Kentucky Woodworker Finds New Opportunities After Layoff

Make money with a woodworking business

By Langston McQueen

(This as-told-by essay omits names and contains fictionalized elements. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.) 

I won’t say losing my job at the refrigerator plant didn’t hurt. After close to 10 years, I was one of the few real veterans. But with management changes in recent years, I won’t miss it that much either.

I also don’t mind skipping the daily drive into Louisville one bit. But when I walked out the door that last time and made the long drive home, it hit me. I needed to find a new way to make a living.

I spent the first week assessing my skillset. What abilities could I put to use to bring in money for my family? My wife first suggested, “Why not try woodworking?”

How to start your own woodworking business

How to Start a Business From Existing Skills

Now, my wife remains my biggest cheerleader. But I should say at this point the suggestion didn’t exactly come out of the blue.

You see, we live in a log cabin in the woods I built with my own hands and some help from friends. I’ve done woodworking since high school and made some of the furniture in our house too.

But strange though it may seem, I never really considered making a living with it. The next day I started puttering around in my shop. Then I spent some time on the computer doing research.

Secrets to woodworking business success

How to Start a Woodworking Business

I knew some basics, of course. But I started trying to figure out how much my costs might be per piece then comparing that with prices I saw online and in stores. 

I also tried to figure out if I would need any additional equipment. I made the important decision to avoid any major new investments at first and to try getting by with what I already had.

This allowed me to keep start-up costs low. I could then invest money into new equipment as the business became profitable. 

This strategy would also prevent me from making big investments in the beginning of the business only to later discover they weren’t really needed.

Make money from handmade furniture

How to Market Your Business

Next, of course, I needed to figure out how to market my new business. I settled on a few simple channels. My wife happens to be a talented photographer. 

We just carried each new piece out into the backyard and she would take a few snaps with her smartphone. Whether a solid oak table or a maple armoire, they all looked great against a forest background.

She then posted the photos and a clever description on Etsy and Facebook Marketplace. And the sales started coming in.

At first we sold to people locally who came by the house to pick up their treasures. But soon, I did some further research and began shipping furniture as well.

How to turn your woodworking skills into cash

Starting a Business Involves Challenges

Don’t get me wrong. Starting your own business involves challenges. Fortunately my wife and I always maintained a frugal lifestyle. 

So we had squirreled away some savings. And that helped big time until our business got rolling.

We also needed to put in weekend hours from time to time as well as evening hours. When you own the business and have no employee, you can’t expect to punch a time clock.

Finally, we needed to make some big personal sacrifices. We had planned and saved some money for a trip to Puerto Rico.

But getting the business up and running took priority. So we needed to put off that trip for a few years.

How to make money with woodworking skills

Success Seems Worth the Struggle

Despite all that, I think my wife and I would agree the results were worth the struggle. Since starting out, we’ve made deals with several local furniture retailers to sell our products.

This happens to be something I wasn’t even thinking of as a possibility when we first started out. We also hired a part-time marketing person to help my wife with that part of the business.

Finally, we launched a website featuring our furniture which has really increased our sales. 

My wife and I also finally took that Puerto Rico vacation and a few vacations to Mexico and the Bahamas since then.

When you work for yourself, you get much more control over your life as long as you always keep an eye on the bottom line.  

Would I recommend this life to others? You need to know yourself. Can you put in the work and show the discipline to build something of your own? If so, starting a business may be for you.

Sell handmade wood furniture for fun and profit

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Langston McQueen is a Lexington-based writer, Kentucky bourbon connoisseur and Karaoke enthusiast who is known locally for his rendition of Neil Diamond’s "Sweet Caroline.”