Upstate New York Man Finds Peace with Woodworking Business
By Thaddeus Van Dyke
(This as-told-by essay omits names and contains fictionalized elements. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.)
I came to Kingston, New York to escape the stress of my white collar job in the city. But I started my woodworking business to escape the boredom.
I moved in with my girlfriend. We live in a historic two story family house with New England stone chimney.
Our three acre lot includes fruit trees, lilac and berry bushes. And we’re just minutes from Kingston Point Park and of course the Hudson River.
I put a down payment on the house with money from my impossible Wall Street job. And for a while they let me telecommute for a reduced salary.
But soon money started getting tight.
Find a New Opportunity with Your Own Woodworking Business
How to Turn Basic Woodworking Skills Into a Business
I guess I rediscovered woodworking out of loneliness and boredom. I say rediscovered because before my brilliant business career, I was pretty good at shop in high school.
My grandfather did woodworking and I guess I got my start as soon as I was old enough to operate a saw.
Building cabinets for our kitchen became something to do while my girlfriend was out of town. She plays bass for a punk group and occasionally goes on tour leaving me home alone.
At first I saw no opportunity to turn this into a business. Like many creative people, I built for my own satisfaction.
But when I created a cabinet that didn’t fit in with our decor, my girlfriend suggested I try to sell it online. And to my surprise it did!
Sell Woodworking Projects as th Ultimate Side Hustle
Woodworking Business: Marketing and Sales Basics
To sell products from your woodworking business, start by identifying your customers. Ask at church at Kiwanis Club at your local chamber of commerce.
Which local stores sell handmade merchandise? Will a locally owned restaurant or other business let you put cards or flyers near the entrance of their store?
Do you mind shipping your items? If not, consider selling on Ebay. Then use Facebook or use SnapChat to market the products you have for sale.
Build and Market a Woodworking Business
Woodworking Business Brings Relief From Daily Stress
My woodworking business offers relief from the daily grind I experienced in New York City. Hours spent perfecting a piece in my workshop are sacred.
It goes to show when you do what you love you experience an inner peace. I did!
I suspect I would have chosen a more practical job left to my own devices. We can always make the safer choice. But will the outcome bring us happiness? That's the question!
Lately, I've thought a lot about the reasons I left New York City. I've come to realize life is too short to spend it doing what does not make you happy.
Start a Woodworking Business for Better Work/Life Balance
Woodworking Business Success Requires The Right Resources
But making a success of your woodworking business requires the right resources. Start with a database of over 16,000 woodworking projects updated regularly so you never run out of product ideas.
Look for tools that make online marketing easy including new AI marketing tools that generate high converting content automatically.
These tools allow you to streamline your marketing efforts and focus on your woodworking business.
With insecurities rising around the future of white collar jobs it seems likely people will always want products that are quality and handmade.
So this kind of business suggests a bit of job security as well.
Get the Resources to Launch a Successful Woodworking Business
Start Your Woodworking Business Today
You may work at a job you hate. Or perhaps you find yourself out of work and need to find a new opportunity.
Do you possess basic woodworking skills? If so, you may already find you already have what it takes.
Find a shop where you can work around home. But avoid options bringing with them extra rental or lease costs.
A garage or shed will likely work fine. Make sure you have the proper tools. If you do woodworking for a hobby, you may already have what you need to get started.
Buy some extra online resources including a list of possible projects and get started.
Start Your Woodworking Business Today
Find Inner Satisfaction with a Woodworking Business
You need more than money to make work worthwhile. I couldn’t bear to stay in that New York City office building. The money was great but the job was crushing my soul.
Now, I enjoy my life, my work and my relationships. I enjoy the peace and quiet of the town where I live/
Find the opportunity that creates this serenity in your life. Don’t struggle endlessly to meet someone else’s version of success. Change your life today.
Explore Opportunities To Start Your Own Woodworking Business Here
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Thaddeus Van Dyke is a Woodstock-based folk singer and writer who advocates for rebuilding small town America and returning to a simpler, more sustainable lifestyle.
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