Woodworking Business

You are not logged in. [ Login ] Why log in
(NOTE: Login is not required to post)

Looking for marketing ideas for shop

12/21/15       
david ellison Member

Greetings

I'm a 67 yr old semi-retired General and Engineering Contractor. Started out in the late 70's. For the last 15 years I've pretty much been using my shop for engineering work. ( tractor related) -Before that the shop was pretty much for woodwork.
-Body says no more heavy work, but can't afford to retire.
-Over the years I've accumulated a pretty decent woodshop: planer, 24" drum sander, shapers, decent dust control and blah, blah blah. What I have ratholed though, over the last 30-40 years, is thousands of bd ft of old growth redwood ( extinct now ) walnut, cherry, spaulted mapl and tan oak and a lot more.
-Due to physical limitations I can't be doing a bunch of big stuff, so I'm staying with tables, bar tops, frames, cutting boards, even curved glue lams and blah blah: Maybe a few built-ins
-Or: more importantly, whatever I can make a couple of bucks with using excellent materials and old school woodworking.
-I have a lot of room for improvement in marketing.
-The way I look at it is all my wood was paid for decades ago, so it's free to me.
-I can be more than competitive, but as the old Billy Holiday song says " I got what it takes but it breaks my heart to give it away". I guess we can all say that.
- A buddy of mine that is building stuff out of old torn down fences and doing very very well with it. He tells me it's all about being price point critical. His daughter in-law has a marketing degree.
-Have some stuff on C.List S.F. I know that's not the holy grail. Nothing happening w/C.L though.
-Any ideas about other sites?
-I'm working on a website right now, but I'm from a generation that had party lines on phones when I was a kid. I'm slowly gettin' it.
After looking at the great and caring forum activity on Woodweb I was hoping to get a little advice from some of you considerate and articulate folks out there.

Thank You David

12/22/15       #2: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
chipbored

Sounds like the only overheads you have are electricity and tool maintenance.

Your material is fully paid for but there is absolutely no reason to sell it for less then it is worth, especially if it is old or rare.

You have years of experience and if you are capable of creating top quality pieces, why not market yourself as boutique, custom and highly experienced.

I don't know anything about your gegraphic area or target market but this is the first thought that comes to mind.

I say keep your overheads low, quote your product as if you are purchasing materials at full price (definitely don't tell customers it's been lying around for years).

Your a one man band, it doesn't take a lot to keep busy. You don't need to market yourself heavily, a website only need be basic with a few pictures to show off your best work. I imagine you have contacts from years ago when you did woodwork. Get back in contact.

All you need is to get a few good jobs. Have excellent customer service and one thing will lead to another.

Good luck.

12/22/15       #3: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
Sam  Member

Website: http://www.dukecustomkitchens.com

Hi David,

I would check out wix as a DIY solution for a website They have some really nice templates if you want to hit the ground running.

Enjoy this new chapter in your life!

http://www.wix.com/

12/22/15       #4: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
david ellison Member

Thank you chipbored and sam
Your advice is greatly appreciated

God Bless
David

12/22/15       #5: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
rich c.

How and where you market is somewhat dependent on your skill, product, and product quality. Advertising cutting boards on Craigslist is death. In fact, I consider Craigslist as a place to clean out your garage. If your work has high quality, edgy designs, and is well finished, consider an artist guild or artist co-op gallery. With some of the product list you gave, you will be competing with everybody's uncle with a table saw and a router in his basement. That means incredibly low profit margins since the uncle will give it away. I can't count all the times I hear, "Uncle Anybody does woodworking, I'll have to talk to him." Or, "Jim's cousin Hank made a cutting board once." Today's market is really strong for natural edge slab work. Any slab on hairpin legs sells for really nice money. Hope you didn't rip all that old growth redwood into boards!

12/26/15       #6: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
D brown


David , join your local chamber of commerce , it will put you in touch with hundreds of other business owners who are all potential clients and talk to others each day. Good Luck

12/27/15       #7: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
Larry

Others have put it well. Galleries are mostly flooded and typically charge 50% commission. Good design sells, if you just copy like uncle Harry....... Get some nice things made and displayed, Make as many contacts as you can. Civic groups, church, business people you have had contact with. I'd say get an article about you put in the local news paper but news papers are pretty much a dead item now.

12/27/15       #8: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
rich c.

Church business people? Churches are a really tough sell. I used to do it, and they wonder why the price is what it is. You start out with a couple members presenting an idea. Then you present to them, then the whole committee, who then reports to another committee or group of elders. Then the finance committee comes in. Then your competition does the same. It takes about 10 phone calls, and 6 meetings and months of waiting to find out if you win the bid. Just a horrible process for a small businessman.

1/7/16       #9: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
Mitch Cain  Member

For small production items like cutting boards, etc. you should put a store up on Etsy.com. its very simple to do and free (they take a percentage of each sale). I have a friend who does custom cutting boards and is doing quite well up there. it takes a while to get noticed, but once you get a few sales in, you will become busy. As for the other things - market yourself locally for custom built-ins or cabinetry. You could also talk to other contractors in your area who maybe don't have the fine woodworking skills you do and see if you can offer them as a complement to what they offer.

1/7/16       #10: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
Dropout Member

Just to follow up on the last comment, I am a CNC shop and job out the stuff that I don't want to do, custom range hoods, open wine racks etc. You may want to look for someone like me to work with on that stuff.

1/7/16       #11: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
Larry

Rich, I didn't suggest selling to churches! The idea is to make as many contacts with PEOPLE as you can. Pass out business cards that list the type of product you are capable of making, on the back side.
Dropout's idea is good also.

1/11/16       #12: Looking for marketing ideas for sho ...
David Member

Greetings
I just wanted to thank all you fine people who have taken the time to advise me on my situation.
Some excellent advice to be sure.
Happy and prosperous 2016 to you all.
David


Post a Response
  • Notify me of responses to this thread
  • Subscribe to email updates on this Forum
  • To receive email notification of additions to this forum thread,
    enter your name and email address, and then click the
    "Keep Me Posted" button below.

    Please Note: If you have posted a message or response,
    do not submit this request ... you are already signed up
    to receive notification!

    Your Name:
    E-Mail Address:
    Enter the correct numbers into the field below:
     

    Date of your Birth:



    Return to top of page

    Buy & Sell Exchanges | Forums | Galleries | Site Map

    FORUM GUIDELINES: Please review the guidelines below before posting at WOODWEB's Interactive Message Boards (return to top)

  • WOODWEB is a professional industrial woodworking site. Hobbyist and homeowner woodworking questions are inappropriate.
  • Messages should be kept reasonably short and on topic, relating to the focus of the forum. Responses should relate to the original question.
  • A valid email return address must be included with each message.
  • Advertising is inappropriate. The only exceptions are the Classified Ads Exchange, Machinery Exchange, Lumber Exchange, and Job Opportunities and Services Exchange. When posting listings in these areas, review the posting instructions carefully.
  • Subject lines may be edited for length and clarity.
  • "Cross posting" is not permitted. Choose the best forum for your question, and post your question at one forum only.
  • Messages requesting private responses will be removed - Forums are designed to provide information and assistance for all of our visitors. Private response requests are appropriate at WOODWEB's Exchanges and Job Opportunities and Services.
  • Messages that accuse businesses or individuals of alleged negative actions or behavior are inappropriate since WOODWEB is unable to verify or substantiate the claims.
  • Posts with the intent of soliciting answers to surveys are not appropriate. Contact WOODWEB for more information on initiating a survey.
  • Excessive forum participation by an individual upsets the balance of a healthy forum atmosphere. Individuals who excessively post responses containing marginal content will be considered repeat forum abusers.
  • Responses that initiate or support inappropriate and off-topic discussion of general politics detract from the professional woodworking focus of WOODWEB, and will be removed.
  • Participants are encouraged to use their real name when posting. Intentionally using another persons name is prohibited, and posts of this nature will be removed at WOODWEB's discretion.
  • Comments, questions, or criticisms regarding Forum policies should be directed to WOODWEB's Systems Administrator
    (return to top).

    Carefully review your message before clicking on the "Send Message" button - you will not be able to revise the message once it has been sent.

    You will be notified of responses to the message(s) you posted via email. Be sure to enter your email address correctly.

    WOODWEB's forums are a highly regarded resource for professional woodworkers. Messages and responses that are crafted in a professional and civil manner strengthen this resource. Messages that do not reflect a professional tone reduce the value of our forums.

    Messages are inappropriate when their content: is deemed libelous in nature or is based on rumor, fails to meet basic standards of decorum, contains blatant advertising or inappropriate emphasis on self promotion (return to top).

    Libel:   Posts which defame an individual or organization, or employ a tone which can be viewed as malicious in nature. Words, pictures, or cartoons which expose a person or organization to public hatred, shame, disgrace, or ridicule, or induce an ill opinion of a person or organization, are libelous.

    Improper Decorum:   Posts which are profane, inciting, disrespectful or uncivil in tone, or maliciously worded. This also includes the venting of unsubstantiated opinions. Such messages do little to illuminate a given topic, and often have the opposite effect. Constructive criticism is acceptable (return to top).

    Advertising:   The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not an advertising venue. Companies participating in a Forum discussion should provide specific answers to posted questions. WOODWEB suggests that businesses include an appropriately crafted signature in order to identify their company. A well meaning post that seems to be on-topic but contains a product reference may do your business more harm than good in the Forum environment. Forum users may perceive your references to specific products as unsolicited advertising (spam) and consciously avoid your web site or services. A well-crafted signature is an appropriate way to advertise your services that will not offend potential customers. Signatures should be limited to 4-6 lines, and may contain information that identifies the type of business you're in, your URL and email address (return to top).

    Repeated Forum Abuse: Forum participants who repeatedly fail to follow WOODWEB's Forum Guidelines may encounter difficulty when attempting to post messages.

    There are often situations when the original message asks for opinions: "What is the best widget for my type of shop?". To a certain extent, the person posting the message is responsible for including specific questions within the message. An open ended question (like the one above) invites responses that may read as sales pitches. WOODWEB suggests that companies responding to such a question provide detailed and substantive replies rather than responses that read as a one-sided product promotion. It has been WOODWEB's experience that substantive responses are held in higher regard by our readers (return to top).

    The staff of WOODWEB assume no responsibility for the accuracy, content, or outcome of any posting transmitted at WOODWEB's Message Boards. Participants should undertake the use of machinery, materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB's Message Boards after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages it deems inappropriate. (return to top)


  • Forum Posting Help
    Your Name The name you enter in this field will be the name that appears with your post or response (return to form).
    Your Website Personal or business website links must point to the author's website. Inappropriate links will be removed without notice, and at WOODWEB's sole discretion. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    E-Mail Address Your e-mail address will not be publicly viewable. Forum participants will be able to contact you using a contact link (included with your post) that is substituted for your actual address. You must include a valid email address in this field. (return to form)
    Subject Subject may be edited for length and clarity. Subject lines should provide an indication of the content of your post. (return to form)
    Thread Related Link and Image Guidelines Thread Related Links posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should point to locations that provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related Link that directs visitors to an area with inappropriate content will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    Thread Related File Uploads Thread Related Files posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. Video Files: acceptable video formats are: .MOV .AVI .WMV .MPEG .MPG .MP4 (Image Upload Tips)   If you encounter any difficulty when uploading video files, E-mail WOODWEB for assistance. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related File that contains inappropriate content will be removed, and uploaded files that are not directly related to the message thread will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links, files, or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)