We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brendan Pozsgai. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brendan below.
Brendan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?
Clear communication is key. My day job is preparing and grooming requirements for software development and getting those requirements signed off by all the necessary parties ensure expectations are clear on what is delivered and when. I’ve definitely extended some of that rigor to my commissioned orders. What type of wood should be used, how a design should look, when are you expecting this done? All important details to get ironed out upfront to keep my customers happy with my process and with the finished product
Brendan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a digital product manager by day, but during the COVID pandemic I took to woodworking after hours and on weekends as a way to hone my more creative skills and to connect to the Atlanta and maker communities. I grew in a suburb of Boston, MA where my mom and dad still live and I grew up in awe of what my dad would make in his workshop. My original solid oak bunk bed, grid shelves above my desk, and our outdoor bench with planters on the corners all were projects that would take a week or so, but then I used my entire childhood. I wanted to take a similar pride in making things for my condo here in Atlanta; to be able to look around and point to different products and say “I made that.”
Another pandemic passion was taking a mixology class to learn more about fancy cocktails, hence the name I chose for my business: Varnish & Garnish. I wanted to embody the mantra of taking a moment to appreciate both the process and the product itself, perhaps with a well-crafted cocktail. The idea would be to have my customers celebrate my products when given as gifts for significant milestones like weddings, birthdays, or home purchases.
I want to focus on products related to one’s home bar (small cutting boards, coasters, and bottle openers), but also want to challenge myself with random commission pieces where I can learn different woodworking techniques and plans while providing a personalized gift for those in the Atlanta area. I’ve set up a tent at a couple of the local festivals and it brings me energy & joy hearing people’s ideas of gifts they want to give their family members and friends. What I think sets me apart from others is my combination of using local sustainably sourced wood with highlights of exotic wood pieces from all around the world. I want my potential clients to know that I care a great deal about each of my products that I make by hand and that it is my ultimate goal to have these heirlooms enjoyed for a long long time.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been these local arts & crafts festivals. In addition to selling of my already prepared goods (charcuterie boards, bookmarks, and keychains), I’ve given out plenty of business cards to potential clients in the area wanting to keep me in mind for future projects and gifts. Already I’ve had a few reach out and I got to make some cool custom pieces (a sliding kitchen island cover & a live edge clock). I’m definitely an extroverted people person, so I loved getting out in front of potential clients, meeting them, and telling them a little more about my work and my business.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
I manufacture my own products. I got started with a couple of the staples within the woodworking community: small end tables and cutting boards. I would follow various maker content creators on Instagram and YouTube and see if I could recreate their products or follow their plans if they were offered. There are plenty of great resources offering free plans for a variety of different goods which has been an immense help. The maker community is beyond welcoming which has also been amazing as I’ve reached out to several of these “influencers” and have gotten insightful responses and guidance. My advice would be to get started right away; there’s no better time than the present!
Contact Info:
- Website: varnishandgarnish.com
- Instagram: @varnishandgarnish