How we get the good jobs and sustain a business as furniture makers
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- Опубліковано 17 лют 2021
- All we are trying to do is have a sustainable career doing what we love. Our work takes a lot of time because most of what we make is custom. There is a ton of problem solving / cad work / and trial & errors that go into the craft and its difficult to express a value to the consumer for those things. Here is a specific story of how we got a job making a $25k couch. I hope this helps anyone out there struggling to land the jobs that fit your skills and build quality!
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don't take this in a negative way, but i really thoroughly enjoy this type of content more than the comedy stuff. this is very real, and very good
I don’t take it in a negative way, and I really appreciate the feedback. I’m still kind of feeling out my audience. The biggest video I ever did was a comedy and as of today it has almost 150,000 views. I’ll just keep putting out a plethora for everyone to enjoy!
@@WilliamDouglasCo Don't take this the wrong way but this video was great. I'm sorry.
@@00dahc don’t take this the wrong way but I really appreciate it
@@WilliamDouglasCo How dare you.
@@00dahc 😂
I like how you almost always said “we” and “our” rather than “I” and “my.”
I’m nothing without my team! 💪🏻
I like that too!
I really appreciate this type of content you put out: honest business conversations and best practice recommendations. It's really helpful for people with smaller woodworking businesses like me that are trying to grow.
Beautiful piece, William. It's awesome seeing guys make it work in this weird time. Keep at it, you're a role model to many!
Hey I really appreciate that. Thank you for taking the time to drop a kind comment!
Man, this was incredible! Not crazy on the sound effects over your voice though.. but I love hearing about the business side of the shop. The way you explain things and the clarity you have in doing so really make me think that maybe my standards for things in life, and the way things should be, aren’t so “out there” as I thought. Thank you! I’d love to come work with/for you some day.
Keep up the great work and never let those standards slip, not even for a second brother! See you in the next one!
I’m happy to hear I’ve given you something to think about! I shot and edited that video myself so by the end I was so sick of hearing myself talk I was thinking.. this is a boring ass video. So I put in the sound effects and then I was laughing my ass off 😄
@@WilliamDouglasCo lmao, well in that case, I’m impressed you did it all your self. I like that makers mark too btw ;) cheers brother!
Glad that you are getting these kind of projects. Your craftmanship is awesome and nice to see people are respecting it👍🏻
I really appreciate that Eric! Only one way to go from here! 🚀
I don’t have the tools or even money for wood to do much but your channel has inspired me to work on my craft every time I can afford to get wood to work with. I give those pieces to friends and family until I make a piece that is at a level I would feel comfortable charge for and then I will gift it to someone I trust and/or admire in my community. Maybe this will lead to business. Either way I will be working on my craft. Thank you.
You are on the right path. Now you just have to stay positive and keep pushing forward. You will get there!
William, this is incredibly helpful. Thanks for sharing all this business advice and your story! Some really great insights here. 👏
I’m really happy that you liked it! I never know how these type of videos are going to be received by the tubes!
Love this content. I took my hobby full-time when I was laid off did to COVID. I've been successful and sustainable thus far. It's great to be able to see how other small custom woodworking & furniture businesses deal with the business side. Don't get me wrong, build videos are nice to watch, but ultimately, if you lack the business sense your sunk...no matter how beautiful your pieces are.
Awesome videos William. Loving the honesty and passion for the work. I've had my shop for 8 yrs and been a furniture maker since I was a kid. Like yourself I create the work that most people are not able to produce. I learned awhile ago that the price is secondary to the over all result. The quality of your product is the solution to always having good paying contracts. Cheers
Thank you for watching, and thank you for the thoughtful comment. You’re absolutely right and it’s really helpful for others to hear and see this message
@@WilliamDouglasCo keep up the humorous Vids . I've done a ton of Machining for Rusticdesignsbyrich and for JeffMackDesign both awesome guys and love what they do.... BUT your reference to "epoxy pours" being the "Autotune of Woodworking" is spot on. Bahahaha. Cheers Brother!
Great video with awesome info. I appreciate the work you keep putting out on your videos
If you keep watching, I’ll keep making them!
Well said and well done. Beautiful couch and info that really all business owners need to hear. Thank you
Thanks for watching!! I’m happy you liked the vid. I’ll keep them coming!
True that! You bring to mind the wisdom I was given early on of "cheap, fast and quality - you can only ever have two out of three."
Truth 🙌🏻
Just what I needed to hear today. Awesome advice. Just subscribed to channel!
Love that! Happy to hear I could help In any way. Thanks for the sub
The honesty and authenticity of this video is so refreshing!
Thank you for watching! Really surprised to see how well this one was received!
My respect for you went up a couple more notches for putting this video out!!!! Great information!!!!
I’ll keep them coming my man! Thanks for watching and dropping a comment 🙏🏼
Thank you for making this video! I’m steadily building my shop and furniture resume while keeping my other companies going. I already “knew” this message, but I’m internalizing it now. 🙂
It’s not as obvious to everyone including myself at first. When you’re getting started and trying to build a business there are a lot of things that come up that will make you question if you’re doing the right thing. I hope these messages help people get started
Dude, that is beautiful! Nice work man!
Thank you Tony, I really appreciate the support. I’ll keep the videos coming!
Man, your level of craftsmanship is unreal. Amazing work.
Hey thank you so much Rob! We’ve been at it for a long time and I have a good little team of meticulous people!
Awesome tips, setting and managing expectations go a long way in any career!
That’s absolutely true. Thank you for watching! I appreciate it!!
Love hearing wisdom from other furniture makers. Keep up with the great content!
Hey I really appreciate that Chadd!! People really seem to like this type of video from us.
Cheers bro
it’s hard to find advice when it comes to this type of work.
I’ve been making trophy’s for people and other things for a few years but I’m at a point where I am planing out the next 10 years so that I can get into woodworking full time. So cheers for the advice much appreciated my bro 👌🏾
Thank you for watching! This feedback really helps shape the channel. It’s important for me to understand the audience so I can be as helpful as possible. Thanks again for watching!
I appreciate the work y’all do. Keep it goin✨
Thanks for showing us love! Means a lot
I wish the best of luck for you in your business man!
That means a lot to me, thank you so much!
I’m totally into the under bidding and showing someone what I can do philosophy. I always do this and about 80% of the time get those people returning for my “normal” rates. Honest, hardworking, upfront always works for me. I wish you the best!
That’s the way to do it! I can see it going wrong for someone who doesn’t execute the project on a high level 😬
Great advice, bro. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely 🙏🏼 thank you for watching!
Agin William Douglas Co. much appreciated for the Pearls of wisdom that we can all apply to what ever craft were serving :)
Absolutely!! This would be similar across the board for a lot of trades!
I found your channel because of your backyard shop design (I was looking to see if anyone had done what I was doing) and have followed you ever since. Your work is truly remarkable and your platform is inspirational.
Also, I like this line of video concepts.
There are many great woodworkers out there that don’t know how to do great business. I love learning from a great woodwork business.
My wife stresses all of the time when I don’t get a job for overbidding. I don’t. My sheds are on my property and my overhead is very low. Haha.
Thanks so much Matt! These thoughtful comments help me understand my audience better. It really seems like the business stuff is what people like the most from me. Really cool to hear how you found me too.
Always appreciate your insight 👍🏻
Thanks Ryan! I appreciate the support
Love the content and thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom!!!
Absolutely, I am happy to do it! Thank you for watching!
@@WilliamDouglasCo my pleasure brotha!!!
Your videos are becoming more and more visually appealing. Once they meet the level of your craftsmanship in woodworking... lookout! Keep it up brother.
Thanks a million! I’ll get there
Thanks for your transparency bro!
10000% thank you for watching
As usual Will! Awesome work buddy! Some great advice as well. I’m very similar in the way I do business. Get your foot in the door and build that relationship! Very cool! Love the new content. Keep up the great work, wishing you continued success, I look forward to your posts!! ✌️Cheers 🥃
Thank you so much! Really appreciate all of the support! I’ll keep them vids coming!
Great video Will. Not many builders discuss cost and/or their labor rate. Looking forward to your next video.
That is what I was seeing. Most woodworking content creators don’t touch on the biz side of things.
When I need to feel bad about my skill level I check out your work.
You're a Beast! I hope to be half as good someday.
Ah man you’re too kind! I can’t thank you enough. 🙏🏼 I wish you the best my man
I appreciate the wisdom and honesty in this. My favorite part though, was the sound effects. I lol’d multiple times. Keep up the great content!
YESSSSSSSSSS!! FINALLY SOMEONE APPRECIATED MY HUMOR!! This makes me so happy. I watched it several times and was dying hahah
Awesome explanation. Thanks so much.
Happy you liked it! Thank you for watching
I love the comedy aspect. Don’t stop. I have some ideas of my own for comedy woodworking, when I get to building and filming.
Thank you for the encouragement and thanks for watching! Happy you liked it!
Again, sweet video mate 👍👏
Thank you for watching!!
Damn, that couch is super nice! 👌 Great video and I shall heed those words of wisdom 😁
Thank you Chris!! The couch came out pretty badass. The client loved it!
Words of wisdom... and experience.
I am at your service!
I’m really grateful for your honesty on sometimes being a little late. 😅 I am, too, but it’s always fine with consistent communication, because the result is solid!
Exactly!!
Hi William thanks so much for this video. I too agree these are the great vids that I can relate to. Don't get me wrong I like all the vids but this one is top notch! I've done woodworking for a hobby for the last 24 plus years more to relieve the stress of my day job which is running my company I started 28 years ago. We are specialized electrical and technology contractors. One of my favorite sayings and I can't take credit for it and I don't remember where I heard is "Not all money is good money" Most people that have never run a business don't really understand what that means but if you have and you've dealt with awful customers over the years when you think back to the day you took their money you realize that all money is not created equal. Ha ha ha. Good luck moving forward with your business it sounds like you have reached that moment in business where you can start to pick and choose your customers it's a beautiful thing.
I like that. Thanks for dropping some wisdom my man. That’s a good thought to end the night on.
very useful info will! also that intro is fire!!
Hahah thanks man! Love me some joe dirt!
Hi great work and craftsmanship. I have my own cabinetry business here in New Zealand and have been doing all aspects of working with timber for 30 years. I have being in business for 4 years targeting the top end of the market and was going ok at this level until the work dried up as did the contacts. I’ve always had a never give up mindset and I’m in the process of building new website and approaching different designers etc.
Best of luck to you Michael! Definitely keep pushing and you’ll get there. It’s not easy to find the clients but they are out there. It’s like catching a rare fish. Just keep throwing that line and letting the small ones go.
This is solid advice. Also, a beautiful sofa!
Thank you! Really happy you enjoyed it
good for you dude. nice hustle
Thanks Jay! I’m always moving
Thanks for sharing these very useful tips. A customer once told me she couldn't believe I would build her a table for that cheap, after I gave her a quote. She said she would have been willing to pay way more. She was very pleased with the results and have proven to be a good source of very good quality commissions.
That’s great to hear. Relationships are very important to me. That’s my business style. I find more value In the relationship than I do the actual sale
I really liked the comment about being able to design the piece in CAD first. And having a budget that allows for that type of work. I don't think people really appreciate how much that time can add to a piece by address issues and even result in better design by being able to visualize it before a wood is actually cut. Plus is adds the ability to potentially create repair pieces if it gets damaged through use down the line, without having to drag the whole piece back to the shop.
That’s exactly right. Everything I build gets conceptualized and finalized before I begin the milling process. It’s a must in my book.
Thanks for these tips.
Thank you for the comment! I appreciate it
Great info!
Happy you liked it my man!
Love your work.
Thank you so much my crew and myself appreciate that
Love the sound effects!!!
Great video. This is actually my first time ever commenting on a UA-cam video. I’ve been in trim carpentry and stair work since I was about 18 and I’ve moved into building some higher end cabinetry for now but my ultimate goal is to build furniture full time. I haven’t quite had the guts to take the leap yet and have only had a few opportunities to build some pieces for people. Your videos definitely help me there. Keep up the good work. Side note, do you do your welding in house? I’ve dabbled in welding but have been interested in learning more of it to apply it into furniture like you did here. 👍🏻👍🏻
Hey, thank you for taking the time to write up that comment. I hope that you get exactly where you want in the furniture making industry. We do our welding in house but sometimes we will contract it out if it makes sense and saves time. If you can do high-end woodworking welding will be a breeze.
100% honest truth. So incredible seeing firsthand the rewards of your relentless drive paying off...literally and figuratively. For me, the part I still struggle with to this day is design. For those of us who haven’t developed a solid foundation for design, is there anything you can offer for a sense of direction? 😁
E Dog. You’re my boy and I’m very happy I have you on board. Couldn’t do any of this without your loyalty and dedication
i often do work like you mentioned. I am doing 2 end tables and 1 coffee table at next to cost. The customer wants 2 bedroom sets and a tv stand as well. So i bit the bullet on the first round in hopes of scoring on the next one. Not raping anyone, but will charge what i value my time at.
Great video!
Good to hear that Adam! I really feel like the big picture for me is helping our craft to be valued for what it is. I want to see more people succeed in the business
great video and great work ! Hope that one day I'll be able to have my own business too !
Keep grinding and you’ll get there. I’ll keep putting out helpful information for woodworkers getting started
I'll keep up ! thanks for the answer !
Assuming I had that patio and assuming I was in the market for a giant couch, and assuming I had the budget, then I would totally buy that! It looks amazing!
🙌🏻🙌🏻 can you imagine?! That’s being your back patio? 😱
@@WilliamDouglasCo haha it's a massive space for sure, good for them!
Great video! I just finished a piece for a designer and gave her a bit of a deal on it. Let's see if any more business comes from that....
Hopefully! Just don’t ley people take advantage of you. The move you made was an investment. One that should only be made once.
Will-love your content and am so impressed by your design & quality; I’m a newbie (2.5 years in) and want to be able to make beautiful stuff like you do. Was it just practice, practice, practice that got you there?
Very well done. And beautiful furniture. If you can successfully pull $130 an hour then that's awesome. As long as you constantly have work then there's no problem with that at all. Great job man. Those high dollar jobs are so scary but so fun when they are completed right lol.
Hey thanks man. I totally know what you mean and I actually had a conversation with Eric about that the day of install. I was telling him about how are used to be nervous whenever we had high profile jobs like that but now I don’t think twice. If you bid the job right you will have time to brainstorm and come up with a solid plan and you will also have the time to execute it properly. You might even have time to fix a mistake or two
@@WilliamDouglasCo Nice! Well I'm happy for you, man. Looks beautiful. I love the continuous grain on it as well.
Thanks for being honest about the “on time” part. I was starting to get depressed over here with myself 😂
Hahaha I do my best but.. sometimes I’m late
@@WilliamDouglasCo hard to put a timeline on art brother...it’s not black and white, many dynamics. Full color!
@@jesuswasacarpenter that’s the truth right there. Absolutely
Nicely said Will 👌.
As always 💯%... 👍🇬🇧
Thanks so much for the support! Really appreciate it!
On point man. Not every job is for you.
That is the damn truth!!
Love it! Truth bombs! that is all
Thank you for watching!!!
Great info! 👊
Glad you enjoyed it!!
I’m happy you liked it!! Thank you for watching
Thanks for this video. I’m just getting started. On my way to getting my LLC and these videos help in understanding how to bridge the gap from selling furniture to family/friends/referrals to one day quitting my day job so I can go full time. Really like your design and furniture you’ve put on here.
Amazing to hear! I remember being in your shoes back in 2014. Best of luck to you!
Flat out you are good. And well spoken. I agree with Patrick but either way I'll keep watching. Another craftsman you might like Samuel Yellen Incredible metal worker. From my apt window in NYNY I used to admire the metal work on a bank I could see. I opened an account in the bank just so I could look at the art. It turned out Samuel Yellen was the craftsman. Again your Library for a book on him.
Hey, thanks again Rick I always appreciate your comments. I love all of the literature that you are giving me as well, I love digging into this kind of thing. Thanks again for watching
@@WilliamDouglasCo Good, I don't want to cross any boundary's. I ain't got no culture but I do have an inquisitive mind
Awesome video and great looking couch, the only thing that bothers me is the metal frame, I know nobody will see it but it's just not up to standard. Keep up the good work! I just subscribed!
I appreciate that man! Thanks for watching!
That was a very smart move!
Thank you! I appreciate that comment as well 🙏🏼
here I am, building what is pretty much custom ikea furniture for friends and family haha. I do hope to start building higher end pieces, but I am not at that point yet
We all have different levels of expectations for ourselves, and we also have different ceilings of what we can accomplish. Find your comfort zone and be proud of what you do
Man i wish we lived closer so i can learn more. I built a dining table and im having so much trouble selling it. No one want to pay the price and I even dropped it from what ibwas asking.
That’s the shit you have to give away or put In your own house. Selling something that is already made is never as valuable as selling something you are making for a client. It’s weird but it’s just the way it is. Use those things to build up a portfolio.
I see what you're saying. Makes a lot of sense.
good stuff bro!
I mostly just wanted first comment :)
@@telenelatelin8632 I appreciate the comment 1000%! Thank you so much
Reading the comments of everyone saying they loved this video and it’s better then comedy ones..
First great video loved almost all of your videos so far.
Second please keep making comedy videos as well :-)
Thank you Jason! I do feel like there’s an audience for both types and at the end of the day I’m just having fun and being me. 😀
I work for a furniture company in retail selling $10-20k sofas. As someone that builds I have no idea how to bring by craft to clients.
Now you know the clients are there. If you believe in yourself and the quality of your work I really think you’ll bridge the gap
Gotta be careful and have the conversation up front or be willing to hold your ground once you raise the price. When I worked for someone else I had a home builder try and take his initial “relationship building discount” and pass it on to other clients and projects. Even though we were upfront about the price cut he tried to play dumb (multiple times) and guilt us into saving his ass/helping his friend. Unfortunately, the person I worked for valued the relationship over profits and we made pennies on the dollar.
Wow that’s a tough one. That would have been a hard no for me. The project I did for this client was small and even was created for the sole purpose of testing us out. Anything larger I wouldn’t have done at the rate I did it for. Thank you for watching!
Most intelligent words I've heard.
Hey thank you so much!
I’m happy to see that my message is being received well
@Joseph Clerk tell me about it
@Helen Edward That won't bother you if you trade with a professional like Mr Chris James
I heard that his strategies are really good
@@kelvinwalter763 Yeah, My first investment with Mr Chris James earned me profit of over $25,530 US dollars, and ever since then he has been delivering
do you have a vid on the light coloured table.? It looks very interesting. Loved Joe Dirt. You know your films and music. A man of many talents
A very cultured man who wears many hats haha
I do not have a video on the white oak table but I do have information and photos on my Instagram if you want to check it out. Thank you for watching!
@@WilliamDouglasCo I am no longer a Instagram virgin. I checked out your act. First very handsome family. On the oak table is the top 8-10 quarter? What are the metal tabs on the rails? top hold downs. Length 10-12 ft.? Just put butterflies on the bottom of a oak table myself. You have pictures of two of my favorite houses. As I look at you act. I am drinking a Negra Mondelo while making a mole. Now I know where you get your music. Will send a list (small) of some music I think you will like. Ok here are a few. Odetta, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Bronski Beat, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Geo. Winston Seasons, Kitaro, Philip Glass. Ten Years After, John Fahey Yellow Princess, Alice Coltrane Journey in Satchidananda. Again I hope you do not mind a two way dialogue. If so just say clam it no offense will be taken. Stay safe rick
@@rickwaddell4962 I don’t mind it at all Rick! I always appreciate some good interactions and definitely appreciate good music!
That table was 10/4 I believe. That or 12/4 I can’t remember at the moment. The metal tabs are routed in flush and are how we attached the base to the top.
Right on
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Im just here for the mustache. The wood is a bonus
I’m going to use this comment as proof to my wife that my mustache got me somewhere in life
@@WilliamDouglasCo Even if it only got you a grown ass straight man all hot and bothered. Thats still something!
how do you go about finding designer to work with?
Do you think in the future you would have that conversation about bidding lower than normal to gain trust and show what you can do in advance of producing that first piece? It seems to me that’s harder to explain later than it would be up front.
Every situation isn’t black and white. I wouldn’t do this differently if I had the chance. It was a small trial run piece so I was ok with it. There’s nothing that speaks more true to your work than actually putting a piece in a clients hands. I had something to prove. I wanted that relationship.
Great video! How many people are a part of your team?
Thanks man! There are 4 of us 💪🏻
TRUTH BRO!
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
👀 Cheers my man. 🤙 🥃🥃
I hope you like that little Easter egg I put in there for you😂
It makes my brain explode. I want this level of skill so bad and I know I gotta put in the work. Got my first paid work under my belt...lets GO! My head cant get around actually asking that number. Thanks for making this content, thanks for the push.
Love hearing this Brian! Congrats on selling your work! That was about a decade ago for me! You’ll get there. Just keep at it and don’t get discouraged. It’s a long fight
There will never be a shortage of rich people who will spend big and not think twice about it, the challenge is getting hooked up with high end designers who know all the rich people, looks like you now have high end contacts and will get bigger.
That really is a difficult thing to comprehend for most
So how did you originally start finding designers that needed furniture builders?
Word of mouth. When I was getting started I would make things and give them away to people I respected and felt like they had some influence in the city
How much do your custom plans cost?
Here are some of our plans
www.williamdouglasco.com/product/queen-size-bed-plans/
Keep the sound effects! Great video.
Yaaaaasssss! Thank you
This does help a great deal! Thank you for sharing your insight! I have one question, it may be a little personal if it is please excuse it. I’m just curious on how you pay your team? I’m a woodworker darkforestfurniture, I follow you on Instagram. I work alone and I’m thinking about hiring a helper.
I have interns and a 1099 independent contractor at the moment. I haven’t gotten to a place to have payroll quite yet but I’m working towards that.
Great stuff. Drop your price for a business strategy purpose other than just to make the sale. You’re in business to make a living.
That’s a great way to put it! Thank you for watching!
From a tax perspective you might be allowed to write off the discount as marketing dollars spent against your corporate taxes. Check with your accountant(s). Turn some of that “loss” back into your bottom line.
Good content thanks for sharing you have a blessed day in Jesus name
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I don't see how you can get a shop rate of $130 an hour if I tried that here then I would be out of work
All about connecting with the right clientele. You are looking to work with the 2%ers, not the folks comparing prices with the furniture warehouse down the street
Honestly Luke, shop rates take in a couple factors. The skill you bring to the table and the shop that you keep up. I have a shop rate of $125/hr +material. I'm turning work away due to focusing on production work. (Which is higher than $125) If you create your product to the best of your ability and work at it everyday then you too will have to turn down work to keep up or book years out. Clients/architects/designers will find you and the larger commissions will follow.
The guys below are both right. And I hope you take the message in this video to heart . When you get to a certain level you can almost charge anything. One of the guys I used to look up to you here in town had a shop rate of $230 an hour. He was also turning down work and hand picking what he wanted to do. The most beautiful part about that was his overhead was incredibly low. He was a great business guy
@@WilliamDouglasCo I have been in business for 25 years, I don't work for designers they don't want to pay anything and they want to mark up your work 100% I am highly skilled but I know that if I had a shop rate that high they're are 100 other woodworkers in the area that would get the job. I think that I should be able to get that much for my work, I just don't see it as being feasible and staying in business.
@@adamchesis7443 Luke, it really just sounds like you haven’t met the right people yet. But maybe your area is different than mine.
Bro your awesome lol I feel like I owe you something lmao
Hahaha
This is how you know you made it
Consistency is key
Does that other guy still work with yall? (The one you "killed" off at one time lmao)
No, Ben is still dead. Well, he’s not actually dead he just has a different job
@@WilliamDouglasCo awe man.... I figured thats what the deal was... since I hadn't seen him... thanks for the videos tho....
Bait and switch on pricing doesn't sound like a good business practice at all. At least, not in the order you did it. If that was the plan, have the conversation about an example piece at discount pricing before anything gets made, not after, if you have any intention of retaining the customer. You got lucky once. Doesn't mean it'll happen again.
I disagree completely. The low price afforded the opportunity for me to show the level of quality they will receive. An opportunity I wouldn’t have had with a simple discussion. The right job came up and they knew who to call. No tricks here and the only person who was at risk was myself. The customer lost nothing.