Marc Casebolt
10-11-2007, 3:16 PM
Hello all,
I have been in business for two years making custom furniture with my son. We started out slowly, but recently have been doing better with orders coming in, and the referals have picked up. I am very proud of the work we have done, and we have learned a lot about design and construction of fine furniture.
Recently however I was hit with a double whammy.
An illness in the familly (not me) has caused a loss of income and benifits, and my son has decided that this is no longer what he wants to spend his life doing.
So.... I have decided to sell the entire shop from the 16" jointer to the beer in the fridge. I have posted it for sale in the classifieds down stairs, so you can look at that if you want more info.
This is not an easy thing to do because it has been a dream of mine for years, but the family comes first, and I need a steady realiable income with benifits.
I believe that this business would have succeeded given more time and had my son stuck with it. The orders are out there, and when you can find them you can make a decent income. I have, however, run out of time. As for my son, we have had many conversations about this (as I'm sure you can imagine), and have come to the agreement that it's better to be honest about how he feels, than to continue with something that he no longer loves to do. Bummer.
So much for the long sad story.
I would add that I do believe that if you are willing to work hard, you can make a small shop work. There is great satisfaction in delivering a finished piece to your customer and see them oooh & ahhh over it. Designing an origional peice is challenging and rewarding. Since everything you make is a prototype, the challenges of construction are many, and getting through them is a lot of work and fun.
Here's what I have planned for the future. I am going to try to work totally neander. That's right, no power tools at all. Been there, done that. I'll re-configure the garage shop (small space), and reclaim woodworking as a hobby. I'm actually looking forward to it now. No more late nights and week ends unless I feel like it.
Sorry about the rambling on,
Marc
I have been in business for two years making custom furniture with my son. We started out slowly, but recently have been doing better with orders coming in, and the referals have picked up. I am very proud of the work we have done, and we have learned a lot about design and construction of fine furniture.
Recently however I was hit with a double whammy.
An illness in the familly (not me) has caused a loss of income and benifits, and my son has decided that this is no longer what he wants to spend his life doing.
So.... I have decided to sell the entire shop from the 16" jointer to the beer in the fridge. I have posted it for sale in the classifieds down stairs, so you can look at that if you want more info.
This is not an easy thing to do because it has been a dream of mine for years, but the family comes first, and I need a steady realiable income with benifits.
I believe that this business would have succeeded given more time and had my son stuck with it. The orders are out there, and when you can find them you can make a decent income. I have, however, run out of time. As for my son, we have had many conversations about this (as I'm sure you can imagine), and have come to the agreement that it's better to be honest about how he feels, than to continue with something that he no longer loves to do. Bummer.
So much for the long sad story.
I would add that I do believe that if you are willing to work hard, you can make a small shop work. There is great satisfaction in delivering a finished piece to your customer and see them oooh & ahhh over it. Designing an origional peice is challenging and rewarding. Since everything you make is a prototype, the challenges of construction are many, and getting through them is a lot of work and fun.
Here's what I have planned for the future. I am going to try to work totally neander. That's right, no power tools at all. Been there, done that. I'll re-configure the garage shop (small space), and reclaim woodworking as a hobby. I'm actually looking forward to it now. No more late nights and week ends unless I feel like it.
Sorry about the rambling on,
Marc