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

John, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Fin & Feather was the culmination of several unrelated interests coming together in a confused mixing pot of hobbies, interests and desires. Somehow, through an extensive trial and error (lots of errors), it all culminated into the business it is today. I grew up in Washington enjoying all that the Pacific Northwest offered – enchanting hikes, sprawling mountains, endless coastlines and beautiful starry skies. I also heavily delved into the geekier side as well, playing board games, video games and attending more than a few conventions. But while I enjoyed conventions, somehow I never really felt satisfied by merely being an attendee, always feeling like something was lacking, as though I personally did not have much of a reason or justification for attending. I wanted to find a way to contribute to this culture, and after many attempts at finding a way to express myself creatively, I finally settled on wood as my medium.
Wood vendors in the area were starting to become scarce – they were growing old and retiring. In fact, the few events I attended, they were saying that there was a huge exodus of vendors, and growing concerns of having to downsize or even cancel events due to dwindling merchant numbers.
This gave me my “in” on the market. As one of the few new vendors in the area, I was able to get quickly established and find a place in many of the larger markets, and start developing new products that fit my aesthetics. After a few years of getting my bearings and seeing which events were suitable for my style, I’ve now begun to set my sights on spreading out to more distant venues, and trying to get carried in a retail setting.

John, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is John, and I am the creator of Fin and Feather, The namesake alludes to the wide diversity of nature, ranging from the deep seas to the soaring skies, and everything in between. I primarily produce products using wood medium, typically hardwoods for laser cutting, and live edge that is sourced locally from lumber mills or local wood workers that I’ve become acquainted with.
My brand seeks to merge two of the more popular cultures that exists within Seattle, the nerdy culture and the outdoor culture. My roots started back in 2017 when I was helping a friend create product for her own fledgling business, and as I gained experience of my own, the idea of starting my own business began to formulate. By the end of 2018, I had formally launched my business as a solo endeavor and have been working hard to develop it ever since.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

At the inception of my business, I was hesitant in sinking significant funds into equipment, so everything I bought was used and/or in significant need of repair. One common mistake I had seen many people do was to go all in on an idea and end up wasting their time and money before they truly knew what they were going into.
I already had a full time job in which to provide the seed money, as I was and currently am still an Operations Manager for steel imports. The initial starting budget was just under one thousand dollars for a used laser cutter and some basic thrifted/craigslisted wood working equipment.
To repay my self-supplied loan, I signed up for several small local markets, and began doing custom engraving work for friends. I was able to pull a small profit in just a few months, and from there began the continuous process of upgrading my equipment as necessary. Today, I now operate three laser cutters and a swathe of wood working equipment in my garage workshop, and have recently purchased a fleet vehicle for attending events.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I am currently working on creating a site on Shopify, however I do have an account on Etsy. That being said, I much prefer selling my goods in person at events. Due to the medium and the hand-crafted aspect of my products, there is always slight grain and color variance between every single product, so no two pieces will ever be completely identical. I like for people to be able to select exactly what they want from a number of options, instead of hoping they’ll be happy with whatever I ship to them.
On top of that, I love the social aspect of being able to talk with customers as they browse my wares, and even meeting and becoming friends with other vendors at markets.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.finandfeatherdesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finandfeatherdesign