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

Evan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

When I started my workshop when I was 10, I chose to support a children’s hospital foundation in Toronto along the way – SickKids Foundation. In addition to donating a portion of each of my woodworking sales to SickKids, you can often find me doing charity builds where I make different things, like tables, boards and other furniture pieces, and auction them off with all proceeds going to SickKids. For me, doing charity builds are my most meaningful projects because I know that I am helping kids in need and that every dollar makes a difference. I chose SickKids Foundation to support because as a kid I want to help other kids in need.

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

My name is Evan and I’m a 15-year old woodworker and philanthropist from Toronto, Canada.

While I have many interests, I especially love to woodwork!

I started woodworking when I was 2 or 3. I spent a lot of time watching my Grandfather build many different things in his workshop. He taught me how to use hand tools, certain power tools, etc. When I was 9, I started to watch different woodworkers and makers on YouTube, learning from them and teaching myself new skills and techniques. I consider myself self-taught. That’s when I started “Evan’s Workshop” and began to build my brand. Growing up with social media, I wanted to have a social platform where I could share my knowledge and love for woodworking and giving back to my community with others.

I build all types of things for others and for myself, including all sorts of furniture, signs, charcuterie and cutting boards, etc. I even built myself a boat and car from scratch. I love to work with my clients and come up with new and exciting ideas to meet their needs. Each piece I make is commissioned and I enjoy working with my clients to understand what they want and incorporate them into the process so they can see the amount of work that goes into each piece, but most importantly, they feel connected and part of the process.

I am most proud of doing good by others and myself. I get the most enjoyment and meaning from giving back to my community through my woodworking. I’m hopeful that I’m making a difference and inspiring others to do good along the way. That’s what my brand is about – doing what you love and giving back at the same time!

The one thing I would want others to know about me is that I wear my heart on my sleeve. I truly care about others and making a difference. By working with me and my established brand, you are gaining access to my platform with an engaged audience and a spokesperson in an industry who’s part of the next generation.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When I started my business, I really wanted to share my woodworking knowledge with others and hopefully inspire other kids to want to try woodworking. I used my Instagram account as a platform to share my passion with the world. I built my following organically with the help of my parents. My social following generally consists of woodworkers and DIYers, those that like to see kids build things, and either those that like my philanthropic work or just want to see kids use tools. I have a good population of kid followers too. What I’ve found is that generally my following doesn’t care about the quality of my videos (tho I’m learning), but rather enjoy seeing what I’m up to in my workshop.

If you’re a kid that wants to share your knowledge of something with others and desires to have a social following, my advice to you is to don’t go at it alone and be cautious of what you’re showing in your videos or posts. What I find most challenging about running a successful social following is finding the time to do it all – i.e., it’s impossible to juggle workshop time, creating content, video editing and posting, going to school and homework, hanging out with friends and just being a kid. Having my family here to help me along the way is crucial. You need a good support network. My parents have helped me grow my following and taught me several lessons along the way to help me achieve the success that I want. In addition, for the first few years, I rarely showed my face in my content and my parents were always cautious about what was in the background in my videos or pictures. My page is public and therefore I wanted to be careful. It’s a strange world out there.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Staying true to myself. I only use my social platform to promote and educate others on woodworking and giving back through my activities – and sometimes a little look into my personal life. I never use my platform to share or promote anything negative – only positive vibes. My parents taught me that it can take years to develop a good brand and seconds to destroy it. So, I’ve built my brand with that understanding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.evansworkshop.ca
• Instagram: evans_workshop
• Other: Threads evans_workshop

Image Credits
Evan’s Workshop