Tonight, sitting at your kitchen table after another exhausting day in your shop, or even at the “other job,” are you finding yourself wondering how you’re going to make it? Is it even possible? Perhaps you were crazy to have even attempted to make a go at this whole making money with woodworking thing.

I bet those thoughts come more often than you care to admit, don’t they?

Welcome to the bootstrapping life. It can be confusing, draining, and down right terrifying trying to make your woodworking dream a reality. Especially if you have a family to provide for in the process. Then the pressure is really on. It feels downright lonely at times too, going at it alone like you are.

I hear you loud and clear. I’ve sat in the same chair, at the same table, feeling the same way. Especially in the beginning when it all seemed so overwhelming and scary.

Guess what? It doesn’t have to be. All that fear and stress doesn’t have to be par for the course. Here’s the kicker: By going at it alone like you are, you’re placing yourself in a unique position that makes it easier for you to succeed. And I want to help you leverage your unique advantage to it’s fullest.

I firmly believe in bootstrapping for long term success. Not only does it allow you to grow in stages as you are ready, but it keeps operating costs down dramatically too.

Here’s what I want to do for you.

I want to create a resource for you that will help you bootstrap you and your woodworking business into the stratosphere. And then I want to give it away.

Yeah, that’s right. I want to make it free. Why? Because the mission here at The Woodworker’s Journey is to empower as many of you as possible to not only pursue the passion of woodworking, but to make a good living from it as well, if that’s what you desire.

But, in order to make this free resource, and make it worth your time, I need a small bit of help from you. I just need a few simple answers to some questions. And I’m going to make it very easy for you to answer them too.

First, you can take a brief survey. It’s just three questions and won’t take more than a few short minutes to complete. In, out, and done. Seriously.

Second, if you don’t care for surveys, I’ll list the three questions, and you can answer them in the comments down below. This not only allows you more writing space if you need to elaborate, but it also can allow for some great discussion around each other’s answers.

Third, if you don’t like either of those options, then send your answers to me in an email. I check email twice a day, so I’ll definitely see it, if that’s how you choose to do it.

So, once again, in order to deliver the greatest amount of value to you and your woodworking dreams, I’ll need your help. Simply answer these three short questions.

Take the Survey:

Or

Answer in the Comments:

1. What free product would you love for me to create just for you and your woodworking business?

2. What’s your biggest fear and frustration in trying to bootstrap a woodworking business?

3. What’s your ideal and perfect outcome for your woodworking business?

Or

Email Your Answers:

That’s it. Just those three questions. Not bad. Didn’t take as long as you thought, did it.

Whether you took the survey, wrote a comment, or sent me an email, I am very grateful. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to help. Your answers are what drive the content of this free resource I’m making for you, so essentially you’re the ones making it for yourselves.

Like I said, bootstrapping your woodworking business can be one of the best and most amazing ways to go about it. It’s my hope that his free resource will help take the fear and uncertainty out of the equation so you have more room for confidence and success.

Thanks again for taking the time to let me know what you want and what you need. I can’t wait to get started working on this free resource for you!

Related posts:

1. A Little Pricing Secret You Probably Overlooked
2. 3 Questions to Get You Something Free

In the first installment of the Pricing Your Work series, we looked at how adopting an hourly rate pricing structure is actually keeping you from making a better profit from your passion by becoming a slave to the clock. In this second part, I want to reveal to you an often overlooked pricing technique that does indeed allow greater freedom in your work and keeps you from being a slave to the demands of the clock. Oh, and it helps with the profit end of things too!

Are you charging for the process or the product?

When you use per hour pricing, you’re basically charging people for the process of making their furniture. Seems logical right? We need to cover our costs and time. Yes, but you’re overlooking the end result. The final product is a combination of your design expertise, artistic vision, refined skills, and the client’s desperate needs and fantasies. So, what you end up with is more than a table. It’s a collaboration of skill, desire, and need. So what you really end up with is an object that brings value to the customer.

Whether it was commissioned or a speculative piece, there is an inherent value that the final product possesses. It’s a value that occurs on several levels. So, when most woodworkers set out to price their work, they often overlook or outright ignore the end value that the furniture will have and provide.

How do you even begin to price this…value?

It’s pretty obvious this can get a bit foggy because we’re not dealing with the usual concrete steps that most woodworkers are used to. So to begin to understand this value, you have to understand the one person who truly determines it – your customer.

You see, when people buy, especially luxury items like hand made furniture, they have price as a secondary concern. Actually most folks have it further down the list of importance. What is at the forefront of the buying decision is what’s known as perceived value. This is the value that the customer places on that beautiful piece of furniture. But the perceived value isn’t just about the piece itself. It comes from other factors like, the ease of transaction, overall experience with you and your work, and not to mention what your furniture can and will do for them.

So , where do these customers get the idea of perceived value? Guess what? It’s you.

It’s all in how you communicate.

Marketing is simple communication. Communicating benefits and offering solutions in ways that really hit home with your ideal client. Everything you do regarding your furniture and your business is a form of communication, so therefore it’s really a form of marketing. Design, construction methods, wood species, finishes…these all are a part of marketing, believe it or not. And these areas that you think are just part of the process, are really areas that add benefits to your final product. Perceived value is also based on the benefits of using and having your products. The customer has to see these clearly over and over in order for the perceived value to be obvious and worth their precious time of acquiring your pieces. That’s where you come in. It’s up to you to communicate those benefits clearly and often so that the ideal customer sees you have them in mind. Communicating these benefits is what builds the perceived value of you and your work.

So now to the pricing. Obviously, the better you are at telling ideal customers about the benefits they receive working with you, the higher your prices can go…to a certain degree. Just because perceived value is at the top of most customer’s lists, doesn’t mean price isn’t a factor. Your prices need to match the value people recieve and that can’t happen unless your work is up to the highest standards it could possibly be. The worst thing that can happen is for a customer to become disenchanted with you and your work because the level of craftsmanship didn’t meet the level of price they paid. FAIL!

So when setting your prices, you have to have a clear understanding of who you serve, how you serve them, and how good your work is. It’s a gut check for most woodworkers because we’re famous for undervaluing ourselves…constantly. But, it’s worth the time to get very clear on your true value and worth as a craftsperson and stop selling yourself short.

You’re not being humble when you devalue yourself. You’re selfishly denying your customers, your business, and yourself the benefits and long term rewards that come from knowing your true worth and going out and getting it.

By taking a long look at the value and benefits your work provides, you can then begin to see where your prices need to fall. I’m willing to bet for most of you, it’s higher than you thought. (And if your first response to this is that your customers would never pay what you think you should charge, then you need to fire your existing customers and get better ones. But that’s a different topic.)

As you can see, in order to understand how to price for value, you have to begin understanding yourself and your customer. Gaining clarity on these two individuals opens up the doors for you to grow and fulfill not only the customer’s desires, but yours as well.

What overlooked value does your work bring to the customer? Have you been factoring that into your pricing? Let’s keep talking down in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Confused About Pricing? It’s Because You’re Buying Into a Lie
2. Why Are You Avoiding the Big 3? (Selling Online pt. 2)

Last week, I put out on Twitter that I had been moving towards becoming a minimalist woodworker. Naturally that peaked people’s curiosity and I received a lot of replies asking if I could define that for them more in depth. So, here I go.

It’s no secret that I’m a minimalist in many ways. My furniture designs have reflected this for several years. In almost every aspect of life I’ve exercised some form of minimalism. In fact, for a long time, everything I owned in this world fit in the back of a small pickup with lots of room to spare. But, being minimalist isn’t about less possessions and giving up comforts and needs. It’s really more about the root philosophies behind it and your applications of those philosophies to cause you to reduce whatever it is you have a gross excess of.

If you’ve followed my adventures the last six weeks, you’ll know that I’ve been out of commission recovering from an injury that developed over several years (Still waiting for the all clear to resume normal activities).

When I got the news that I wouldn’t be allowed back in the woodshop for a while, I sat and began to analyze exactly why this happened. Turns out, a great deal of stress and anxiety built up to cause this injury, and it came from one single source: The Studio. What was once a place of inspiration and creative expression had become a major burden and headache.

For the first few years of starting the Studio, I caged in all that stress, trying to juggle business practices that weren’t even necessary for an outfit my size, but I didn’t know any better. I was trying to be a big business instead of embracing the power of small. The true power of less.  It’s been painful, but the recovery process has been an amazing time to reflect and regroup in terms of my overall mission and how I’ve been going about things.

It’s led me to some pretty startling realizations that brought about some fairly radical actions to build my business into a streamlined laser beam focused venture that operates at it’s highest and best potential.

What I discovered was that even though I practice minimalism to varying degrees in almost every avenue of life, I’ve been avoiding minimalist practices in terms of running and building my furniture making business.

So, I decided it was time to be true to my desires and allow the business to be an extension of myself. I mean, if the work I design is an expression of my being, than why shouldn’t my entire business operate around that principle? So, upon this realization, I took action. What I list below is my simple formula for becoming a minimalist woodworker.

Rid Yourself of the Unnecessary

When I looked over the last five years of operation, I saw that I had a lot of unnecessary things. In the beginning, I acquired the best and newest tools I could find that I thought were essential for running a woodshop. Turns out, after a few years of experience, I now know different. I took a long hard look at what I had acquired and whether it was truly a tool of necessity, or a tool of desire. Now, there’s nothing wrong with having tools because you want them. Just make sure they serve you in working at your best.

So, after a long deliberation, I cleaned the shop of a lot of “convenience tools” that didn’t allow my best work to come through. I cleared out tons of clutter that had amassed over the years (because we woodworkers are famous packrats). And I even got rid of some so called “precious scraps” that I was sure were worth keeping for that one magical day.

Let me tell you, after doing one round of this, the shop began to feel a lot roomier and less constraining. I have a few rounds of clearing to go, but great progress has been made so far.

Set Yourself Up to Work at Your Highest and Best

What’s more important? Working to keep busy, or working on the important? Easy call, right? Well, I hadn’t been doing this. I was keeping myself busy inventing things to do, but neglecting work that was the most important that moved the business forward fastest. So, I had to take time to get clear on how I wanted to work and why. You see, it’s not enough that you want to make a living being a woodworker or furniture maker. You have to become very clear on why you want to do this and how you want to work. This allows you to produce your highest quality work all the time, and to be always working on the big important projects that bring about the greatest amount of forward movement for you as a craftsman and your business.

So, in light of this, I took stock in how I truly desired to work and what that looked like. Now, in the beginning, it may seem unrealistic to set up a business that caters to your creative desires and passions. That’s why so many of you take a lot of work that doesn’t bring you joy. Life’s too short to make this a regular habit, I decided. So after five years of doing work I wasn’t always passionate about, I finally gave myself permission to work and build in the best way that brought the greatest amount of pleasure. Pleasure for me and the customer. That’s the key.

Make Radical Changes that Scare You

When you rid yourself of something familiar, especially if it’s regarded as a normal thing to have if you’re a member of society, it can be kinda scary. You can get scared setting your own rules and walking your own path, but in the end, it’s those actions that release you to experience the greatest of joys and freedoms.

In response to the realizations I mentioned above, I took very specific actions that, until now, I’ve kept hidden from you all.

• Sold my Delta X5 5 hp table saw with extension table.
• Sold my Delta X5 8” jointer
• Sold my Powermatic 15” spiral head planer
• Sold my Delta 2hp 3 port dust collector
• Gave away most of my commercial jigs and fixtures from years ago
• Gave away old Delta 14” bandsaw
• Kept all my hand tools
• Kept hand held Bosh Router
• Kept shop made router table
• Adding 18” bandsaw to replace table saw, etc.
• Made various shooting boards to replace crosscut sleds on table saw
• Jointing by hand. If job is big, I constructed my teacher’s router jointing jig. (very similar to Tage Frid’s)
• Will be acquiring new Japanese crosscut saw(s)
• Constructing crosscut and miter boxes to accommodate Japanese saws
• Making a brand new set of triangular dovetail chisels from chainsaw files (If interested in knowing how to do this, let me know in the comments)
• Will be designing and building a second workbench to accommodate new and different work.
• Moving from over 1500 sq. ft. shop into a smaller location that provides a more intimate space (and cheaper rent)

Radical? Maybe to you. To me, it’s a natural course of action to ensure that I do nothing but my highest and best work. So, this is what I meant when I said I was moving into the role of a minimalist woodworker.

So, am I crazy? Can I still make a living with these radical changes?

Looking forward to your comments below!

Related posts:

1. Why Are You Avoiding the Big 3? (Selling Online pt. 2)
2. 3 Questions to Get You Something Free

This is the first in a series of posts covering the topics around pricing your work.

What’s the most confusing and painful aspect of woodworking? Mentaly speaking, I mean. (We’ll not get into the physical pains associated with our craft.) I’m willing to bet that for most of you it’s the quest to disocver the answer to the ever-present question:

“How much should I charge for this?”

Pricing is one area that woodworkers can really get it all wrong. Even with all the discussions, blog posts, articles, books, and forum threads dealing with this subject, we’re still seeing more and more people throwing their hands in the air out of total frustration and confusion. And with all these apparent discussions going on there still apears to be a lack of resources on the subject. We haven’t seen a book published on the subject in almost ten years.

Strange? Well, maybe not considering most of the advice being drolled out is irrelevant, outdated, and based on a big fat lie. It’a a lie that keeps woodworkers from really growing and doing their highest most valuable work, while breeding complacency for just being active. And there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve been buying in to this lie for a long time.

Before we expose this giant falsehood, let’s take a look at what’s being passed around as the common pricing formula for woodworkers:

What you consider the end-all is really just a starting point.

Here’s a version of the standard answer to “How do I know what to charge?”

Shop rate  x  number of hours  +  cost of goods  +  15-30% “profit”  =  what I should charge.

Look familiar? I bet you’re using something very similar to this right now. I sure did when I first started out.

This is what’s widely accepted as the end-all pricing formula for anyone making furniture or selling related services. But, there’s a flaw. It’s just a formula for covering your costs, not for making profit. Now before I appear to rip this all to shreds, let me say that covering your costs is a very good thing. If you’re going to make a living selling your furniture, then you have to know your overhead costs, material expenses, and what your time is worth. Using this formula will help you get a foundation for making sure your time and expenses get covered. But that’s it. That’s all it does. This isn’t a pricing structure that is designed to bring in real profit and make every pass of the plane and chop of the chisel a valuable action.

If you’re looking to make a living creating beautiful high end furniture or related work, then you have to come to a point where you no longer accept your time as anything less than precious. Every movement must produce the highest value and bring about the greatest of results. Each moment must be used on the most important work you could ever be doing.

An hourly based pricing formula like the one above, doesn’t allow for your time to be used on only the most important game changing tasks. Instead, it holds you prisoner to the clock. Time becomes your master, when in reality, you’re the one who’s supposed to be controlling time. In order to start making life easier on you and bring in profit that allows you to grow, you have to move away from a per hour pricing structure. Before doing that, though, you have to become aware of the un-truth that’s holding you back from living and working at your highest level.

Time ≠ Money For The Small Shop

You’ve heard the overused archaic saying, “Time is money!” We all grew up hearing it, believing it, and praciticing it. Well, guess what? Time DOES NOT equal money.

This is one of the greatest untruths for the creative small shop woodworker that exists in society today. The idea of time equaling money is based on old factory and mass production mentalities. You had a certain number of products to make and move and 8 hours of production time was found to be the most effecient for maximum results.

Now, if you’re reading this than most likely you’re a small independent shop with anywhere from one to just a few people doing the work. You create beautiful objects of distinction and provide unique services that can never be reproduced in mass quantity. Everything about you says high quality work with careful attention to details. And yet, you’re adopting a production mindset with how you approach your work and your pricing.

In reality, for a small woodshop, time doesn’t equal money. Time equals time. That’s it. Plain and simple. It’s always going to be a constant struggle if all you do is try to squeeze in as many billable hours as possible in a day.You WILL NOT make money trying to beat the clock completing projects. You will only find yourself overworked, exhausted, stressed, and still grossly underpaid. Is that the life you envisioned having as a woodworker? So why are you still tolerating it?

The reason time does not equal money for the small shop woodworker is because your time is too precious and your product is too valuable to be sold at an hourly rate only. What if you only had four hours at the most  in your shop everyday? How could you maximize that time so you made money? Is it even possible to do that? If your income is dependent on billable hours, then no, it isn’t possible. Your pricing is dependant on working “X” number of hours for “X” number of days a week. (For a lot of you that quickly turns into 7 days a week, doesn’t it.) If you stopped believing the lie that time equals money, then you free yourself to be able to do the highest and best work in a shorter amount of time. Did you catch that? Work less earn more. Yes, that’s what I meant to type.

Let’s say you did indeed only have four hours a day to work in the shop. Imagine trying to make a profit if you worked 4 hours a day at a certain amount per hour. Also, I would be surprised if you were even able to have all four of those hours be billable time anyway. Shop cleanup, maintnence, fixing mistakes, etc all take away from doing the work that pays. Every second of that time needs to be devoted to the most imprtant work possible. The work that maximises your skills and talent to produce pieces of the highest possible value. Setting your prices by the hour simply wouldn’t allow you to get ahead in this scenario.

Freeing yourself from the lie of time equals money allows you to begin working on the most important life changing tasks and projects. It gives you total control over your time and makes room for delivering the highest possible value in all you create and getting paid for that value. It brings you into the space to reclaim your time as your own. It means you’ll never be duped again by society’s limitations on work and life.

So, what are your thoughts on time and money? Is there a disconnect in how you’re pricing your work and how long you spend in the shop? Is this simply the post of a dreamer?

Tell me all about it down below.

Related posts:

1. A Little Pricing Secret You Probably Overlooked
2. I NEED A Hand From You This Time

What roles are you avoiding in your Woodworking business?

In the first installment I took you through some of the often overlooked mental requirements for selling your woodworking online. Surprising, wasn’t it? This time, let’s take a look at the roles you’re going to have to adopt if you’re going to sell your precious work online or even in real life for that matter.

A lot of woodworkers (yours truly included) start out thinking that it’s enough to just love to make things and that passion and superior craftsmanship would be the only tools needed to make a terrific living in woodworking. Fast forward some years later, and you have a totally different scenario. You’re either convinced that there’s no way to make money doing what you love, or you’ve reserved yourself to the idea that in order to make a living, you have to take on less-than-stellar work that doesn’t excite or satisfy you in any way. More often than not, woodworkers find themselves in one of these scenarios because they’ve ignored the vital roles that must be adopted in order to really succeed in business.

While this is certainly not an exhaustive list by any means, I am going to hit on what I believe are the top 3 roles that are ignored, or fearfully avoided by a lot of woodworkers.

Marketer

This is a big one. I’ve heard a lot of woodworkers say things like, “I’m a woodworker, not a marketer, so I don’t understand marketing at all. I shouldn’t have to.”

I used to work in my shop with those exact words running through my mind. Is it any wonder why I didn’t make great progress the first five years? Is it any wonder why you haven’t either?

The marketer role is one you’re afraid to assume because you feel inadequate, unlearned, or have been turned off by sleazy marketers in the past. Well, it’s time to fear it no more. In fact, it’s high time to embrace it because, if you are going to make a living or even a supplemental income with your woodworking, you’re going to have to get comfortable and confident with who you are and what you have to offer. That’s what you’re communicating anyway – who you are and what you believe.

For most of you, the problem lies in your understanding of the word marketing. In the beginning, most of you probably think marketing is advertising. You immediately think of newspaper ads, radio and TV commercials, full page magazine spots…and that leaves you dwelling on the crippling costs involved. Well, advertising can be part of marketing, but it’s really only a small fraction that you can choose to implement.

Marketing in it’s simplest definition is communicating your core message to the people who are seeking that message. The marketing role is the backbone of your woodworking business. Virtually everything you do is a form of marketing because virtually everything you do communicates a message to people. Your design, construction methods, wood choices, preferred finishes, and even finished photographs are all a part of your marketing message. All of those aspects communicate something about you to potential buyers. So, since you are already marketing (even though you aren’t aware of it) why not embrace this role and begin to hone these skills as passionately as you hone your woodworking skills? I promise you’ll like the difference this mind-shift makes.

Need a better grasp on marketing your furniture? I know someone who can help.

Salesperson

I think, by far, this role is the most avoided and detested out of all of them. Why? Because you have told me so on numerous occasions.

Run the word “salesperson” through your head and pay attention to what happens. I’m betting most of you kinda threw up a little didn’t you. It’s because we’ve all had bad experiences with plaid suits pushing junk cars, insurance policies, and other not-so-stellar items or services. Sales isn’t sleazy, people are. But, like anything else, the past should not dictate your current reality or forthcoming future.

Sales is important, no make that crucial, for your success online. How else do you expect people to buy? They have to be convinced that your product or service is the one and only thing that will make their life better. This does not mean deceiving, slick-talking, or pushing them into doing something they didn’t want to do in the first place. That is not selling. That’s scamming. BIG difference. What I’m talking about is learning your ideal client’s needs, wants, likes, hopes, desires, and loves. Then, you present the offer that provides that for them. Yes, again I’m over simplifying, but it sounds a bit more noble now, doesn’t it.

Take the initiative to begin learning how to be the salesperson for your woodworking products. Who better to communicate the beautiful benefits of experiencing your work, then you, the maker? Like anything worth doing this is a skill to be exercised daily. Study, observe, and DO great sales tactics and techniques. You’ll be very pleased in the long run.

Writer

“Writer?! I’m a woodworker. I’m not going to write anything!”

Before you let this ridiculous phrase stick in your cranium, let me just remind you that we are talking about online sales here. Online as in the Internet, as in websites with content, product descriptions, sales pages, and lest we forget blogs. If you’re going to sell your work online, then your primary method of communication will be writing. It’s the material people read when they come your site. It’s the blog posts you’re crafting for your ideal customer. It’s even the content of your About page.

You will, I repeat, will be spending a great deal of time writing if you are going to put any serious effort into making money online with your woodworking. It’s essential. Solid writing skills allow you to show the benefits of your products in the least amount of words. It gives you the ability to touch people’s hearts and minds with your core message that in turn, ignites their hidden flame of desire to own the product around that message. Like you I loathed the idea of writing and learning to be a stellar writer. Nowadays, I’m seeing it differently. That’s why I’m taking great strides to become an effective communicator through the written word. The benefits just make too much sense to not do it.

Stop Avoiding to Start Succeeding

These roles are the Big 3 that I see avoided time and time again in existing solo woodworking ventures. Doing this is certain death. You won’t make real progress in online sales without adopting and embracing them. You can certainly hire out each of these roles, but in the beginning I believe it’s vital you learn them intimately first. For those of you in the “I wish” stage of selling your woodworking online, it’s important to gain a true perspective on the necessity of these roles for your soon-to-be business.

As many of you know, I’ve been on a quest to turn around the last 5 years of my woodworking business faux-pas. Part of that involved confronting my avoidance of these roles. As I have changed my mind about them over the last 18 months, something very surprising happened. I became downright fascinated with learning them as best I can. Now, I get as excited about the latest marketing article as I do about this month’s woodworking magazine! Selling is no longer a concept that turns my stomach. Instead, it’s an opportunity to learn more about my customer and deliver what they need. And that’s the secret. Change your mindset about these roles, and let them become as intriguing as learning to make a housed sliding dovetail key.

These roles are simply just another set of tools and skills to learn. The only difference is instead of the end result of a finely crafted piece of furniture, you get a finely tuned business. I promise good things ahead. When you stop avoiding these 3 roles, you stop avoiding your success.

Are you avoiding these roles? Why? Why not? What other roles should be included on this list?

P.S. If you need help designing furniture that sells, grab this free resource now.

Related posts:

1. Do You Have What it Takes to Sell Online?
2. A Little Pricing Secret You Probably Overlooked

What do you do when you see a real need in your world?

You make something valuable to help as many people as possible!

As the internet sees more and more woodworkers harnessing it’s amazing potential, the need to learn solid principles of marketing and selling one’s work becomes more urgent.

It’s no secret that Alison Heath and I have been working at joining forces lately. (If you’re not familiar with Alison, you really need to check out her new site here!)

With Alison’s background and expertise in furniture marketing, and my experience as a growing woodworking entrepreneur, we decided that we could help a lot more people in the online woodworking world by working together rather than both of us trying to go at it alone.

So, we decided to get together and make something amazing, awesome, and FREE just for you.

Seriously. We want to make a free resource that helps you take your ideas of selling your woodwork online and turn it into solid reality. In order to help us make and give away exactly what you want, we would really appreciate your help letting us know what that is exactly.

We have a small 3 question survey that will give you the chance to tell us exactly what you would really like to have. Please take a minute to fill it out. It would mean a lot to us. Think of your answers as the intricate, perfect-fitting joinery that will hold this project together!

Take the survey here.

Thank you so much for helping out Alison and I. You’re opinion is really important to us.

Be looking for this free resource very soon and just think, you’re helping build it! How cool is that?!

Related posts:

1. Why Are You Avoiding the Big 3? (Selling Online pt. 2)
2. I NEED A Hand From You This Time

The internet is truly magic. Where else can you accomplish so many things at once? It’s the only place that I know of where I can watch skaters getting hurt, check my email 15 times a minute, read my buddy’s blog posts, download the greatest obscure hits of the 80’s, play a never-ending game of Street Fighter, carry on micro conversations, and learn Scottish Gaelic. All while eating breakfast!

Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a wee bit, but there’s no denying the amazing potential that exists for anyone looking to harness this instant portal to millions of eyes and minds. In the last few years, the internet has allowed a huge number of companies to take shape, when in the conventional real world, they would have never gotten off the ground. It’s this draw that has a lot of people seriously considering making a living using online resources. It’s also this draw that has my inbox seeing the same question on a regular basis:

“How do I get started selling my (woodwork) online?”

That’s a big question. There are a lot of factors to consider when taking your work online. Besides the product itself, there’s branding, the marketing plan, web presence, social platforms, payment and shopping cart integrations, shipping options, …hey, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But, before your head starts swirling trying to contemplate all of that at once, you need to ask yourself the most important question that will determine the future of your online woodworking career.

Do I have what it takes to sell my work online?

What does it take, exactly? You hear all the time about passion, desire, determination, etc. Those are crucial, to your success. For sure. But, what’s at the level right above those things? What exactly does the passion and desire fuel? What’s next after you recognize your passion for woodworking and your desire to begin selling your work?

Self identity as a woodworker.

Throughout your lifetime as a woodworker, you will change directions, shift your focus, and reinvent yourself on numerous occasions. But, at the beginning it’s vital to get a realistic view of who you are as a maker and what you have to offer. This means sitting down, taking time to understand where you are now in the craft and getting a vision of where you really want to be down the road. Do you desire to work by yourself in a small shop creating one of a kind pieces? Is your vision of the future perhaps designing high end work that others than build for you in a shop of 10-15 employees? This vision of the future will help dictate the first moves you make in selling your work online.

This sense of identity also includes your designs. Take stock in what you design and how you design it. What are your influences? Why do they influence you? How is that showing in the work you do now? Will people resonate with those designs, or does it only appeal to you? Is there room for them to expand and evolve, or have you designed yourself into a proverbial corner?

Self identity is confidence in your abilities now and confidence in the abilities you will gain as you grow. This confidence is vital to carrying you through the process of learning to sell.

The ability to handle consistent rejection.

Guess what? The majority of people who see your product in the beginning are going to pass you by. Yep. It’s true. This is due to a number of factors, like not enough recognition, wrong product in front of the wrong audience, not being persuasive enough, etc. I’m not telling you you’ll never make a sale. What I’m telling you is that until you learn who needs your work and how to put it in front of them, you’re going to face some rejection. It won’t be mean, or hurtful. It will be a lot of nice compliments followed by, “No thanks.” It happens, and it will continue to happen throughout your career.

The first signs of rejection can send woodworkers crawling back into their shops vowing to never waste their precious time on the ungrateful general public again. It’s hard not to take it personally. I still struggle with it at times. You and your work are so intimately connected that if someone rejects your offer you really feel as though they flat out rejected you as a human being. Your subconscious is designed to defend you emotionally like that. Learning how to take rejection from the very start will really be a huge step in moving forward to selling online and in person.

It might seem like you need some thick skin to handle all of it, but I challenge you to shift your perspective on this. What if all of those “no thank you’s” ended up being a terrific source of marketing info? Think about it. With each rejection, you’re learning exactly who your work is not intended for, how not to present an offer, and how not to close a deal. Each rejection presents you with the opportunity to learn and grow with experience, and puts you one step closer to doing it right.

Patience to start slow and work up to where you really want to be.

How long did it take you to acquire the woodworking skills you use every day in your shop? How many of those skills allowed you to execute a brand new technique with absolute perfection the first time you tried it? I’m guessing that barring the rarest alignment of the planets, your answer is never. That’s because you need the trial and error experience of doing that skill in the precise manner that produces the desired result. Having never done that before, it’s very hard to visualize exactly what that perfect execution of skills looks like. Repetition of that skill produces the visual record of what works and what doesn’t. That’s why it’s so vital that you never give up until you learn to achieve the desired result.

The exact same formula of success is true when the skills being executed are sales, marketing, and relationship building. You need patience to start where you are now and move forward at the pace you can manage. Repetition is the key. You’ll fail at times and succeed at times. Take careful notes for both instances. Get that visual record of what works in your mind so you can repeat it over and over again with greater results.

It’s no easy task taking your personal woodworking pieces and placing them in front of a world wide audience. However, from my experience, if you possess the key foundation blocks that are necessary before attempting to sell online, then you stand a very good chance of continuing to sell and sell successfully when all others have given up. So, do you have what it takes to sell online? Only you know for sure.

What has been your experience with selling your woodworking online? Are there other qualities that you have found essential for starting this path?

Related posts:

1. Why Are You Avoiding the Big 3? (Selling Online pt. 2)
2. 3 Questions to Get You Something Free

2010 State of the Craft Address

2010 is your year!

• This year more than any other, you have the power to transform your woodworking blog or website into whatever you want it to be!

• You can become the go-to authority as this community grows. You do not need anyone’s permission or approval to sell your work, teach your methods of woodworking, or get in with the “big dogs” of woodworking. You have that power now!

• You have all the tools right at your fingertips to make 2010 the Year of the Internet Woodworker!

If you agree with this video, please spread the word! Tell the world why you agree.

Post link to it.

Embed it to your blog. Just click on the embed button on the player.

Tweet This!

Share it.

If you disagree with this video, then by all means do the same thing. Share it and tell the world why you disagree with it.

Leave a comment telling why you agree or disagree.

If you want to make 2010 your year as a woodworker online, then sign up now for the advanced list. You’ll get first dibs on all the training and resources that are coming from the Woodworker’s Journey to make your pursuit of woodworking, a more passionate and fulfilling experience.

Related posts:

1. Two Resources to Help You Sketch Your Design Success for 2010
2. Video Comments, Collaborations, and Surfing?…

Image courtey of Sri Threads

I received a link to this story in my email the other day from Larry Marshall (@woodnbits).

You know how I’m always talking about the importance of keeping a sketchbook? Well, here’s proof, if you’ve ever needed any, of the value of recording your inspirations.

A very rare group of 19th century sketchbooks were found from a weaver/dyer from Omi, what is now the Shiga Prefecture in Japan. Some of the finest textiles came out of this area. Inside these books are notes, technical drawings, color samples, swatches, and future concepts. Talk about an amazing and valuable reference into the process of design and development.

So, are you still having second thoughts about keeping a sketchbook? Maybe the thought of what the future generations can glean from your ideas will help you get started on it today.

Check out the full story over at Sri Threads.

Huge thanks to Larry for finding and sharing this.

Related posts:

1. How Do You Go From Inspiration to Sketchbook?
2. Seriously, I Can’t Believe I Watched it Either, But…

In part one, a series of questions were presented to you that you have probably pondered at one time or another. These questions can really bring you to a point of wondering if anyone cares or even wants you to make your furniture. It’s easy to succumb to the self-doubt and fear that can arise from asking these questions. It can often lead to you wondering if there is any value to you making furniture in the first place.

It can get lonely sometimes with all that wondering going on inside your head. But, I’m here to let you know that getting discouraged is not an option. Instead it’s time to realize exactly what you offer the world through your woodworking.

What if I were to tell you that people really do want you to make your furniture? In fact, what if I said that the entire world needs you to make furniture? How’s that for a sense of purpose!

The World Needs You to be Passionate

If you’re here reading this, then chances are, you are passionate about woodworking. The sound of the hand plane creating delicate shavings is music to your ears. You are always dreaming of the next piece, the next project. You build furniture in your sleep. You have absolute passion for this craft and everything connected to it. In fact, that’s what you’re known for, isn’t it? People cannot think of you without thinking about your unending love of woodworking.

How many people walk around every day without any evident passion? Think of all the folks you come in contact with on a daily basis. How many of them are passionate about something? I mean really passionate. I bet that most aren’t, or if they are, they keep it hidden. They don’t feel as though their passions can be released on the world so they keep it bottled up afraid of people’s reactions to it.

The world needs passionate people living in it. Society needs to see that living with passion is a good thing, regardless of whether other people understand that passion. When you live openly with a passion for something, that spills over into other aspects of life. People see this and take note. It scares some, and it inspires even more. It inspires people to find their passion. It inspires people to live that passion openly.

The World Needs You to Create

Creative people make the world go round. We do! At the heart of every movement, every product, and every big idea is a creative person or group of people who flesh out their creativity and inspiration. When you go to the shop and begin to turn your inspiration into woodworking reality, you’re adding to the creative flow that exists in the world. The lessons you learn and the discoveries you make as you create, add value to your existence and to the existence of everyone around you. We live these lessons and discoveries, and thereby teach them through that living. The very act of creating your pieces, creates lasting value for all to experience through you and your work.

The World Needs You to Succeed

What is your definition of success in your woodworking? I know this can be a topic all by itself, but take a minute and really define this for yourself. What does success look like for you in your furniture making endeavors? Is it earning a living through selling your pieces? Is it having the freedom to express yourself though furniture making? What about having opportunities to share your experiences and inspire others? Each woodworker is going to have a different definition of success because each one will have different reasons for taking up the craft and different goals to achieve within it. Whatever true success looks like for you, the world needs you to achieve that.

When you are working toward your defined success, you become an example of determination, clarity, and dedication. You become what most people wish they were – a person with goals and a very clear purpose. Most individuals walk around wondering what their true purpose in life could be. You, however, have found a purpose in woodworking, and striving for that purpose is part of striving for your success.

Notice, I haven’t said anything about achieving this success. Your goals of success are certainly achievable, but a person can put too much stock in the final achievement rather than on the lessons that come from the journey towards that success. As we move towards our vision of success, the lessons we learn along the way can change that vision, so we change our course. Be open and flexible enough to change course and you’ll find this success coming sooner than later.

The world needs to see that success on your own terms is certainly obtainable and worthy of striving for. Fear, doubt, self-sabotage, and following convention all need to be obliterated by you and your path to success. Show the world that your core values trump all conventional wisdom, and that your definition of success is a most worthy and courageous pursuit.

The World Needs You

When it all seems pointless, when you’re wondering if you and your furniture even matter, remember that the world desperately needs you to work, live, and be your woodworking. Let your core message and values shine through each piece you create and each day as you live with the passion for a most worthy and noble craft. Let your authenticity shine through each plane stroke, and saw cut. Make each finished piece a message about you and your mission. Let the world know that without you and your furniture, it would be a lot worse off.

Have you struggled with this in your woodworking pursuits? If you have, why? If you haven’t, why not?

Let’s talk about it.

Related posts:

1. Does the World Really Need Your Furniture? Pt. 1
2. Have You Found Your “Voice?”