We were lucky to catch up with Jeff Himstedt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jeff thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

Truthfully I would have kept things smaller. In a world full of scaling and growth I’ve learned happiness for me is small. For a small business like mine, the overhead can be brutal.

Jeff , 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?

I started woodworking around 2011. I moved 100 miles north for a job opportunity with the Illinois air national guard. I grew up farming so that was my first job that was 9 to 5. I remember sitting on the couch after work thinking “ I can’t just sit..” so I started building some items in my garage. From there social media did what social media does and we’ve had orders ever since.

My proudest project has to be “the Evan bed” it’s a bed we designed for children with special needs. We spent years redesigning it until it was perfect! We ship them all over the country and have Met so many wonderful families along the way.

We aren’t a huge woodworking factory with hundreds of hands on deck. I take the order, build your piece from a stack of raw lumber, and deliver it all. This means it takes some time. We are living in an amazon world where we can have the items we buy in a day. It’s a constant reminder to clients that’s not us! And being able to stay true to the craft by taking our time, and not rushing is an absolute must for me. I don’t want to conform to the standards of fast delivery. I’d rather apologize for the wait than try to explain the poor quality. It’s not a easy job running a small business in todays world, much harder than anyone knows but this life I’ve build comes with so much freedom and happiness it’s just part of the overall challenges we must face to be successful… whatever that means!!!

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

This is an interesting question because I don’t think it’s talked about enough. And I took a much simpler approach.

I started with a circular saw, drill, pencil, and a square. I’ve paid for 90% of my tools with cash and did not go into debt building my company. I’m a very slow burner. Having more bills, more responsibilities, more items to juggle takes away the fun in it all for me.

I know in some instances initial funding is absolutely necessary to start off but if it can be avoided, working your tail off for years is far better than borrowing money you can’t pay back!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think everyday is a test of resilience for a small business owner. This country is not set up for people like us. For example; I’m not designed for a 9-5. My thoughts have always gotten in the way of focusing. In school I wanted to be anywhere but that classroom. Fast forward to starting my business those same thoughts that “held me back” are the same ones pushing me to “success”. It take a ton of brain power to keep everything afloat and I’m often feeling defeated and ready to quit but stopping, focusing on my mental health and resetting has been critical. Even if that means taking two days off just to think. It doesn’t have to be 24/7 grind, get your rest!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Jhimwoodworking.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.him_woodworking?igsh=MnQ3em54bDB3ZzBs
• Facebook: https://Www.facebook.com/jhimwoodworking
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jhimwoodworking?si=hSh73EG7G7yDNa2K
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@j.him1?_t=ZT-8vxwXESNVwR&_r=1