We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Purcell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brittany, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Taking a risk… When I started this business in 2017, it was mostly decals and shirts. I had very little experience with woodworking. In mid 2019 God had different plans for me and my future.  I found myself wanting to do more and learn woodworking to apply my stencils to.  At this point I was only working with pine wood from the local hardware store. I did not start working with any specialty wood until 2021. This was the turning point for my woodworking career. I found my passion was working with anything other than pine. Since then, I have almost completely eliminated pine from any major projects.  The biggest risk in all of this was simple starting something and not afraid of being bad at it. I have paid a lot of “tuition” to myself and this business in the last 6 years, aka learned many lessons the hard way. It’s interesting to see this unfold because my degree is in Ultrasound and in 2022 I was fortunate enough to step down to a part-time status so that I could focus my time on Rustic Carolina Creations. This was a huge moment for me as I am a single income homeowner. I had to make it work. I gave myself no other choice but to learn, grow and be successful. In just over a year I have had the opportunity to take on several big pieces of furniture, work with many new customers for custom projects, attend several craft shows and most importantly expand my knowledge of business and woodworking. My goal is to always learn something new in the woodworking field and that’s going to involve me taking many more risks. However, I can say while taking this risk of being a woodworker with no formal training. I have learned a thing or two. The woodworking community is small and when you find your people they become like family. If you think you need another clamp use it, you can never have enough clamps. Always use a push stick. Those blades and bits don’t care if you are in the way.

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

My name is Brittany Purcell and I own RCC (Rustic Carolina Creations). My love of woodworking evolved from my passion to create art. I originally started my business crafting decals and t-shirts and as customers interests grew, my business developed to where it is today, in custom wood working. I started out small doing collectibles and hanging wall art. Today I am creating a wide variety of custom wood creations. Including furniture, bars, cutting boards, epoxy artwork and the list goes on. Everything done here is custom made to order and that allows me to really cater to my customers and give them a one of a kind piece. I think I’m proud of how much the business has grown and the direction I am headed, the customers I meet and the relationships that grow from that. I have met so many amazing people along the way and that keeps me going daily.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I have found that always being honest and keeping communication with our customers is very important. I hold myself to a high standard to ensure that I am giving my customer the best custom project. No matter the size, big or small, if I would not be happy with the piece of art then I’m not going to sell it. From working countless hours to ensure that last minute custom orders are completed to make the perfect gift all the way to making hand deliveries ensuring that the custom order arrived on time. I do it all here!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I like to have a diverse group of clients. Therefore, I attend several networking events that have provided me with meeting some incredible small businesses that simply support other small businesses. I also participate in many craft shows locally and out of state. However, I find my biggest source is by word of mouth. When people are happy, they want to share it with their friends, family and coworkers.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Rusticcarolinacreations.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rustic_carolina_creationsllc?r=nametag
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RusticCarolinaCreations/
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/188507478911496/?ref=share