Tips for starting your own home woodworking business
Website design By BotEap.comSelf-employment as a carpenter provides independence. It enables the unique situation where you can create wood products, furniture and cabinets at a pace that you feel comfortable with without anyone looking over your shoulder. Basically, you become your own boss. If you are tired of the rapidly changing job market and the growing demand for tech workers, then woodworking provides a degree of technical stability. The woodworking industry evolves very slowly and unless you are involved in the highly computerized and mechanized CNC end of the market, the woodworking industry is very traditional. There are many types of tools and machinery used in conventional woodworking dating back a century or more, to give you an idea of how relevant the knowledge you gain will be in the future.
Website design By BotEap.comYou will also need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a self-employed lumber worker versus having a day job. A day job often provides stability and a regular source of income without the need to worry about the next paycheck. Of course, we know that this is not always true, especially in today’s rapidly changing economy and that the threat of downsizing or job loss is a reality. However, until this happens, a day job is a reliable source of income. However, the downside of spending forty hours a week on a day job depends on the type of work you do and, most importantly, are you enjoying what you are doing? If there are so many people in the workforce who get little to no job satisfaction, then you need to follow your dream and research the idea of becoming a full-time or part-time carpenter.
Website design By BotEap.comBeing in business for yourself involves more than working wood. There are other aspects of a business that you need to consider. Other things you need to worry about besides carpentry include: accounting, inventory control, equipment and tool maintenance, purchasing, marketing, advertising, and shipping. These aspects of a business take valuable time from the woodworking core, but are necessary for the business to survive and prosper. However, you will learn to manage these other business-related tasks in due time and will once again return to woodworking as your primary focus.
Website design By BotEap.comImportant questions to ask yourself if you want to start woodworking as a business:
Website design By BotEap.comHave you successfully made furniture or wood products before?
Are you comfortable dealing with clients?
Do you know the woodwork used in carpentry?
What is your skill in applying finishes to wood products, furniture, and cabinets?
How long does it take you to make a wood product or create furniture?
Are you able to work within the established deadlines?
Can you handle businesses that detract from woodworking? Website design By BotEap.comThese and other questions are at the core of any woodworking business and you will have to deal with these problems at one point or another. Website design By BotEap.comI have not talked about the immense satisfaction that comes from the independence and freedom that come from being a freelance carpenter. Speaking from personal experience, I can attest that the freedom gained is unparalleled. There is no longer a need to dress up and travel to and from a workplace that may provide little satisfaction, but mostly financial security. Guaranteed jobs have also become a thing of the past. In my opinion, the often low and irregular earnings that go into being a self-employed woodworker are well worth it. You will also need to determine if you can survive as a carpenter at this point in your life, however, by weighing your monthly costs which include housing, family expenses, etc. Website design By BotEap.comMore information on the woodworking business can be found at: http://www.woodskills.com/Courseware/WoodworkingBusinessCourse.html
Are you comfortable dealing with clients?
Do you know the woodwork used in carpentry?
What is your skill in applying finishes to wood products, furniture, and cabinets?
How long does it take you to make a wood product or create furniture?
Are you able to work within the established deadlines?
Can you handle businesses that detract from woodworking? Website design By BotEap.comThese and other questions are at the core of any woodworking business and you will have to deal with these problems at one point or another. Website design By BotEap.comI have not talked about the immense satisfaction that comes from the independence and freedom that come from being a freelance carpenter. Speaking from personal experience, I can attest that the freedom gained is unparalleled. There is no longer a need to dress up and travel to and from a workplace that may provide little satisfaction, but mostly financial security. Guaranteed jobs have also become a thing of the past. In my opinion, the often low and irregular earnings that go into being a self-employed woodworker are well worth it. You will also need to determine if you can survive as a carpenter at this point in your life, however, by weighing your monthly costs which include housing, family expenses, etc. Website design By BotEap.comMore information on the woodworking business can be found at: http://www.woodskills.com/Courseware/WoodworkingBusinessCourse.html