I took woodshop back at high school 20 years ago and I’m always doing small projects around the house, like wood mantles, coffee tables, and such. My wife asked me to remake her outdoor table that has pretty much disintegrated. I decided to make it out of teak, and it turned out great! I got so many compliments on it this past weekend at our barbecue, that multiple people from the party are asking me to build items for them. So Im officially building outdoor furniture now and already making more than my salaried job 😂

@wolfrobots118

10 ай бұрын

you make wood mantles....that's very cool

@researchandbuild1751

10 ай бұрын

ok

@alexm1841

9 ай бұрын

@@wolfrobots118 I make all types of stuff. The Mentos are very popular, especially ones with hidden compartments.

@fishhuntadventure

4 ай бұрын

@@wolfrobots118??? I thought it was outdoor furniture but my I’m not fluent in English of your local dialect….

@isabelgutierrez8150

Ай бұрын

@@fishhuntadventureyes but he mentioned that he makes mantels too

I really appreciate your knowledge and willingness to help others. There's sooooo much "fluff" out there. The ideas and advice you provide, I can't find anywhere else. Thanks for all you do

@cutting-it-close

11 ай бұрын

I appreciate you for watching the videos! Thank you!

@kevinh5349

11 ай бұрын

Oh brohter.

Thank you for "peeling back the curtain" and sharing your real-world experience. I think you were born with a head for business. You take such a straightforward approach and consider the variables. I mean, how many people talk about opportunity cost? And sending thank-you notes to your customers? You have an intuitive sense of the value of connection in customer service -- businesses win by exceeding customer expectations. Your insight is changing the way I'm thinking about making money.

I like this channel because it is real, too many youtubers sell hype and don't make real money with woodworking but suck people in with hype about all the money they could make, and then sell them a subscription to a talk forum moderated by them. I won't say who it is but the initials are J&D

@bicyclesammi079

10 ай бұрын

I only watch them to laugh at them and their inflated numbers that make zero sense

Your family looks way different than I imagined. Thanks for the video.

Man…. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. You come across the screen very trustworthy.

@cutting-it-close

8 ай бұрын

I appreciate that!

Love yur vids bro'! I think you hit the nail on the head with your estimation of craft shows! Time is better spent making product than haggling over a $20 price tag!

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

Got the first few prototypes off my 5x10 Avid with 4th axis. Just starting my woodworking journey and learning how to program the machine. Really like the content, I'd like to be where your at in a few years. Love the suit of armor in the background too! I'm hoping to keep my products in the TTRPG space.

@cutting-it-close

11 ай бұрын

Study a company called Wyrm Wood they are a very successful in that space.

@laroast8531

11 ай бұрын

@@cutting-it-close I have been for sure, way before I built my shop. They were a big inspiration.

I'm glad you did this video I was wondering about this

I've had some slightly different observations. First, the "cars people drive" to our favorite market day shows are generally quite nice...new $100k trucks, shiny Sprinter vans and motorhomes with cargo trailers. Functional, given the transportation needs, but certainly not cheap. We average $10-$20k per 3-day show, depending on the season, but never less than $10k. Our profit model, with much lower overhead as a home-based business, is also different. Higher margins, with the trade-off being volume limitations. Also, we do build concealment furniture (cabinets) and our experience at trade shows (gun shows) has not been great. We typically only sell $3-4k there. Not due to competition. We've turned that reason into a joke...we don't actually build gun cabinets, we build wall decor...that holds guns. Strangely, we've maintained a fairly consistent 20% conversion rate regardless of the venue. However, we see far more engagements at "crafty" shows than we do at gun shows. All this to say...it's hard to apply blanket observations to business models. For your business, absolutely, shows are not a great option. For us, they are. We're now generating a six-figure income working 3 shop days per week, plus around 18 show weekends per year. We do shows with the family, and it's been a great opportunity for our 14-year-old daughter to gain business and sales experience. It's nice to get away from home for a few days during shows. We find fun AirB&Bs and explore new restaurants and local attractions. We have virtually zero sit-in-a-chair-with-your-phone time. In fact, I usually only bring one chair for 3-4 people to share. We're always busy. Unless we sit and look at our phones, which usually results in people walking on by. But the biggest benefit for us doing shows is that it provides schedule flexibility. We operate an anti-traficking nonprofit as our "main thing". I need to be free to step away from the woodworking business when we have a case in progress, or a fundraiser, or whatever need might arise. If we sold more online, we would likely have greater sales volume, but we would have to hire additional staff to fill orders. And build cabinets. And manage customer support. And yeah, that's actually a great idea, growing the business to that level. We have prepared for that option, with a respectable website and great domain (concealmentcabinets.com). So we might eventually get there. But for now, we have tremendous flexibility, great family time, and enough income to support the family without taking a formal salary from our nonprofit. Granted, our situation is a bit unusual. But we've met quite a few folks who are doing extremely well in the high-end craft show world. Craft shows are also an excellent training and testing ground for new businesses. You get instant, often brutal feedback on your products. I credit craft shows for steering us away from products that never would have hit, and for showing us that we eventually did stumble on something significant. Last note, in another video I heard you say that the way to make money is to improve on existing designs. You are 100% correct about that! Our products aren't all that unique, except that we use high-end materials, better mounting solutions, and have killer customer service. Excatly what you suggested. In any case, not trying to be disagreeable, but I wanted to share a counterperspective because not everyone has the same vision, abilities, drive, goals, circumstances, etc. If I had started this business in my early 20's, I think things would look very different. I was in dragon-slaying mode for a couple decades. Now I'm more like a dragon-slapper than a dragon-slayer. But I do slap pretty hard, so....lol

Great tips! Scepter the vehicles. Some folks just don’t like the }nicer} vehicles

I always appreciate your incite .

Great constructive alternative! Thank you

@cutting-it-close

11 ай бұрын

Your welcome! I hope it helped!

you are excellent because you are honest....i love youre videos

This video doesn’t hit for me... if you watch Andy Bird Builds or Hamilton Dilbeck, they both have VERY different opinions on this... I think it is more about what you do when you are at the shows.. if you just sit there and you aren’t talking with others vendors or networking then yeah its a waste of time... but the one thing you cant put a $ on is, yes you made $12K BUT how many people are going to come back to your shop after and buy something how… many people know your name now and what you do… I think this is bad advice for someone who is just starting out and wants to get their names out there.. I like all your other videos... this one just doesn't do it for me! Much Love!

@cutting-it-close

11 ай бұрын

Their content is awesome, I look forward to their videos for sure! But like I said in the video, for marketing and branding they are good! I think trade shows are much more bang for your buck. I do not do craft shows myself to make money so I cannot honestly recommend others to do them, I have found numerous other oppurtunities that have worked for me that take a lot less time and effort and have a much bigger return. Especially if someone really wants to go full time at this and grow a business. I really appreciate this comment and you watching the videos, means a lot!

Thank you for this video :)

@cutting-it-close

11 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

I've never had good luck with craft shows. Typically because 1, I do mostly custom or customized work and 2, I never have time to build a proper stock to sell, trying to get actual orders done. The time or 2 I took a week to get ready, I barely sold enough to cover the costs. So I just go to our local festival now to shake hands and advertise. I do think the specialized trade shows hold some merit though, I hadn't thought of that. Selling specialized products at a gun or fishing trade show does make a bit of sense, especially if you could get orders for 10000-100000 units.

"The odds of someone having their dog there". At my local Saturday market here in Oregon, it's outdoors and everyone brings their dogs LOL. In fact many times I got the market to see all the cool dogs instead of the products haha.

Thank you. Great video

@cutting-it-close

10 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Sitting here in the north of ireland l am a crafter l agree with your marketing and hope to put it to good use

the answer for some is to partner up with those who work the craft circuit and supply them with complimentary items from your shop...best of both worlds!

Good info.

Def agree.... i go for one farmers market every couple months but consider it more marketing than anything

I think you are overlooking the top level. You should be designing an industry specific product and going to that industry's trade shows to sell it.

thank you

I've done them and did good but I don't anymore. I'd rather focus on "all the time" sales using social media than hoping they buy all my stuff in one day that I don't even like making very much anyway just to make a few bucks an item.

I am not familiar with craft shows, but wouldn't it make sense to send an employee to some of them? While your talents are in the area of designing and manufacturing products, there are other individuals who have particularly good people skills. You could even give them a 20% commission (profit), and it seems you would still make a return. Even if you feel that marketing the products yourself would be most effective, the idea of comparative advantage is still relevant. I plan to use this strategy in a little over a month at a convention. Love the content and unique perspectives as always.

@cutting-it-close

11 ай бұрын

Yes, for sure having my team run them makes sense and that is what I do. But let’s say you get someone that only does events and shows, it’s a big undertaking and also expensive. Great marketing, hard to make money in woodworking at it. Higher ticket items it’s possible for sure though.

@Zalzany

6 ай бұрын

@@cutting-it-close Its all about the product on hand being right for the event. Not all events are the same if you got products with some custom work, wood working shows well you competing with every single person there. BUT you go to fantasy or comic con thing, engrave some stuff into your work, you see sales go up. Its like advice with custom dog houses you shouldn't be at wood working show you should be finding pet shows and vending there. You wan do little better do crappy coasters with dog paws and company logo on bottom, sell those too. There is a lot of options but I seen people doing this where its like you got good material but its not very suited for convention or art show they went to. There is trade shows but again you competing with every one in that trade. You get a little "artsy" with a laser or cnc engraving and you can find more markets and make money its not rent a warehouse and have staff make 5k a day money though. But it might help you get the equipment you need and handing out buisness cards with your links might just help you one day hit point you outgrow your garage and a can afford hired help, and new space. Like guy with a booth next to me started off with nothing, had 3 employees, and made insane money by just increasing his marketing custom CNCed displays was his trick he tried that show and it worked. Like I was super impressed he had displays that all slid into each other, then he was selling necklaces had custom made bit, with multiple dimples for all sizes he sold of necklaces he sold to sit in at an angle, then a slit for plastic fake pokemon cards with product descriptins on back, and he made bracelets with wood beads that were color themed off pokemon. He bought the beads in bulk from amazon but assembled the necklaces with 2 other friends, because that display he sold 5-8 buck you would expect bracelets for 30-70 and and sold some of them. It was insane he made several grand that night. And that was a 75 buck table fee event. He gets into a nice show he could make even more. But his goal is online he has a shopify shop, and he gave out few hundred cards that night. Like my helper is sending me updates from his instagram and store page as she is a giant fan of the guys work lol. Like that is how you use shows, but he wants to do the next big anime convention, hell he should also looking into the big furry ones he sell even more in both places. Plus need to order buisness cards by the thousands for them lol

What I do is either have a leather sheath or two to still stitch(takes ages) or engage with visitors, have a sharpening stone to explain techniques, leather and tools to make and repair sheaths of other stall holders, maybe not selling so much on rainy days but no idle time either.

curious on your thoughts on other makers making a knock off of your products they see at your shows.

I made the most money woodworking, by framing houses during the day and making basic bedroom sets in my garage when I was off and selling them in a local paper or on something like Craig’s list. I built fine furniture working as a craftsman for a company and we almost staved to death. Every one that’s good wants to do it and you don’t earn much money at all

Did do something on selling on line

We only sell at events that people are involved in a hobby. Example we do well at marathons/ walks to end some disease. We bring our normal items but we also make items that relate to the hobby/event we are at. Also there are usually less vendors to compete with Farmer markets or craft fairs are usually people treating you as viewing pieces for their pleasure. ....not to buy

@netltube

11 ай бұрын

good way to put it, true about filling a booth and there for 'viewing' not necessarily buying.

@kmcclarney

11 ай бұрын

@netltube thanks...it drives me nuts when someone picks something up and just goes on and on how great this is.....makes sure to tell all their friends/family how neat....then they precede to put the item down and walk off hahaha. I mean not everyone will buy but sheesh give me a break

@netltube

11 ай бұрын

@@kmcclarney from what I'm learning, craft shows can be tough. Maybe one a year or something is good to get your name out there. But they're not really money makers for most folks.

@kmcclarney

11 ай бұрын

@@netltube for sure! Give a marathon or walk for charity a try. Just call and ask if you can set up a table. The smaller local ones a lot of time won't even charge you a fee to set up

@netltube

11 ай бұрын

@@kmcclarney good idea!

What about website sales and connections. Do you really have to leave your shop?

Cynically, I think like you. Why take a long road with no map, and not even one appointment. But B to C is a basically a modern day mailorder biz w/o a retail store. You have more control and less limitations. With the internet you don't even need a printed catalog. No middleman other than suppliers and shippers.

Warning to all! Don't judge people by their vehicle and assume they're successful or struggling based on what they're showing you. It's better to be wealthy than appear wealthy. Read "The Millionaire Next Door" - most "rich" people buy used cars and are quite frugal on the outside. Realtors drive high-end luxury vehicles for a reason -- it's for show, not reality.

@cutting-it-close

4 ай бұрын

Agreed!

@kentl7228

3 ай бұрын

Christian Bale drives a 2003 Tacoma

Best way to support you is prayer, ...right right, I don't know you, Jesus knows you though. May you know your continued need for him first and foremost. Shalom Ryan

What is the trade show you are going to in 2023?

Still adding better equipment to speed up progress .

This comes from a guy that wants to get to 10 million or 100 million or something like that. Take it for what it's worth.

Great video! I totally agree with your video about Craft Shows etc. I do not mean to sound like going to a Craft Show is beneath me, but like you, I think my time is worth more money than just making a few hundred dollars, and getting beat up about my prices compared to someone that is buying their items from China and reselling..

And again the marketing is just bad if you are doing dog houses, go to a event for people with dogs. Again I started as 3d printer I know going to a 3d print only convention not a great idea at all, but going to reptile con with lizard, and dragon prints is a stupid good idea. Trying to work a renfair or fantasy con with dragons, and dice towers way better. It's like doing custom windows and showing up to a car show, you might make sales but really its a bad market to be at.

I dont enjoy craft shows... For the same reason you mentioned

$5K for a five day show for Food/Expenses? I guess its just fluff at that point but jeez...talk about chewing away more profit than you need to. I don't think if any human being made $10K in 5 days they would be upset. Be careful not to blow smoke publicly on these shows when people's overhead is USUALLY not 20K and hotels and food for 5K...and they can still sell 40K in goods....just sayin...not the best message for folks.

There is also others, like Anime Conventions, and even Furry ones, not so much a good spot for wood working unless you engraving things into your products they want or maybe cnc carving... I 3d print and got CNC so like furry con, not ideal but I can load up with 3d dragons, makes some dragon heads lasered into wood cnc phone docks or, other animial heads that are popular and make some money... But selling furniture yeah you not really that great doing it... Also early on handing out your card with your website, can be good promotion to help your sales. Also the shows I do its a lot of vans, SUVs I saw one old Station wagon, but it was selling drinks and it was in AZ in october and it was over 98 degrees even though it was a night sale and they did well lol. But yeah really varies on your area and you product going to woodworker show honestly sounds like you need to be really good or just get washed away with comp, but yeah I can see in long run having a warehouse doing 5k a day would be nicer. Issue is getting there. I would love to get to point I got a building, and employees, that would be amazing but right now I can't produce 400 bucks in product in one day, let alone 5k. I would rather just sell online all day long, but I got have people buying first, or a good deal of start up to afford marketing to get those intial sales and reviews to help me grow...

Craft shows have the worst customers, almost as bad as garage sale customers.

Sounds like you think wat too highly of yourself after seeing this video.

🧠

He's talkie like he isn't those guys (craft shows) with the employees and factory, as small as it may be.

@MontanaPDX

Ай бұрын

🇺🇸But still, thank you for keeping it American Made and not outsourcing your labor. 🇺🇸

@cutting-it-close

Ай бұрын

Thank you, America is the best country in the world!

Love seeing your videos and happy for your success, but this video is WAY too big for it's britches. Its down right discouraging, if not discounting of someone starting off selling their craft. The video comes across as unless you're making $30k a day, that measly $8,000 a day vendor event is a waste of time, you should be home making more inventory and customer relations. Most vendors would die to hit a thousand dollar per event. You're at a level now where your time is better spent doing something else. For most, a few hundred or even a few thousand extra from a side hustle, or even full time gig, per event would be life changing. They can continue going up from there, but not everyone's trying to hit $2 Million in sales per year. Don't forget about the come-up now that you've hit the mountain peak.

@cutting-it-close

8 ай бұрын

The message I was trying to convey in the video is to better use your time because it is super valuable and not to discount it at any stage of your business growth. Tradeshows are a great option and you will find much more success at them and learn your niche quickly compared to just only going to random market days with random people walking around.

@philsowers

8 ай бұрын

@@cutting-it-close Happy for your success, just don't want others to be discouraged they're not making CEO money when an honest hourly is still good honest work and could be the thing that keeps them afloat.

@cutting-it-close

8 ай бұрын

@@philsowers I understand, when looking back at past videos, I see where I can come off strong on something, the biggest deal for me is for people to understand that there is money in the woodworking world to be made, this industry needs to have innovation and great entrepreneurs apart of it. I love it so much!

You make a beautiful box of solid walnut with Brusso hinges, lined in Spanish cedar and a suede bottom, and joe customer thinks $25 is about right. There’s no way to even cover costs at craft shows unless you make and sell junk.

Bro we don't all have parents to work for us while you get lucky on our first product. Markets are fine.

@cutting-it-close

10 ай бұрын

I tried over 50 different products before I designed the docking station.

I'll do you a "favor" and give you 7 bucks for it..

@cutting-it-close

10 ай бұрын

This guy gets it 🤣

Don’t sell here, don’t build these… so negative

Agree. This guy claims he makes $5k profit a day but he is wasting his time making you tube videos promoting soft coolers and lives in a trailer outside a barn that houses his cnc.

@cameronf3343

11 ай бұрын

I’d do the same even if I were a multi-millionaire. There is no wasting time making KZread vids and you’re ignoring the point to think adding in a 5 second bit about the coolers makes it about coolers. You know about him because of KZread and so do I. KZread’s the #1 most effective advertising platform in the world. I’m hesitant of $5k/day profit too but that’s just because the scale of it’s unimaginable, but even if I had $20 million to my name, my dream home is less than 2,000sqft. Making money just to buy things that impress random people for 20 seconds is a waste. What’s not a waste, is this dude’s gonna have no trouble; • Starting a family • Traveling anywhere he wants • Paying for his kids’ college • Helping his loved ones if he so chooses • Retiring young as hell and maybe just helping out at the shop occasionally to do somethin Mansions are boring. Grandeur’s predictable. Spend below your means.

@dian3145

11 ай бұрын

I think this is bit off the mark. If you have watched his videos you will have seen the shop, the tools and the goods stacked to the ceiling. We are incredulous, I think, because we are afraid to dream that big. Just like your choice of vehicle is a poor way to have your success measured, your choice of a modest home should not indicate that you failed in some way. The interesting thing about successful folks is that they are always looking for ways to grow and improve or change. It is not a waste of time creating content that provides others with insight into his model of success. It’s a revenue stream. Promoting a product isn’t a bad thing. Maybe he invested in them, maybe it’s a friend, maybe it’s just another revenue stream. We didn’t pay to watch his video, so he shouldn’t be bashed when someone pays him to create it. If you don’t see your future you in him, choose a different channel. If I was 20 years younger I’d be driving to Texas to buy him dinner and pick his brain.

@springwoodcottage4248

11 ай бұрын

Super interesting & useful with lots of ideas & techniques to explore. Thank you for sharing!

@jothammcmillan8854

11 ай бұрын

With a minute of research one could see that DrapelaWoodworks has had 134,840 sales on Etsy alone with an average cost of $30. With a low estimate of 4,000,000 in sales, yeah, I'll be listening to his thoughts on how to sell woodworking products at scale.

@sirguy6678

11 ай бұрын

You aren’t supposed to notice that he wastes more time bragging than selling-there is a difference between a craftsman and a retailer

You say write stuff off as marketing, I say every event is money making. Sounds like you expect to bow at your feet, you are not a honest woodworker 🤬

Sorry I disagree..I've been doing woodwork at craft shows for seven years on the weekends and make good money. The problem with people doing woodwork is they buy their wood instead of taking time to find free wood thus eating into your profits. I don't know how other people feel about what they do for a living but I love what I do so that makes up for a lot. I make about 1500 to 2000 on a sat and sun show that cost anywhere from 150 to 200 at 43 shows a year plus travel it's pretty owsome.