Starting a Woodworking Business #14: Exhausted but loving it

The past week has been an exhausting week but I still love it. I spent the early part of the week installing drywall and the latter part mudding & taping. I scoped out a couple more new job prospects and I have enough work to carry me through the next couple of months. I have about 3 more weeks on the present job, and he has some more projects for next year. After that, I have a room remodel job that I have scheduled. So far I haven’t done any advertising other than word-of-mouth. The room addition for the elderly couple has been postponed until spring, but I’m building a custom chair for them and repairing some more chairs for them. Another lady has asked me to build a large entertainment center, install a couple doors (one will be a double custom door), build a wall, and tile a room for them. A woman I sang at a wedding with asked me to restore an antique dresser for her. God is answering my prayers…

I am hoping to get my building this coming week, as the weather is probably going to get worse which could delay the delivery. I’m getting more work that is quickly overwhelming my crowded shop. Things are happening at a good pace, but I’m spending a lot of time think about efficiency, and what I should sub out because I can’t be in several places at once. I have three friends that are very willing to work for me and all are retired and have a good building backgrounds so I need to get worker’s compensation, etc. set up in my business structure. I won’t be hiring them as full-time employees but for part-time work on an as-needed basis and that is fine with them.

I pray every day, and I have to admit I’ve had few moments when a bit of fear enters the picture when it sinks in that I am on my own but I haven’t looked back. I realize I would not have walked away from my previous job and taken the steps I’ve taken, but I’m glad things have worked out the way that they have. The ‘sink or swim’ aspect of this has been a deciding factor but more and more each day I am becoming more confident as a new businessman.

Still hanging in there and loving it…

-- Sam