As mentioned in our previous post, we have invested in some “new” woodworking equipment as our cabinetry sales have increased over the past year. We already have a pretty robust shop of industrial woodworking machinery, but some of the machinery is specifically designed for manufacturing interior shutters, which is our other business, and some of [...]
This is going to be the first post in a series that will detail the ins and outs of merging our custom furniture operation with a custom cabinet operation. Most of the tools and techniques for cabinetry are similar to those we’ve mastered with our furniture business, but the overall construction approach is quite different. [...]
Leaner and Maybe Greener No matter how good you think your business may be, there are always techniques and strategies that can be implemented to improve efficiency. A just-in-time delivery of inventory reduces storage costs and minimizes the risk of having raw material that may become obsolete or out-of-date on the shelves. Set-up a manufacturing [...]
I recently stumbled across THIS article while searching for information on domestic and exotic hardwoods. The article talks about the challenges facing small businesses in today’s global economy and what they need to focus on to be successful. Part 1 is HERE. Know Your Market and Stay Out Front Never let yourself fall into a [...]
I recently stumbled across THIS article while searching for information on domestic and exotic hardwoods. The article talks about the challenges facing small businesses in today’s global economy and what they need to focus on to be successful. Find the High End Niche, Don’t Compete on Price This is a critical thing for a business [...]
This past year has been a wild ride! Even ignoring all that has taken place throughout the nation and the world during the past year, things have been simultaneously exciting and scary around our neck of the woods. Way back in March, Jared Patchin decided to take the plunge and turned J. Alexander Fine Woodworking [...]
An interesting thing happened to me the other day. I awoke on Sunday morning at about the usual time, 6:45 am, which is when my 2 year-old son decides the day should start, and checked to see if I had any business e-mail. Lo and behold I had a message from a wholesale client of [...]
We receive regular newsletter e-mails from a business consulting company in the silicon valley are called Trizle. Funny name for a consulting company, but the newsletters they send out are packed full of good, solid, timeless business advice The latest newsletter was entitled “How to Run Your Business When The Economy Sucks!”. We really liked [...]
The custom furniture business is just plain fun. I get to make a living by doing one of my favorite things, designing and building furniture. Each project is unique, even in a small ways, from the ones that I have built before. A wide range of mental and technical skills have to be developed to [...]
A few entries ago I talked about how I began this business by selling to different wholesale accounts, such as interior designers and remodeling contractors in the various markets around me. Well, I am now going to talk about how this approach has worked for me over the past six months. The major advantage of [...]