We were lucky to catch up with Bailey Brodie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bailey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

Majority of the business I obtain is through family, friends, and family friends. For instance, the individual who nominated me is one of my closest friends and the most supportive person for my business. I try not to make my family and friends my billboard, but if they think I do a good job, that is the best advertisement going forward. Since family and friends are my number one advocate, I try my best to perfect the job and sometimes that is my biggest downfall as it delays the process because I can get nitpicky.

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

My name is Bailey Brodie and I reside in Carmel, Indiana. I dove into woodworking when Covid hit as a means of relaxation and release of expression. I have always had an interest in creating and expressing that through an artistic avenue. When I was growing up, my grandfather had his woodshop and would always create these really beautiful pieces of art and household objects, like shelving or picture frames. At the time, I never knew the process it took to create something as simple as a picture frame. Let me tell you, it isn’t as simple as it looks. I was always amazed at the beauty of the wood beneath the bark. My first wood mosaic weighed about 50 lbs and slowly with each project I learned how to be better for the next project, whatever it may be. It started with wood mosaics and then turned into clients asking if I could make something for their house (i.e.: barn door, house number, plant holder, coin holder, American flag, ring box, cornhole boards, bar cart, record player shelf, swing n ring games). Wood absorbs and releases moisture and sometimes that is the hardest part of this. I have had customers contact me if their piece were to warp and I was more than happy to either recreate or fix their piece, because customer service goes a long way in keeping a business afloat. The thing that sets me apart from other individuals is that it isn’t about the money for me, it is about the creative avenue that I get to go down to make a special piece for your home or your business that you can have a conversation about. It gives me joy that you find my pieces beautiful, and you want me to continue to create.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn how to create and be appealing in a world where technology is the front runner. I do all my social media and although it is not collecting 100k+ followers, I am happy when a reel receives 1k views because I know that the people who see me and follow my pages, are interested in me succeeding. Sometimes it is very easy to compare yourself to others and that is something that I had to unlearn. As long as I feel fulfilled in my work, I will continue.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I continue to engage through social media. If someone makes a comment, I will respond. Nothing is more fulfilling than receiving a response from someone who you don’t think is going to engage. I try to make sure each individual who has purchased a Brodie Woods piece is happy months or even years later when communicating with or visiting with that person.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/brodiewoodsusa?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQoYg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brodiewoodsUSA