We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Karl Greene . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Karl below.
Hi Karl , thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later
Looking back at the last fews years of running my business, I really wish I had started sooner. Launching a business is hard no matter when you do it. It is more challenging when you have a family and financial responsibilities. Everything in my life prior to lauching my business was incredibly stable. My career in law enforcement had an upward trajectory. I spent my nights and weekends completely with my family. The only pressure I had was to get up in the morning and head to work. Now, because of the time investment growing my business, there is a balance of spending quality time with my family and running a functioning business. Being a cabinet/furniture maker, I have deadlines to keep and it is easy to fall behind. Not being focused in my craft causes quality to diminish and leads to a product that is sub-par. If I had started this journey before starting a family it would be much easier navigating the lean times that come with a new business. Also the fear of failure is small in comparison. If I fail now, my entire family has to bear that burden with me.
Karl , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a first generation self-taught furniture and cabinet maker. Taking a concept from my thoughts and bringing it to life through woodworking provides a sense of accomplishment that I have not gotten from other work I have done. I also take pride in the fact that things I’ve created become a part of someone’s home and their story. Besides my children it is a different way to pass on a part of who I am.
Woodworking was not something I had access to growing up. My highschool did not have hands on classes nor did i know any craftsmen. It was not until 2017 that I even began to try DIY projects. YouTube was the main driver behind learning woodworking. It gave me the confidence to keep challenging myself and buy tools.
It took me a few years to understand that I should niche down and stop making any and every job that comes my way. I primarily make quality hardwood furniture, branded items and custom cabinets. Now, I have an identity within my community that sets me apart from other custom woodworkers.
In my work I use traditional woodworking techniques, cnc, and laser engraver to bring to life furniture/cabinets for my clients with quality being more important than anything else.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
First and foremost, it is to create quality work and a good client experience. Word of mouth works well, but I’ve found in my field that you have to be aggressive marketing. You can be the best craftsman in the world but if you are not visible you will not secure work. I run Facebook ads, post on Instagram, joined local buy/sell groups, and network with other business owners. The key is to be “loud” in your marketing and to keep your work in front of people.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The most time-consuming thing I’ve learned is that not every client is the client for your business. In the beginning, I wasted a lot of time taking on clients who wanted a lot for a little. Making furniture requires a lot of steps, and you should be compensated from your efforts. I all too often got caught up working with a client to get the least expensive product instead of the best quality. I ended up working harder, longer, and for very little. I wanted my business to be associated with high quality so now I only take on those clients who want a long lasting quality piece of furniture.
Contact Info:
- Website: Kcustom.squarespace.com
- Instagram: @kcustomwoodworking
- Facebook: @kcustomwoodworking