Taking it from Hobby to Production

[Ole Anderson]

Kris DeVo took his cutting board hobby to production as a result of incorporating his YouTube channel and getting more orders than he could handle out of his one car garage. All of this while in Alaska. Incredible transformation to open this 2000 sf shop with all of the toys. All by himself including drywall and paint. Worth the watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXLUxH0-EOU&ab_channel=KrisDeVo

[johnny means]

I was in a similar situation years ago building children's theme rooms. The problem is that it gets difficult to hold off the imitators who will undercut you, especially once your "viral" moment ends. YouTube seems to have helped, in that one can stretch that moment out with a constant stream of content. But that only helps if you're interested in being a content creator.

[Mitch schiffer]

I saw that video. It looked like a pretty nice shop set up. Good for him. I doubt he would be where he is without youtube. Social media has really changed running a business now days.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Social media has really changed running a business now days.I like to watch both train and trucking videos. Recently saw an estimate of how much one trucker makes. His Youtube income was greater than his actual trucking income.

[al ladd]

" I doubt he would be where he is without youtube."

Quite an understatement. This guy's success is, in my opinion, bizarre.

There's a market value for unexceptional crafts today, and his cutting boards are certainly unexceptional, determined by the typical price for that item on Etsy. There are literally dozens (maybe hundreds) of people selling similar work for less than half the price he commands, and they're easily found in minutes on Etsy, if not elsewhere on the web. Even exceptional work is hard to sell on Etsy at a living wage price. But catch the right updraft on the Youtube algorithm and the masses clicking habits, and you can, apparently, soar into the stratosphere. It's more a gambling model of success than a hard work model, and that's part of this guy's success. People seemed to love the unlikely aspects of his story (how about that, Alaska!?).

But I agree, good for him! He's producing videos that found an audience, and nice, even if mostly very ordinary, cutting boards.

[Ole Anderson]

Don't underestimate the time and talent it takes to have a successful YouTube channel. Editing typically takes at least ten times the amount of time of the final video, not to mention the effort and distraction of filming. And for every successful channel, there are at least ten wannabees that simply don't have the talent.

[Gordon Stump]

Well ordinary and exceptional are subjective terms for sure. I thought about making solid walnut cutting boards and mine were "ordinary". But there were dozens of solid walnut cuttings boards on Etsy and Amazon. They must have been wearing track shoes as they raced to the bottom on pricing. This guys cutting boards are "exceptional" albeit popular with the strips of exotic woods. I do not think their popularity makes them less than exceptional. But the connection to the maker by the customer is the magic he has captured with youtube videos.

I concentratied on Amazon for over 10 years. There is a cold and corporate culture there. The mindset is customers are buying from Amazon not me, a charming old white guy musician/woodworker. Some folks buy my widget and get buyers remorse and either sent it back, keep it with a refund or complain if they have to pay return shipping. Still I have been successful on Amazon.

My son sells his very successful manly scented candles of Etsy. He pleaded with me to use Etsy. I wanted to be a big shot manufacturer rather than a maker so I resisted. After Amazon changed some rules regarding branding I went to Etsy. I posted videos. Me loading logs on the flat bed. Me using my old tricked out tools in the shop. Stories about me. Boring stuff. They loved it.

I am not in the same league as this guy. He is sincere and humble. I immediately felt a connection to him. But so do my Etsy customers. They give reviews like crazy. Youtube is on another level but the human connection is the same. I have pulled most of my products off Amazon.

I am very happy for this guy. I hope it lasts.

Cheers,

Gordon Stump

[Mark Gibney]

Oh absolutely, I don't think anyone would underestimate the time and effort it takes to put out good youtube videos. And I think Johnny Means above meant that too.

[Aaron Liebling]

Interesting article on the perils of relying on social media for business success

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/d...thm-reels.html

[William Hodge]

A Kris DeVo Wood Camo End Grain Butcher Block Cutting Board, 1 3/4" x 11 1/2" x 18", goes for $545., including US shipping. That's 3 board feet of lumber, six board feet rough. He is effectively processing the lumber, and selling it for $91./bf., including overhead, supplies, and shipping.

It's a tight margin, given DeVo's well capitalized shop. I appreciate his skill at marketing. Cutting boards are a tough market, kids in shop class made them. In order to rise, and charge, above the rest, it takes a good marketing personality in order to have people want to buy the stuff because of who made it. I wish him the best.

[Bryan Hall]

It's mind boggling to me to see that kind of success. That's great that he's done so well, seems like a good guy. I've gone a different route, would never want to be dedicated to cutting boards.

My neighbor is the exact opposite story. Mid pandemic he was out of work and doing a bunch of diy around the house. I passed off my extra tools to him to help out. Somehow the access to tools flipped a switch in his head and he suddenly became convinced he would be the king of the cutting board world. A few months later he had taken out loans and bought 30k in tools. Somehow he got involved with making cutting boards for vending machines? He was getting the contracts to keep these machines stocked with his boards and was getting $10 per board and thinking he could make 20,000 boards a year in his one man shop. Within a year his family fell apart and he had lost his house because he kept doubling down convincing people to invest and sign contracts with him that he simply couldn't fulfill. It was easily the strangest cautionary tale I'd ever seen in the woodworking realm.

[Mark Gibney]

Thanks for sharing that story. Very sad. I hope he finds his way back to a better life.