Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mitchell Martishius. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Mitchell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

Not necessarily first sale, but first our first retail partner. Took a risk on us and it paid off.

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

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a father who is a master carpenter, spending over 30 years in the industry so far. My father is a very hard-working man and values the importance of work ethic. As a young boy, he instilled those values in me and I worked alongside him in his woodshop at home, falling trees, milling the lumber on the family sawmill, drying the wood for years, then using that wood to build custom windows, doors and furniture.

I was born in Livingston, MT, moving around for dad’s career in the movie industry, landing us in Wilmington, NC where I attended North Carolina State University. In college I pursued a degree in Wood Products, learning the chemistry and physics behind different types of wood and different methods of manipulating wood, tools, and techniques. I minored in Computer Aided Design. Little did I know at the time, this would set me on a path of owning my own business and really putting my skills and degrees to the test.

After college, I worked with my dad building movie sets in Wilmington, NC where I put my skills and knowledge to work and learned from other craftsmen in the industry. The movie industry is a very fast paced industry so the majority of the skills I picked up were learning the efficiencies of working with wood and methods to make your typical woodworking tools perform quickly.

After a few years, my wife and I decided we wanted a change of pace and a new adventure and decided to move from North Carolina to Billings, MT, where we have lived for the past 9 years, setting deep roots in the community. In Spring of 2016 I wanted to start a little hobby business and first started off with furniture. Thats when my wife voiced the need for us to have a nice wooden butcher block cutting board. So, I built one. Friends and family would come over and see it and would want one, so I would build one for them. And by word of mouth my cutting boards quickly became a “thing”. I’d enter into local art tradeshows and sell a few boards here and there. After about three years it became apparent that there was a demand for quality wooden kitchen products. I expanded from just butcher blocks, to serving trays, rolling pins, pinch pots and salad tongs.

The demand was beginning to outweigh the supply and that’s when I asked my wife to step in to help run the business side of things. Once she stepped in, our business took off and we are now in 12 plus retail locations across the state of Montana. We participate in 12 tradeshows throughout the year. And we are breaking into the kitchen countertop market. I was fortunate enough to quit working my full-time job and pursue the business full time. This last year we moved from our two-car garage to a 2000 square foot facility and hired an employee.

At Montana Block, we pride ourselves on making high quality wooden kitchen products that are as functional as they are beautiful. We are humbled by the support of our customers and how many are repeatedly supporting our small business year after year.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I have been so blessed in life to be surrounded by supportive friends and family. My best friend growing up is like a brother to me. I’d spend significant amounts of time at his house and he at mine. That meant, his parents were like parents to me. His dad acquired many woodworking tools over the years and when he got sick and eventually passed, his family gifted those tools to me. My business got started using those tools, honoring his memory. Over the years, I’ve been able to save up resources and acquire bigger, more powerful tools, that I would find used and in need of a little TLC. Buying used tools has saved me thousands of dollars throughout this experience so far. I have a great mechanic friend who helps me keep the machinery tuned and operating smoothly. We try to operate with zero debt and have only purchased one large machine on credit. Since this business was just a hobby at first, that set the tone for how we’d treat the business financially. We were not willing to take on risk in the beginning and now that it’s a full-blown business, we still operate only taking calculated risks to make sure our family and those that we employ are as secure as possible.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe that a successful business needs two things, a quality product and even better customer service. I am a man of my word and I think that speaks to most people. We strive to do everything in our power to make sure the client is happy. From the very beginning of a client’s experience with us, we make sure they know exactly what to expect throughout the process and that we are here for them. I honestly think that being honest and authentic, even if a client’s expectations aren’t met speaks to the reputation of the business and 9 times out of 10 you will build a relationship with that client, and they become a repeat customer. Staying humble and taking constructive criticism really help mold your reputation into something people can rely on and support.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mtblock.com
• Instagram: @montanablockco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/montanablockcompany

Image Credits
Black and White photo of me was taken by Holly Netz. The rest were taken by me or my wife.