Does business come in bunches?! I can’t believe it — I posted a little ditty at another forum for ideas about making a little $$ with WWing, without going into cabinetry or something big. All of a sudden, things are happening. I have one for-sure job spun off of that, one “probably” and then today a customer walked into my card shop, pointed at the Griffey jersey in its case and said, “I want to put $100 down for you to make one of those for me, don’t need it until Christmas.” Whaaaa?! Cooooool!
And on top of that another customer came in with $2500 worth of stuff for me to sell on commission, and it should all be done by the end of next week. Sheeeeeez Louise, does it get better? Can’t wait!
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
Replies
Enjoy the good times! If it continues, it may start to feel more like work than fun. My related experience was in fitting and building golf clubs about 15 years back. I studied, worked hard, experimented and eventually became quite competent in building golf clubs that fit my customer's physigue and swing. I had visions of turning my avocation into a well-paying hobby after I retired.
Sure enough, I built it and they came! Before too many months, I had more work than I wanted. I had irritated customers who wanted the impossible done by tomorrow. I had irritated potential customers who couldn't understand why I wouldn't build them the latest thing they had seen on TV. I found myself working at 3 AM some mornings just trying to get orders finished before the customer showed up at 6 AM to pick up his new wondersticks. Yech!!
I still have all my equipment and keep up with the latest information and techniques. However, the only clubs I will build now are for myself or my children. Keeping it at that level has brought back the fun. And FUN is the key...you have to enjoy doing it before the final output is worth the personal investment.
Someone wiser than me once wrote that the secret to happiness isn't getting what you want....it's wanting what you've got.
Regards,
Ron
BTW, when I lived out in BC I really enjoyed working with alder...it was generally regarded as a weed at the time and I could get all the clear stock I wanted for almost nothing. I also developed a great fondness for yellow cedar and Sitka spruce (particularly quartersawn),
Great news.
Unfortunately for me, I often have the same thought, for about 5 seconds. Then it's back to the worrying about what I'm going to do next week, or next month. Always seems to happen while I'm trying to sleep...
Thats great F.G.
My work comes in bunches. I like that because it follows my work habbits. I like to work hard for acouple of months and then goof off for a couple of weeks..... or more.
:-)
Mike
forestgirl
I was on a run like that for 18 years..........................It ended 2 years ago!!
Hope yours just rolls on for you.
Jeff
"I want to put $100 down for you to make one of those for me, don't need it until Christmas."
Not to rain on your parade FG, but a couple of questions may be in order:
Yep, Dave, it way more than covers the materials. I can only do the WWing part-time, since I have a business to run, so I'm already full-up through mid-September at least. I was relieved when he said Christmas!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Forestgirl-what are you making for $100-I mean what is this griffey thing?
Whoa! Not making it for $100 -- that was the deposit! It's a wall-mounted display case for an autographed sports jersey. The one I have in my shop is one of Ken Griffey, Jr's. The one I'm making the new case for is a football player's jersey.
The case is about 32" high, 20-something wide (can't remember" and about 3.5" deep. The back is 1/8" plywood covered with artboard, the front is plexiglass. The one I made for the Griffey jersey is alder finished like walnut, turned out great! Most people buy cheap plastic display frames, not too many are willing to spend the money on a really nice wood one.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Xcellent. Now that "they" are on the road to developing some class ypu must maintain progress by building in some sort of personal forestgirl touch to set your cases apart from some other copier-I suggest a small makers name plate, or the way in which you join the frame together etc., legs/base.If you used glass (can be etched to great effect cheaply) without any additional material cost to you it is better.Philip Marcou
Take care not to lose sight of the purpose of this cabinet, which is to display something of importance to the customer. As artisans,we are often too eager to show our woodworking prowess at the expense of the original project scope. The best compliment I can get on a display case project is that the piece shows off it's contents elegantly, and conveys to viewers the importance of these objects in the owner's life.
Of course, all I see is how the cabinet looks!
Segil ,
Very nicely put , you are right imo a customers custom piece , especially a display case is not about us ,,, Sure we build the case but as you said be careful not to detract from the contents . When we listen to our clients ideas and formulate them into design with our capacity and skills we are going to get great results and happy clients .
dusty
Agreed Segil-one needs to maintain propriety, but a subtle promotion of one's own work is part of the prize (price?).Philip Marcou
Are the results because of some advice you took from a reply on your original post or just coincidental?
Garry
http://www.superwoodworks.com
The "for sure" and the "probably" are referrals from the post I made. I turned down a couple other ones I didn't feel ready for. Just small jobs, but more advanced than I was ready to tackle. The stuff that's happening in the store feels spirit-oriented. I love it!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Good on you FG. It's nice to see good things happen to good people.
Brent
forestgirl,
After more than 25 years one thing I've figured out is that you can never figure out when you will be busy or slow . But at least for me work does seem to come in bunches like a cycle . The more work I have and the more backed up I get the more people seem to be willing to wait for much of the work I do . Maybe people figure your good if your busy ? I've even noticed certain types of jobs may come 2 or 3 wall units at a time . I re cane furniture still as a sideline not to make a living on and I may go 6 months without a request and then 3 in one week . I think it is the nature of business and perhaps life as well .
keep on trucking dusty
"I think it is the nature of business and perhaps life as well ." It even shows up in the micro-traffic patterns in the store. People arrives in bunches! Have never found anything to tie it to but (unflatteringly) herd mentality or perhaps the tide. Who knows!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
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