We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Corey Dunlap. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Corey below.
Alright, Corey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I think being successful means something different to everyone. For me, being successful in business means I’m able to do what I love and provide a living for my family. To do this you must know your craft in and out and be honest with your clients. Obviously, business owners have businesses to make money. But there’s so much more to it than that. I started my own business to feed my passion for knifemaking and sharpening. It affords me artistic expression. If you are skilled at your craft and do the best work possible on every job then it will show. I also value relationships with my clients. I always have their best interests in mind. You must gain trust for people to give you the tools they use to make a living for maintenance.
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 professional bladesmith and sharpener. I have a small studio in Old Town Scottsdale where I offer sharpening and repair services and am open to the general public. As a chef I quickly realized the importance of sharp knives and took on the task of learning to sharpen for myself. I quickly found that I enjoyed sharpening as much as cooking and decided to leave the restaurant industry. I have been professionally sharpening for over a decade. My goal is to help people get the highest performance and longest life possible from their cutting tools. This is especially important for professionals in the restaurant, salon and barber industries.
On my journey to grow as a sharpener I began to study the craft of bladesmithing. Bladesmithing is the art of making knives, swords, daggers and other blades using a forge, hammer, anvil, and other smithing tools. Bladesmiths employ a variety of metalworking techniques similar to those used by blacksmiths, as well as woodworking for knife and sword handles, and often leatherworking for sheaths. I am a member of the American Bladesmith society and am working my way to become a Master Smith. I design and make culinary, outdoor, and everyday carry knives from high carbon steels. I use only high quality materials for handles. One of my favorite handle materials, desert ironwood, is found right here in Arizona. Knives are custom made to order for each individual giving them a truly one of a kind heirloom tool.
I think the most unique aspect of my business is that my clients get to have a relationship with the person who makes their tools. It’s rare these days to know exactly who has made the things we own and cherish. Even more so to have a continued relationship with the craftsman. I stand behind all my products and services and am available to help clients keep the knives I make performing and looking their best.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I think my biggest pivot in life was the decision to leave a steady, good paying job to follow my passion and start my own business. The unknown can be so scary. I’ve dreamed of having my own business for a very long time and was always too risk averse to take the leap. I was in my head about failure and how I would support my family while the business was getting up on its feet. The decision to break out and become self employed was daunting. I had several people tell me how difficult having your own business was and other negative opinions on the subject. My advice to anyone wanting to start a business or be self employed would be to know your craft/business inside and out. Don’t let negative opinions from other people who don’t have their own business get in your head. Find a peer or friend who can help keep you motivated and give you the nudge you need to take the plunge. Everyone’s path to starting a business is different. Taking risks is necessary but that doesn’t mean you should be irresponsible. Owning and operating a business is hard. You’ll work way more than the average employee. It is also the most satisfying career decision I have ever made and nobody knows what the future holds.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Google has been an excellent source of local business for my sharpening services. I would encourage anybody with a local, service oriented business to get their Google business profile properly put together. The more thorough and informative your Google business listing the better. I’m making a concerted effort to get client reviews and ratings. People want to trust their service providers and will look to reviews to see if your business is capable of delivering the services they require. The algorithms on these platforms are quite amazing and you will be rewarded with search priority if used properly. I suggest picking a platform you trust and focus strongly on that one platform to help drive traffic to your business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.coreydunlap.com
- Instagram: @coreydunlap_
- Facebook: @coreydunlapknives
Image Credits
Mark Susan