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

Hannah , appreciate you joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

The most important experience I had in a job prior to starting my wood working company was professional painting. Prior to owning my business I worked for my brother in law doing high end residential painting. This gave me a lot of knowledge on how to properly finish pieces. It also gave me an eye for detail. I think prior to starting a business is having background knowledge in that field. It took me years to the learn the ins and outs of finishing. Without that background I wouldn’t be where I am today.

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?

As long as I can remember I have always had a love for building. Legos growing up were my jam. We could not afford the new sets but lucky for me I had an older brother whose friends donated bins full of legos to me. I would order the catalogs and look at sets that were hundreds of dollars and recreate them with what I had.

When I was in high school I struggled with school. I didn’t find any topics that really spoke to me. Yes I loved art but art class was not my favorite. I took shop class my freshmen year and it clicked with me. I took it all four years and ended up doing my senior project with a general contractor. I felt I had finally found something I was good at.

I had signed up to go to college in Hocking Hills, that year they had just started offering a furniture making program! I was so stoked, I had finally found what I was going to go to college for, however two weeks prior to leaving they cancelled the program. I was like one of three people who had signed up. So I had two weeks to pick a new major… which the closet thing was carpentry/ construction management. Not ideal to say the least. I had finished college in two years and received an associates degree. Now what?

Odd jobs. First I was working for a deck crew building decks, I was not in my element. Moving heavy lumber all day, digging holes for footers. I was lost. That summer my brother in law offered me a job painting. It clicked. I was always detail oriented and it came pretty naturally. After years of painting it became very mundane. I felt I could do it with my eyes closed. I was ready for something new and exciting.

I had a friend who was working for a local furniture company who was hiring. I new it was something I was interested in doing. I went in for an interview and was hired. I definitely took a pay cut but it didn’t matter I was finally doing something fun! After working there for a couple of years I realized the pay cut I initially took started to add up. I had a mortgage I needed to pay for and as much as I loved working there it was time to move on. I had went back to roots and started painting, while also starting a wood shop in my garage. I had clients that I had painted for that were interested in a dinning room table, others in mantels, etc. I started off very small. Making whatever anyone wanted.

Over the years I was able to completely stop painting and just stick to woodworking full time. I went from a one car garage to a 1,200 square foot shop. I have pushed myself to try new techniques. Cabinetry was something I enjoyed making. I built my entire kitchen learning how to build contemporary style cabinetry. Learning how to build drawers, and how to work with euro style hinges. I find a lot of inspiration from Europe. In my opinion we are always years behind in style here in Ohio. I love being creative and building things that aren’t just cookie cutter vibes. Lots of textures and colors. Sure I still build things for clients that don’t always show case what I love but I think that is part of starting out. You don’t get to be so choosy. I am hoping in the next couple of years I can start building things that represent me full time.

I think something that sets me apart from other is my attention to detail and my strive for perfection. This came from the years of painting. Most of my work is done by listening to the clients needs and executing their vision into reality. I enjoy that process and love to see the end result. I am excited to see how my business grows in the next year or so.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

A couple different sources for new clients that have worked for me. One is social media, my instagram has helped generate new clients for free. This platform may be annoying to keep up with for some but I found I could share my everyday experiences with others and not only meet clients but others in the industry. Being able to have a free platform to share your work with others is huge!

Another page that I have gotten a lot of clientele from is Mom groups on facebook. This has actually brought a lot of work my way. A few moms chatting about a girl contractor seems to be pretty popular.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Luckily for me I had a painting business prior to my wood working business. This helped slowly build up funds to pay for tools etc to start my wood shop. Everything I made that didn’t go towards a house payment went towards tools. I think I am very fortunate to not have school loans and or debt. Not everyone has that opportunity. I know I would not have been able to pay for the start of my business had it not been for my painting background.

Contact Info:

• Website: Parker Home Creations
• Instagram: Parker_Home_Creations

Image Credits
Emma Parker Photography