Candice follows her heart, and it has taken her to some very impressive places - both in design and in business. As you will hear, her company started out not even really as an idea, it was just a feeling that she needed to create something. But from that first spark, she has grown her company to soaring heights, building a wonderful team, appearing in some of the most respected publications out there, and working with some of the biggest retailers in the world. All doing so, by following her own compass and making her own way. Follow along as we talk about, believing in your own vision, how t ..read more

On this episode I sit down with Brent Biglow, owner of Biglow Woodcraft If you want to hear the full story behind how Biglow Woodcraft got started, check out the show archives - Episode 161 What keeps you up at night? If you are a furniture maker, especially one just starting out, I’m going to bet you have had some sleepless nights thinking about projects that you built being out in the world. People using them and how they are holding up. Early in his career, Brent had one of these moments. A project he built stressed him out so much that he ended up having to do something about it. That stor ..read more

Brent has a busy 5 person company. Everybody working in sync to keep the orders on track. If you listen closely you can actually hear them all working in the background of this episode. And honestly, I think that’s great because it gives a real snapshot of the way Brent sees his role in his company. He understands that as a business grows the role of the owner changes, and he doesn’t want to be, in his own words, “ the bottle neck”, for production. So even when he is talking with me, he is also aware that work needs to go on. And he has built his company in a way that lets it do just that. Fol ..read more

On this episode I sit down with Suzi McAfee, owner of Monarch Woodworx. If you want to hear the full story behind how Monarch Woodworx got started, check out the show archives - episode 159 Most furniture makers love getting orders for mass produced pieces. Not only can you batch out the work, but it means there is enough demand for your work that multiple people or places want it. Suzi’s first production run started out like a dream, which quickly turned into a nightmare. But would an unhappy commercial client, a literal no shipping zone, and a global pandemic be enough to stop her from makin ..read more

Suzi has grown her South Africa based furniture company to where it is today, not by taking shortcuts, but by fully immersing herself in the world of furniture. She loves it all, from the building, the design, and the community that surrounds the industry.  Coming from a childhood with zero experience handling tools, to now running a widely successful furniture company, she has literally used her own hands to build her company into what it is today. Follow along as we talk about designing for your clients and yourself, running a business through social media, understating what to out ..read more

On this episode I sit down with Ray Brents, owner of Ray Brents Design. If you want to hear the full story behind how Ray Brents Design got started - check out the show archives - episode 157 Those early mistakes in your business always stick with you. Either on the business or the building end. When you have a client issue during the start of your career it can be painful and the very least and a company killer at the very most. On one of Ray’s early projects, he didn’t account for wood movement in his table. And when he got that client call, it was a make or break moment for him Learn m ..read more

Ray understands the importance of details. Details in his workmanship, building the best furniture for his clients. Details in his design, making sure what he delivers meets with all his client’s needs. Details in his business, honing his pricing, customer service, shipping, and everything else over the years that helps him keep his company running smoothly. In case you couldn’t tell, details are important to Ray, and what makes his company stand out from the rest. Follow along as we talk about getting outside of your building comfort zone, the things you forget with pricing, shipping your wor ..read more

On this episode I sit down with Aaron Moore, owner of Moore's Refinishing. If you want to hear the full story behind how Moore's Refinishing got started, check out the show archives - episode 155 The start of a business is hard. Learning the skills, getting the clients, and making the money you need to keep the doors open. Although comfortably successful with money coming into his company now, at the beginning Aaron was anything but. So much so, that he had to decide if he wanted to keep the business going or have his truck repossessed. The story of how Aaron dealt with this experience is the ..read more

Customer service is key, thats Aaron’s business practice in a nutshell. Yes you have to be great at your job, yes you have to understand how to price your work, yes you have to know how to handle your employees, but to pull everything together and be a successful company, you need to have that customer service down to a science. For over 20 years, Aaron has been building his skills in finishing alongside his skills in keeping customers happy, while all at the same time still making the money he needs to keep his business running smoothly. Follow along as we talk about trying new things for ind ..read more

We talk a lot about building a community on this show, and Austin is taking that idea and giving it a physical form. So why not celebrate that. This episode is not only a look behind the curtain at the Texas Woodworking Festival event but also an overall conversation on marketing and brand development and how you can use them both in your own business.  As you might remember, Austin was on the show before, episode 137. So if you want to hear his backstory and learn more about his furniture company and the school he started (the Austin School of Furniture) please take a listen to that ..read more