It’s a Dream
These days, I often wake up feeling like I’m living a dream. For years, I immersed myself in woodworking techniques, hoping to transform my hobby into something that could at least support itself. However, the more I learned from professionals, the more I realized that making furniture on commission was not only financially unviable for most woodworkers, but also not particularly enjoyable. While some masters I studied under found success creating and selling gallery pieces, establishing a name for oneself is essential before being taken seriously. Others relied on selling at art fairs or teaching to make a living. Eventually, I decided to let go of my dream of monetizing woodworking and simply enjoy it again. After all, I have a full-time job that I love, where I work with incredible people and develop some exciting and successful products. Why not just do woodworking for fun?
As many of you know, woodworking can be an expensive hobby. It didn’t take long for me to revert to my old habits of trying to find ways to fund my passion. This time, I sought out others in the area who might be interested in sharing a workshop. Pooling our tools and resources could help us acquire the equipment we wanted. I found many people enthusiastic about the idea, but most lacked the tools or funds to contribute, and I quickly realized that renting a space was costly.
Throughout this journey, I talked to anyone who would listen about my ideas, but nothing materialized. Then one day, a friend challenged me: “Either do something or stop talking about it.” He followed up with, “What would it take?” After months of contemplating this, I began to take him seriously. We started searching for a building. After a lengthy search, we found a small 2,000-square-foot space available for a one-year lease. It was a bit pricey and somewhat cramped, but we thought it would be a good test to gauge interest. Our plan was to create a workshop open for monthly memberships, offer classes, and host maker events. We supplemented my existing tools with new equipment and set up shop.
Our business plan aimed for a gradual increase, starting with 10 members and reaching 30 within two years, along with a class every quarter. To our surprise, we quickly hit the 10-member mark within the first few weeks. Initially, things settled down as expected, but then classes began selling out as soon as I announced them, each class bringing in new members. In January, we received positive local press, which spurred our growth to 2-3 new members a month, and by the sixth month, we had reached 35 members, with classes still thriving.
Recognizing our success and the fact that our current space was only a one-year lease, we knew we needed another, and larger, space. However, finding suitable working space proved challenging; once we found a viable option, the terms and conditions often fell short of our hopes. By the eighth month since our doors opened, we finally located a much larger space. This new venue offered everything we lacked in the old one, including quiet, dust-free areas for teaching, designing, and relaxation.
Now, at the end of month nine, we’ve moved into the new space and are started to settle in. With this space, we are exploring additional income streams, including mini-studio and artist studio rentals, and collaborating with a local high school and a startup business. Now at 55 members, my goal is to grow membership enough to hire part-time help.
Reflecting on my dream life, I find myself excited most mornings. Yes, there are challenges, and things don’t always go my way, but my main job is thriving, and we’re accomplishing remarkable things at The Joinery. The workshop is a joy, allowing me to meet new people and build relationships while sharing my passion for woodworking. I told my business partner, who set this journey in motion, that it genuinely feels like I’m living my dream.
I know I can’t keep burning the candle at both ends forever, but I hope that by establishing real processes and getting some assistance, everything will become sustainable. We’ll see how it unfolds, but for now—don’t wake me up!
