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

KC, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I grew up around the construction industry. My grandfather was a carpenter and was/is my hero. I always wanted to be like him and build things. My uncle was a carpenter as well. My mom has been in construction accounting for decades and now, along with my step-father, are both General Contractors. So construction has always been in my blood. But growing up in New England, construction is feast or famine. Kill yourself in the summer, starve in the winter. So my parents really didn’t want me to pursue the construction field and instead I ended up in the IT industry for about 15 years or so, hating every second of it. Being stuck behind a desk, being on call for days on end, being under paid and under appreciated added up to being miserable.

I started woodworking as a hobby, a huge departure from what I did for a living. I started by building my wife a dining room table with the meager tools I had. Friends and family would see what I built and started inquiring about building things for them. So slowly, I would take on projects and make a little side hustle money. After a few years of building a hobby into a small side business I was getting pretty busy. Because I was working on these client projects in my spare time, my lead times were going from weeks to months and I was starting to lose clients because they didn’t want to or couldn’t wait 4 or 5 months for a table. I knew I wanted to build this business into my full time career but the thought of leaving behind a guaranteed paycheck was terrifying. But in 2020, during the peak of the pandemic, I quit my job and Mangrove Designs became my full time job.

KC, 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?

My name is KC Bonney and I’m the owner of Mangrove Designs. We’re a custom woodworking company. I am the lead designer and builder of all of our projects. I specialize in custom, hardwood furniture, cabinetry and anything else you can dream of that is made of wood.

I love taking, what might only be a thought in my client’s mind, one that sometimes they might not be able to quite even put into words and make it a reality. Many times a conversation might begin with something like “I’m not sure if this is even possible but….”. It’s very rewarding to have that conversation and assure my client that it is possible and then take that conversation, turn it into a design, take that design, build it and deliver it.

There are so many skilled craftsman out there. I will never claim to be close to the best. What sets me apart is communication. I’m available to my clients. I respond to calls, texts, emails etc. as quickly as I can. If there’s ever an issue on a project, I communicate with my client. They are never in the dark. Sometimes, it’s something simple like a material order didn’t arrive when it was promised. It’s out of our control sometimes but I still let my client know.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is a necessary evil. Each platform has its good and bad and serves a different purpose. For instance, I’ve never made a penny directly off of Instagram. It’s just not the platform for me that equates to direct sales or e-commerce. However, its probably the platform I most heavily use. Why? It builds community. My branding is known within IG. It shows behind the scenes pictures and videos of projects that are in progress in the shop as well as the finished pieces in their forever homes. I also use it a jump off point to push traffic to my website.

Facebook has been a valuable tool. If you can find the right niche groups to promote your business within your local area, you can be very successful at marketing yourself. This will also lead to repeat customers as well as referrals once people in your community begin to use your services recognize your company.

When it comes to social media, video is king. It requires getting out of your comfort zone and getting in front of the camera. It’s something I struggle with and have to force myself to do. But people want to know who the face of the business is and your story.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Of course, being skilled at what you do, no matter what industry, is extremely important. You have to take pride in what you do, not cut corners and offer a superior product. But like I said earlier, there’s a multitude of skilled craftsmen/craftswomen out there doing what I do. My reputation is built on communication. Being open and honest with my clients and potential clients. You have to be 100% comfortable with who you are going to work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mangrovedesignsllc.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mangrovedesigns
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/mangrovedesigns
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mangrovedesigns