We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cory Buysse a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Cory thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?

Quality control for North by South Woodworking starts with a clear understanding of what the client is looking for down to the little details but also setting expectations early on of what can be done and what cannot be done. Being a one-person business this clear understanding falls on the communication I have with the client ahead of time and as the project progresses until final delivery. While I may view a piece as being made to the highest of quality if the overall end use is not to the client’s desire that’s a project fail. I know there are ways of growing my business faster but at the sacrifice of quality and that is not the long term goal of North by South Woodworking. The growth of my business has really come from people sharing their positive experience of working with me and the quality put into their heirloom piece of furniture. I always try to keep in mind also, when a fellow woodworker looks over this piece would they approve and appreciate the details put into it. When I stamp my logo on it has to represent not only my business quality but also my personal reputation.

Cory, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

From a young age growing up on a farm in Southwest Minnesota there was always a tool in my hand and some type of a project being created in between chasing livestock and driving tractors. Farming roots took me down the path of working in the Agriculture industry after college. The long hours and often 7 days a week position I had was starting to wear on me and I knew i needed to find a hobby away from work. I can clearly remember the debate of if I should do woodworking or restore an old car. At the time I didn’t want an unfinished car sitting in my garage taking up space for more than year so and woodworking was easier to just push off into a corner. About 400 dollars in tools later and I was starting my first project. Youtube wasn’t much of a thing as it is today so Norm Abram and the New Yankee Workshop was a lot of inspiration. It has taken 20 years of growth, tool upgrades, a few moves, and a few mistakes along the way have helped me fine tune my skills. Slowly over time there was always a new wood project as soon as one would finish and before I knew it I was getting booked 3 or 4 jobs out. In the summer of 2019 North by South Woodworking llc was officially created. Today I have been able to specialize in the jobs that require a little more focus around the customers design and creative setting that they are trying to incorporate into their home or business. I love seeing how a piece furniture or cabinet upgrades can emotionally connect to the customer.

There are a lot of customers in my area with smaller older homes or one off projects that the larger businesses in my industry sometimes just don’t have the time for. Focusing in on these customers to start with have allowed me to keep my business as a one person point of contact so you are always keeping clear expectations with the customers on quality and timelines. The past two years there have been a lot of home upgrades as customers have been investing more in what’s around them. Bathroom upgrades, kitchen tables, kitchen renovations, and new bedroom sets have more than kept me busy. With the addition of my own sawmill now I have been able to expend into some more specialty type customization either live edge or different types of wood species for a unique look. Painted projects right now seems to be a strong trend so its rewarding to find areas to add in natural wood look for some pop. It always seems after one job with a client, with in the next year they have something else we end up working on also. Personally it is always great to hear someone recommend you but being able to have repeat business with a client is why I put quality of my work as a priority. My goal at North by South Woodworking is to turn your vision and need for custom created furniture into something that represents the passion that you have on a daily basis.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Know what your quality is worth. In every industry there is always someone that will do it cheaper but doesn’t mean it is equal in quality. While it is hard to miss out on not getting a project know what your time, experience, and investment into your business is worth. I can think of several times that in early consultations customers have commented “I know a lot of people” or “I have a lot of followers” when it gets time to discuss pricing. Don’t second guess your pricing thinking about what job may come out of this one because of those comments. My philosophy is a satisfied customer that understands the quality of what I bring will result in more long-term repeat customers than one that starts off thinking they are doing my business a “Favor” with this job. The other part of knowing your quality is trusting your gut early on which customers work with and which ones to pass on. Challenge yourself with pushing your skills to the next level but if customers’ expectations are not aligning with what is realistic it is best to just move on.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

While the core of my business is based around custom furniture, cabinets, and larger items I do have a few smaller lines to fit into more customer relations side of the business. For additional revenue and marketing, I do offer custom cutting boards, charcutier boards, and custom slab/wood clocks. These items have helped me utilize smaller materials left over from jobs and a continued connection with customers. All of these items can be customized to be branded with either my business logo or customers business logo for appreciation/holiday gifts. These little items have helped in recruitment of larger projects as people see the logo on a cutting board in the kitchen or on the wall clock. These items I always try and batch out in larger quantity and have blanks waiting for orders to come in vs making them as one offs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.northbysouthwoodworking.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/north_by_south_woodworking_llc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063078947301