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

Jeff, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

When the world went into lockdown during Covid – I was looking for ideas to make a living in case I would not be able to return to work.

The idea for Jeff Restrepo Carpentry was born because I did like working on woodworking projects but never felt like I had the time to commit to taking the next step.

I created a social media account, a logo, and made a compilation of photos from my previous projects to get the ball rolling.

After I launched my social media page, friends would reach out to me for projects they wanted me to work on and I accepted every opportunity that would come my way. There was a lot of learning I had to do along the way but it was critical to see what worked and what didn’t.

Now I have a better idea of what direction I want to take my business and how to operate to increase productivity and profits.

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

I have always considered myself somewhat handy with a can do attitude. A lot of what I learned came from watching countless amount of hours of different creators on YouTube.

It didn’t matter to me if I never had any intention of building whatever tutorial video I was watching, I always wanted to learn how things are made and how things work.

When a customer asks me if I can build something for them, I try to get as much information and inspiration from them as possible to make their dreams come true while also offering as much professional advice as I can so we can be on the same page.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After my first year in business, I had to take a pause from accepting new clients because I realized my process was not conducive to getting projects done as efficiently as I had hoped.

In the movie Founder (the story about the origins of McDonalds) they shut down the restaurant after it had opened to maximize the order of operations in the kitchen. I felt like I needed to do the same thing in my garage which served as my wood shop.

The plan was to move all my tools to the most effective locations, connect dust collection, install more electrical outlets, more shop lights, and anything else I thought would help me build with more ease.

The investment of time and money proved to be fruitful as it really helped me grow.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Social media has brought me the biggest percentage of clientele. I promote the projects I work on and finish with nice photos and videos to promote what I have to offer. People get excited to see the content and also think about how they can furnish their homes with custom furniture.

Word of mouth is the next big way to find new clients. You need to make sure you always deliver a good product and leave clients happy so they can recommend you to their friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: Jeffrestrepo.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: Jeffrestrepocarpentry