We were lucky to catch up with Shawn Moulenbelt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shawn , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

Honestly COVID forced me to turn my hobby of knifemaking into a full time business. I am a licensed builder in the state of Michigan. I was doing home remodels when everything was shut down. This gave me the time to build out my new knife shop which is something I had wanted to do. It was a bit daunting to start spending money on a new venture during those uncertain times but I felt i didn’t really have a choice as it’s not really possible to build things remotely! :) Thankfully my wife was able to work from home and pretty much supported us until I got up and running.
What I found was that with most people home receiving unemployment and not working they spent a lot of time on the internet buying stuff (like knives!)
So the pandemic actually helped my online sales quite a bit.
Although it was a scary time, it forced me to do something I was putting off out of fear of failure.
For that I will always be grateful.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an Army veteran. My MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was 51 Bravo: Carpenter and Mason. I have always been a “maker” and up until the knife making hobby it was mostly wood working.. The military really helped me establish a solid work ethic and attention to detail.
I really enjoy custom one of a kind projects! I like the challenge and helping a customer turn their ideas into reality..
I also like to repurpose old or sentimental things. I do a lot of projects where i use an old file or wood from a loved ones shop and create a new piece that is functional and a keepsake.
My mission statement is : 51 Bravo exists to create heirloom quality knives worthy of being passed down for generations to come.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

A couple years ago I added knife making classes to my offerings. They now represent over a third of my total revenue. I also try to have some production work business and some custom business. I feel that it’s important to have multiple ways to generate income in a business if possible. That way if one stream dries up temporarily you can focus on another to keep funds coming in. Basically the old “don’t keep all your eggs in one basket” adage..

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I still don’t have a huge following but it’s growing! Although it’s time consuming I think it’s important to try to post something daily. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Try new and different things. Reach out to others to collaborate with and use your posts to lift up others: I find those types of posts do well. Instead of always posting “look at me!” posts, Try an occasional “look at them! post: not only will it bring attention to your valued partners, it will double your audience by tagging them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.51bravo.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/51bravo?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/51bravo
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-moulenbelt-61b00254
• Youtube: @51bravo71

Image Credits
Shawn Moulenbelt