We recently connected with Kyle Levy and have shared our conversation below.

Kyle, 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?

Before moving to TN, I was an auto body technician. I faced a new project, new car, or new problem everyday. Not only did I learn that I work best this way.(Doing something different, often, to keep it interesting). I learned from each project. And no wreck or restore, was like the one before it. So I always have to sort of pivot. Take what was learned from the last one. And apply it to the one in front of me. Woodworking is no different. I do so many obscure, one of a kind builds. But I can always take what I learned as an auto body tech and apply it to this. Always pivoting. Always adapting. Then you boil down any trade to its truest form. Problem solving. I’m not just a woodworker. I’m a problem solver.

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

Broken Compass Woodworking was started in 2018. The company specializes in custom cabinetry, and furniture. More specifically. Taking unusable obscure spaces and building functional pieces to fit them.

I moved to Nashville in 2013 to peruse a career in music. While I waited for my band, VERIDIA, to get it’s ducks in a row and get established, I started a handyman business. Once the music thing took off I generated a large community and these friends and acquaintances heard I could fix things. Fixing things turned to doing tile, to drywall, to plumbing. And before I knew it was was doing full remodels when I wasn’t on tour. But, this quickly left me burned out as I was doing this all on my own. But in the midst of all this I was given the opportunity to build a table or two and really loved it. So as time went on I really pursued more woodworking type jobs. Eventually I was linked up with one of my favorite design teams, Peach and Pine Interiors. And they gave me my first “real” woodworking job. They continued to send me work and I eventually became a full time woodworker. That was in 2018. And still today we work together frequently. I’m actually building their entire kitchen in January 2023. Over time I’ve made many more relationships with local designers and contractors and it’s been fantastic. All of my work comes from referrals or working closely with designers.

Woodworking kind of saved my life. Like many others I struggle with anxiety and depression. Starting my business gave me something to focus on. Or rather, something to live for. With frequent battles of wanting to take my own life it gave me purpose. But with any joy, there is even more struggle. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and deal with it on a monumental level as an adult. Not only does it exacerbate the other struggles. It just makes being your own boss even harder.
These struggles are where I came up with my business name. I wanted it to mean something. With these disorders, comes a lot of inner turmoil. I often struggle with who to be. Or how to be. What to do next. Worrying if my next move was the wrong one. In life or business. It torments me. It always feels like my internal compass is just spinning in circles. One day, I heard a song with a lyric that read, “ I know we both want to do the right thing. But the needle in our compass is trembling.” ( Common Ground by: Our Last Night) It hit me. Broken Compass Woodworking. And even though there is always a struggle. A broken compass still moves. It still tries to find its true North. That’s my driving force. A broken compass is stubborn and doesn’t quit. Neither do I.

ADHD does have its pros though.
One of those pros being what’s called, “hyper focus” in the world of neuro-divergence. And that’s probably what I take most pride in with my work. Attention to detail. The most important thing to me is quality. And making sure I am delivering a product that is worth the value it was assigned. My hope for working with any client is that they have faith in me to bring what they had in mind to life. To make their space something they are proud of and enjoy for years to come.
The joy of a happy client is immeasurable.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

A large part of my client base comes from interior designers. Though I do have a great deal of referrals, the repeat business of my designers is key. And I work pretty exclusively with a few specific design teams and I guess you could say that’s a testament to my work. If I couldn’t provide quality and ease of process. I’d be broke and out of business. Be kind, be honest. And be easy to work with.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

I think the closest to this I’ve come is when I got covid. My business is me. Just me. I do all the meetings. All the builds. All the installs. Run all the errands. In July 2021 I got covid pneumonia and nearly passed away. I was in the middle of several projects and was scheduled to finish and deliver some projects that were long awaited. Luckily I have amazing clients and designers and they were very understanding and patient during my recovery and catch up period. And I am so grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.brokencompasswoodworking.com
• Instagram: Brokencompasswoodworking

Image Credits
The 3 photos with the walnut bar and the one where I’m raising a glass are by Tausha Dickinson. No credit needed for the others.