand knowledge.
>
> Plan on not making any money for a while too. Getting started can be
> tough for any business. Good luck and I hope you are a success.
>
--
Jeff
On Sun, 16 Mar 2014 18:57:45 GMT, xxxx <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I have been building furniture for at least that long for ourselves,
>family, and a few friends. I'm playing wiht the idea of starting a custom
>furniture, woodworking business for paying customers. What's a good way to
>get the word out to people intested in custom furniture?
>
>Craigslist doesn't seem like it would attract attention from people able &
>willing to pay for custom furniture. Newspaper ads are practically non-
>existent. I was planning to beef up my blog and other pages. I know a few
>people in the construction industry who could 'spread the word', but that
>doesn't seem very efficient either.
>
Just to piggyback on a few things Leon mentioned:
Forget Craig's List. Most people there are bargain hunters. Consider
a small ad in a local shoppers paper if you have one. You have to
find those few people that have the money to buy and are willing to
wait for that perfect piece of furniture they want.
Word of mouth is the best advertising, but that takes years to
develop.
Do you have enough photos of your work for a portfolio? If not, try
to go back and take pictures, but be sure the piece you made is still
pristine or it will reflect badly on you.
Don't sell on price. Don't price over or under. You want to be known
for quality, not cheapness. If you quote $1200 for a piece and the
customer offers $800, walk away and don't negotiate. That type of
person will try to find a fault on the finished piece so they can try
for a discount when you deliver.
If a piece would take 30 hours for a skilled craftsman, but you know
it will take you 10 hours more because you never made that, you have
to take a hit on price. If you represent yourself as an experienced
furniture builder, the customer does not want to pay extra for you
learning a new skill.
Any specialty shops near you that sell quality merchandise on
consignment? Make a couple of small pieces and sit them in their
shop. Be sure your name and phone number are displayed so a
prospective customer may contact you directly if they want something
other that what you display. Note that I said specialty shops, not
the second hand consignment shops that sell used junk. Maybe a
jewelry box in a gift shop would work.
Plan on not making any money for a while too. Getting started can be
tough for any business. Good luck and I hope you are a success.