Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Derek Gaffett. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Derek, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

I had just made the decision to go all in on one thing and it was the one thing I should’ve started 10 years ago. I’ve always had a passion for woodworking but it was more of a hobby or something I would practice for fun and others would always tell me I should do it professionally. When I made the decision, to turn woodworking into a business, I started talking to anyone and everyone about wood, trying to find someone interested in having a giant $15,000 live edge dining table in their home. I also went around town making friends with local restaurants and grocery stores to inform them that they have a great woodworker nearby. One grocery store challenged my claim and asked me to bring them some samples of antipasto serving boards. Lariccia’s Italian Marketplace became my first professional client, loved the samples I brought and ordered 85 boards with the intention of keeping a monthly supply. I was busy. I fabricated a production factory in my one car garage and had boards drying all over my house. I give my wife most of the credit because she is the top of the line quality control. It was so much fun and the project inspired me to grow this business into something big. Since then, I’ve had a few more clients and a couple more small orders but that first sale will always have me chasing the next challenge.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a Woodworker in Ohio. I specialize in custom live edge projects and I love using hand tools over power tools to create what was once an idea and bring it to life. I love getting down to the last hour of working and applying the finish to see all of my hard work pop like a priceless piece of art. With me, you’re not going to get someone who builds ikea furniture nor build something with cheap materials. I named my business Firstclass Woodcraft because of that. People come to me for the combination of high quality materials and the luxurious feeling of that piece of decor that ties everything in the room together.

I didn’t always have the highest confidence in the room; I was the shy one in the corner and I started out making really bad products that wouldn’t handle the simplest of tests. Highschool was the place I found woodworking and it came natural to me to learn very easily and always had me waiting to come back the next day. I took the class all 4 years so that I could learn as much as possible. Mr. McDermott was an amazing instructor and by the time he was done with me, I was entering my projects into contests and seeing all of the beauty woodworking had to offer. That planted the seed and the root started to grow while I went off exploring the world and fighting for our country. I always stuck around art and the many forms thereof but my trade was diesel engines and trucks. For the next 15 years, I perfected the craft of figuring it out. However, woodworking was always calling back to me. I built a plethora of projects in that time but I just never saw it as a job nor as my source of income.

Once I had enough with the mundane
9-5 and the graveyard shifts and breaking my body, I decided to go all in on myself and turn myself into a business. I tried everything I thought I was good at: personal fitness, real estate, life insurance, selling cars, and even tried building a sauna franchise. Something just always felt like I shouldn’t be here. I gave it all about 80% and eventually I failed over and over. My wife challenged me to start woodworking and it was the little spark I needed to burn all of the other boats I was holding onto. So, I went all in, 100% effort and no looking back. My little root sprouted and now I’m excited to nourish it and watch it grow into a mighty tree.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Everyone is a “client” in the market. The strategy is to find “my clients”. So, I talk to everyone about wood and I am not shy to offer my services. I don’t expect everyone I meet to say yes, because they aren’t in my market. “My clients” are out there looking for me and I just have to tell them where to find me. Most people don’t succeed because they receive more no’s than yes’s and decide to quit and do something else and repeat that cycle. But here’s my secret, 50 “No’s” equal 1 “Yes” and 1 “Yes” multiplies my area of advertising. So now, I have multiple areas around me working for me to find more “Yes’s”. I just don’t focus on how many “No’s” I pile up.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I foster brand loyalty by keeping in touch with my clients. I believe the most important thing in this world is who you have a relationship with. My dining tables might be 10 grand but my relationships are priceless. My clients become like family and there are not many businesses who hold loyalty as a core value. They might expect it, but they don’t give it. They’ll work hard to get your money but don’t put any effort into making sure it’s well spent and insured. I will maintain a healthy relationship no matter how small or large the purchase may be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @firstclass_woodcraft
• Other: [email protected] (619)770-0883