The Woodpreneur Podcast

Today we are thrilled to have Avery Earwood from Wild Edge Woodcraft on the show! Wild Edge Woodcraft started officially in August of last year when Avery transitioned from a 25-year corporate career in healthcare into his new full-time role as a Woodpreneur. His services include tree removals, sawmill work, kiln drying, and custom furniture building. Wild Edge Woodcraft is located in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, known locally as The Research Triangle, or The Triangle. From Corporate To Craftsman Avery discusses how truly overwhelmed he has been by the amount of success and the fun he's been having in this new career. He dreamed for many years about transitioning from corporate life into this new career as a Woodpreneur. He goes on to discuss how meeting all of his new clients has become one of the best parts of the job for him. His clients range from people who simply need trees removed from their property to woodworking enthusiasts looking for the perfect slab to make a river table, and finding out how to help each person brings him a lot of joy. Avery underestimated how much time he would spend personally handling wood, and how amazing that part of the job would be. When he takes down a tree, he loads it onto his trailer and moves it through the entire process of cutting, drying, preparing it for the end product and delivering it to his client. This very hands-on process gave Avery a real appreciation for how often he picks up that same piece of wood throughout its lifecycle. The Full Value Chain Avery designed Wild Edge Woodcraft around what he calls the full value chain. By taking down a tree in someone's yard, milling it, drying it, and turning it into furniture that goes back into that person's home, he feels that is the best possible service he can provide to a client. However, Avery is still happy to offer only pieces of the overall chain. If he removes a tree from one property and makes it into furniture for someone else, that's fine too. He's satisfied by working on any link of the chain, but he is happiest if he can complete the full 'tree to table' experience. Avery lives on a 25-acre farm with hardwoods taking up about 15 of those acres. He explains that the climate and rainfall present in North Carolina blesses the state with tremendous amounts and varieties of trees, many of which grow to be vast and elderly. He was surprised initially when he realized that there's no shortage of raw materials, just a shortage of use. Growing Into The Future In the future, Avery would like his business to keep pace with demand, and a big part of that is scaling up rapidly from a one-person operation. By the end of the year, he would like to have a staff of between 4-6 employees, and he would like to be able to upgrade his equipment. Specifically, Avery would like to upgrade his current mill to a wider one, go from one kiln to two or three, and do ten tables a month instead of his current limit of two. All of these updates require more infrastructure, but the demand is high enough for the end products, there is plenty of supply, and he feels that these are reasonable goals. Website: https://wildedgewoodcraft.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildedgewoodcraft/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildEdgeWoodcraft

Today we’re excited to have Westley Campbell from Campbell Signs and Designs on the show! What started as a hobby sign business has now grown into a multifaceted company with several different specialties. In the shop, there’s a woodworking area, several CNC machines, a laser system for laser etching, and even a vacuum kiln. Westley says he likes to do a little bit of everything. While sign making was the first step, Campbell Signs and Designs has grown and diversified to accommodate the needs of the customers. Westley notes there are a lot of maple syrup producers in his area so he’s also branched out to doing laser work on glass bottles. Engineer by Day, Woodworker by Night Westley describes himself as a plastics engineer by day and part-time woodworker by night and weekends. Fortunately he works with robotics at his day job which lends well to the CNC capabilities as well as the laser machines. When Westley started his company he was focusing on small home decor signs that he largely made with a router tool. However, with a passion for growth and a desire not to turn down business, as more specific requests and new materials were discussed he decided to run with it. The business has continued to evolve as a result. A lot of the customer base started as folks that Westley would meet at craft shows while he was getting the word of mouth about his business out. Now, his customers are everyone from hobbyists to contractors. The Future For Campbell Signs and Designs One problem that Westley was facing earlier on was sourcing his wood and panels. As the shop was a bit sparse, Westley would need to source panels from other woodworkers which could occasionally slow down production. Some big investments for Westley was a large planer, joiner and sander which allowed him to do his own panels. Campbell Signs and Designs aims to be a one stop shop for custom projects, milling, and woodwork. Westley notes another volume of business he tends to do is Victorian reproductions as a lot of the homes in his area are older style homes that people want to preserve. Currently, the biggest challenge facing this small business is not enough time in the day, especially around the holidays it gets very hectic. The Evolution of a Wood Business Westley jokes that he doesn’t have a business plan and he’s just still getting his feet wet, but he does have some plans and aspirations for the future of his business, including moulding and more woodworking investments. Westley does note that if he could restart his business from scratch he would have liked more of a business plan, but now that he’s focusing on the sawmill side of things he clearly sees the vision for his shop. His plan is to stock lumber and do custom sawing and drying. Another long term plan for this year is the investment and acquisition of a moulding machine. Westley intends to have his own moulding line out this year. Business and Marketing Advice Corner Westley notes that as the business has evolved and started to branch into different specialties he worries that their name doesn’t convey everything that the company is capable of now. Steve remembers before his business was called Acres of Timber he too felt limited by his original name which drove him to make the switch, he offers this same advice to Westley. The two brainstorm some ideas and Steve reminds all entrepreneurs that they are allowed to change their minds and update their business and brand as they grow and as their company grows too. Steve explains the concept of maintaining the existing corporation but changing a DBA “doing business as” to operate a new name.. The advice Westley offers is to be flexible, embrace new things and to not get locked into doing only one thing. Website: https://www.campbellsignsanddesigns.com/

Today on the podcast we’re thrilled to have Sami and Cory from Avid CNC. Avid CNC is an engineering and manufacturing company geared toward helping people be successful with their machine tools. The company offers a wide variety of machine sizes and different types of tools and attachments. As Cory says, the goal of Avid CNC is to provide great opportunities for people to automate some production or add precision to their workflow. The Origin Story Sami originally studied sculpture with a focus on digital fabrication, but she also got to work with her hands a lot. When she moved to Portland, she got a job as a CNC technician and a project manager in digital fabrication. Sami describes her passions as the intersection between educating and making, so getting to teach CNC at the local maker’s space on an Avid CNC machine was an incredible start. Eventually, her journey lead her to work with Avid CNC directly. Now she has the opportunity to teach CNC every day through Avid CNCs video production projects and by writing curriculum! In the coming year, Sami intends to make an entire YouTube series that will walk makers through everything they need to know about Avid CNC machines. Cory had similar origins, he was in precision sheet metal and machining fabrication prior to Avid CNC. He worked his way through a bunch of different types of machining and sheet metal work and Avid CNC (CNC Router Parts back then) at one time, was one of Cory’s customers. After realizing a shared passion and vision, Cory made a career change and he has been on the team since 2013. CNC Machines and Workflow There are so many different variations on wood businesses and workflows in this industry. While Sami, Cory, and Steve had a bit of a chuckle about Steve feeling like he was the last to hear about them, he follows up with a very important question, at what point in the woodpreneur journey do makers usually find Avid CNC? Sami explains that the way Avid CNC communicates and connects with the maker and fabricator community has largely been through word of mouth. There are so many different facets of production, she says it comes down to what makers want to achieve or how they want their business to run. The nice thing is that the machines Avid CNC makes are so adaptable they can grow and scale with wood businesses. In that way, it’s never really too early to start considering investing in a CNC machine. There is a wide variety of things that can be done with these machines and there are different roles they play based on the workflow of the businesses using them. A CNC machine is a part of the larger ecosystem of a woodshop and a large focus for Avid CNC has been developing their machines in such a way that they can grow and scale with the business as space and capacity grows.

Today on the show we have Nolan Thomson from Nolan Built! Talking through Nolan’s story was an awesome time and we have to give a shoutout to the IG algorithms for making it happen! The power of social media marketing at work. Today we talk about everything from submarines to taking leaps of faith. It’s a great ride! The Foundations of Nolan Built The story starts fifteen years ago when Nolan was building nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines in a job he got right out of High-School. While it wasn’t his passion, Nolan attributes this job to giving him his tool background and knowledge. Finally, when he bought his first home the love of woodworking started to emerge. Nolan ended up buying a 10 inch Hitachi miter saw while he was doing some work upgrading his house. From there, the love of tools and building his inventory struck. Every holiday, Nolan’s then-girlfriend, and now wife would give him a gift card to a Home Hardware Store or buy him one of the tools on his list of wants. Then in 2015, everything started to come together. Nolan had been woodworking as a hobby and making things for his friends, family, and church, but he also loved road biking. When he had $750 leftover from a tax return the question came down to, a new road bike or an LLC? Getting Out Of Your Own Way Unsurprisingly, he decided to invest in his woodworking and turn it into a true business. It took off from there. While in 2015 Nolan started the business originally to lock in the name, he didn’t start promoting or trying to get jobs until about 2 years ago. As his previous job required him to be gone about 9 months of the year, he knew it wasn’t the right time to start the business, but he started setting up as many things as he could in the interim. For Nolan, it was a progressive transition into running his business full-time. He did a lot of research and preparation and finally, it came to a point where Nolan realized that he was the one standing in his way. His wife was telling him to go for it, his friends, his clients, but ultimately Nolan was the one unsure. Fortunately, the moment he made the jump into working on creating his own legacy full time, he has not stopped getting phone calls. He has a four-month backlog at the moment which is what he was hoping for before he took the step. A clear sign that sometimes you can wait forever for something that would easily come if you just stopped waiting. The ability to trust yourself, or trust the highest power, or trust the people who have bought from you and have faith in you is something Steve notes as crucial for growing a business. Nolan agrees entirely and takes a moment to thank his beautiful wife for being so supportive. He doesn’t think he would be able to do what he does without her love and support. To see more from Nolan Built, check out his socials below! @NolanBuilt Nolan Built NolanBuilt.com

Today’s guest is Justin Ephraim from Reduxwood. Justin has a fascinating story and has been in the wood industry for over twenty-five years. From sourcing wood for Canadians from Panama, building luxury homes, and undertaking underwater excursions to check the quality of submerged woods, it’s been an incredible journey. From the start to the end of this episode it is packed with captivating stories, wonderful successes, and big moves. Justin and his story are nothing short of inspirational. He moved to Vietnam with two suitcases and a broken panini press (well, it broke on the way, but still.) and now has a multi-national business with twenty employees and the largest inventory of his product in the world. Continuing to Grow & How to Do So Reduxwood has grown to be an international company with an incredible team and a lifetime worth of networking, relationships, skill, and success under their belts. The inventory alone has taken about eight years for Justin to collect and grow. After doing the wholesale wood selling Justin stumbled into a table sale and that was a bit of an “aha” moment. Justin now employs about twenty people and has grown to a point where his business doesn’t just support him and his family, but also about 12 other families in Vietnam alone. He notes that a lot of this business is a people business because of the relationships and time that go into building good customer relationships. The biggest challenge has been getting people to know about Reduxwood when he is in Vietnam. Justin has been having an extremely difficult time figuring out the algorithms and he wishes he would have started working on Instagram a bit earlier than he did. Next, Justin plans to build a showroom in Vietnam and he is very excited about continuing to educate people about the standards, quality, and beauty of the products coming out of Vietnam. The end of this episode is an incredible think tank of branding and marketing ideas between Steve and Justin. Steve explains the dream 100 marketing strategy, breaks down the process, and adds his own valuable spin and twist to the method. Steve even gives a brief overview of the masterclass marketing method he will be teaching next month. The Woodpreneur Method is a tried and tested set of branding, community, and sales methods that have already grown hundreds of wood businesses and will grow thousands more in the future. To see more of Justin’s incredible story and projects please check him out: Website: http://reduxwood.com/ Instagram: @Reduxwood

Today’s guest is Larry Smith from L&K Hardwoods! Larry is part of our iDRY Conversations series where we interview iDRY customers and talk with them about their stories and business. Investing in the Dream Larry bought a Timber King 6000, the biggest machine that the company makes. The sawmill company is based in Kansas City and with Larry’s strong commitment to supporting local business, he couldn’t think of anyone else he would want to buy his first mill from. In terms of his biggest successes, Larry says his overall biggest success is his family, but for business, it was getting his dream piece of land to open his shop and build his investments on. L&K Hardwoods is on the national historic registry, the very first sawmill in Jackson Country Missouri was built in 1834 on the land. People would come from as far as New Orleans to buy flour and grain and supplies. The mill was 60 feet high and all built out of locally sourced black walnut gathered from the wooded area around where it would eventually stand. The mill itself operated until the civil war. It was then used as a battlefield hospital. After the civil war, the mill reopened but then closed its doors permanently in 1878. The mill then sat in ruins until 1923 when it was finally torn down. Larry says that he feels very blessed to have the land and to have been able to put a sawmill back on it. “It’s great to be able to do what you love and love what you do.” Promoting Community and Supporting Local Business Larry strongly believes in supporting the local woodworking community. When he was constructing the building his iDRY is stored in, he even built a whole upstairs area that will eventually act as a showroom for all of his customers and other local woodworkers. Larry has a lot of incredible role models like his grandfather, his father, and his father in law. He says hard work and the drive to keep innovating is in his DNA. Listening to Larry talk about his land and his passion for this industry, it’s easy to see how true that is. His work is an extension of him and who he is, and that’s why he puts his heart into it. L&K Hardwoods truly does have a focus on the local economy as well. The business offers a wide variety of locally sourced hardwoods, everything from ash to walnut, sugar maple, and even green leaf maple. Larry is also proud to offer sawmill services, custom milling services, tree to table programs, and vacuum kiln drying. Due to his great relationships with other wood entrepreneurs, Larry also has a connection to get sustainable exotic wood species as well. Kiln Impacts So Far Larry has already seen an impact since having the kiln even though they have only done three loads of drying. Through word of mouth alone L&K has been able to start drying wood for others. With the kiln on board, the sky is the limit. Every penny L&K Hardwoods has made is reinvested back into the company and Larry has a formidable drive for constantly innovating, building a growing his business. He plans on adding more equipment as time and money allow and he expects that the iDRY will not only help generate revenue but also improve the credibility of his business. Larry notes that people can tell he is serious and invested in his business because of the quality of the kiln and the equipment cost. L&K’s kiln cost more than Larry’s first house, so the kiln really shows that L&K is competing at a high level. Larry says it’s already given him an advantage when bidding for bigger jobs because the customer knows on-site that the quality will be to the level expected. For more from L&K Hardwoods check them out here: L&K Hardwoods @ L&KHardwoods

Today we welcome James Peglar from Lux Edge Furniture to the show. James used to work in corporate America but always knew that he had the drive and mindset of an entrepreneur. Ultimately he decided to take everything he had learned about running a business and strike out independently. Lux Edge Furniture’s start was James making coffee tables out of his garage in October of 2014. It took off from there. James did a ton of marketing, and his products ended up in La Z Boy within a few months. He’s gone from a team of just himself and his wife making a small coffee table a month to having four in-house employees, some support staff, and producing 15-20 large products every month. Lux Edge Furniture also now ships all over the world. The Beginning James wanted to make his life as successful as his abilities. He knew that working for someone else imposed a limit that didn’t align with his personal goals. On top of that, he was surrounded by people who hated their jobs, and he decided that life really wasn’t for him. To grow the business in the early days, he would literally give away tables so people would have it in their showroom, and within the first six months, he was turning a profit. That’s about the time he knew he had a viable business. His proper start was with an Etsy account. At that point in time, there were two or three other people selling furniture through the website. It blew up automatically. In the first 12 months, James made almost $400,000 in revenue selling locally and through Etsy. It was the perfect combination for a huge success. James picked the right market at the right time, and he used the business knowledge he had gained from his corporate job to market the right way out the gate. Adding to his background in business, James also has a knack for sales and an eye for quality products. James notes that personally, he cares about quality and investing in things that are built to last. This mindset is one he shares with his customers giving them a great foundation and understanding. Great Business Mindset The best equipment investment that the team has made is a CNC machine that is 16 feet by 6 feet wide. James hunted for a while to find a machine that was capable of making larger tables, but in his words, by having the capacity, you tell the universe that you’re ready for it. Five years ago, when James talked about the farm he grew up on, he always said to his wife that they would buy it in the next 5-6 years. Sure enough, the shop is currently based on that very same farm. As an entrepreneur, you have to have a vision, and it is critical you make decisions based on where you want to be, not where you are right now. If you say you can’t do something you’re 100% correct, whether you’re actually right or wrong, if you focus on what you want and you visualize it and dream about it, you’re more likely to get there. For James, the biggest struggle in growing the business has been not being scared. Fortunately, he knows that a business owner is built differently than most people. Most people need to know where their next paycheque is coming from or their next meal, but for James, he knows even if he lost everything and had to restart tomorrow, he would be fine because he knows how to build a business. To see more from Lux Edge and James and the team’s awesome work, check them out here: Lux Edge Furniture Website @ LuxEdge

Today on the Podcast we are thrilled to get a chance to catch up with Alexander Wikstrom of Wikstrom Interior. Alexander is based out of Sweden and has been in business now for seven years as a woodworker, authorized tool and product reseller and workshop owner. What was the spark for the business? It all started when Alexander’s wife saw a picture of a table online. The pair was in the middle of doing some home renovations and Alexander knew he had some spare construction wood laying around. After some time in the basement, he had created an admittedly rough around the edges table, but a table non the less. Eventually, they sold the piece and the idea of furniture creation began to take shape. Alexander spent about two years building tables in the basement while juggling a young family and full-time office job. Eventually, the waitlist for his tables was about a year-long and he knew that he was going to need to make a decision. Fortunately, he decided to build a workshop and started his own business, Wikstrom Interiors was born. “It was a lot to do, two full-time jobs, two kids and building a woodshop for the first time.” The Business Basics In terms of tools, Alexander has a bandsaw, hand tools and a kiln but he intends to build a bigger one this year. He has a lot of wood that needs to be dried so the kiln expansion is important, but overall he is happy with his investments. In terms of business and marketing struggles, Alexander said he would love some advice on how to portray value to customers. Trying to get them to understand exactly what they are paying for and why the price reflects the quality. Steve’s advice is to consider current brands that offer high-quality products and look at their marketing strategies. As an example, a high-quality clothing brand that releases infographics and transparent reports about the cost of their goods. Steve also suggests that Alexander add a voice to his brand and speak about the importance of quality and why what he offers is better than the cheap options. “The thing is nobody adds the voice. So the people who do add the voice they are the ones that are winning. If this is your craft and you’re dedicated to it, you add your face [and voice] to it.” In terms of advice he would give to the woodpreneur community, Alexander says: “Never give up, always pursue.” That’s the main thing with woodworking. You can get a lot of trouble on the way, with every table you’ll probably encounter some kind of problem, so never give up, keep going until it’s finished. Instagram: @wikstrominteriorsnickeri

Today we had a great time talking with Loren from Rackensack Kilns! Two years ago, after considering the local market, Rackensack was born to answer the lack of kiln space and abundance of hardwood milling in the area. The business started with a few different avenues, including cabinetry, but ultimately processing wood started to become a main focus. What started from the necessity to get their own wood dried has now evolved into an entire tree to table business. Rackensack Kilns has the ability to process urban lumber into trim, furniture, flooring, and almost any other wood product you can think of. What Drives Your Business? Motivated by a desire to see less waste in the building process and the ability to use these viable wood products instead of seeing them chipped or mulched has been integral to the team. Another part of it is also the unique experience of opening up a tree and creating something entirely new that can’t just be purchased from a furniture store or even a hardware store. After about six months in the first year, once the kiln started getting booked and the word had gotten out, the team realized that their efforts had paid off and the business was beginning to be viable. Six months after that, they added another kiln, upgraded their shop size, and decided they were all in. Rackensack and Their Community Education is a big thing that Rackensack Kilns focuses on. Many people don’t realize that wood products tend to warp, splinter, or go to pieces without the drying process. Rackensack focuses on keeping an open and friendly atmosphere where they assist hobbyists and woodworkers with drying and other industry questions. They like to be considered “The Woodworkers Friend.” Loren says this approach has given them some wonderful opportunities to network and meet people who share the same passion for woodworking in the area. He also says that any project where a tree has a story behind it or a history has a special place in this crew’s hearts. The customers’ joy seeing the transformation of raw material to a beautiful piece of furniture that will last generations is a big win for this business. Equipment, Struggles and the Future In terms of struggles, Loren notes the difficulty behind the instant gratification mindset. Explaining to new customers that woodworking takes time can be difficult, but the team focuses on communication and transparency with the customer to overcome the hurdle. In addition to three iDry kilns, Rackensack also has a forklift, Wood Wizz, and contacts they outsource their milling needs to. Positioned in the heart of walnut country, there is no shortage of logs to be sourced. Word of mouth with the arborists and a community of woodworkers has been great for the business in terms of inventory. If Loren was to start from scratch, he says he would have wanted more space. Even with three kilns and a bigger shop, the kilns are always full, and there is always more wood to be dried. Ideally, in 2021 another kiln purchase is on the horizon. The hope is that in the spring, the shop can start hosting their Slab Saturdays again, which acts as an open house for woodworkers and artisans. Community Events and woodworkers getting the opportunity to learn from more experienced craftsmen is something this team loves to facilitate and promote. How to Prepare for a New Market In terms of marketing, the question is where one would find the market for a more streamlined furniture line? Currently, every piece of furniture produced is a one-off custom project. Steve suggests reaching out to designers, architects, and customers as well as researching competitors. After the research is done, it’s a good idea to do a digital mockup and then invest in marketing and press before making the physical line. To work with Rackensack or see their beautiful creations, please visit them on Instagram or Facebook, or give their shop a call! @rackensackkilns Rackensack Kilns on Facebook +1 918-850-8003

Today we’re excited to have Brent and Devin from Texas Urban Sawmill and Refined Elements on the show. Challenges of Running Two Businesses A big challenge with running the two businesses and only two full time employees has been time and manpower. Specifically bringing on the right people who understand the vision and have a passion for the work being done and not someone just looking for a 9-5 job. So much goes into the business, from identifying the type of tree and what product it’s going to be good for to know how it needs to be cut, through the actual furniture making itself. Every single day is different and overall it’s an industry with a very steep learning curve. Brent believes that the biggest reward is being able to see the reactions to the incredible finished pieces they make and then on the sawmill side it’s equally rewarding to be the first person to see what is inside the log. The crew has an intention to publish videos on every new species of tree they work with to share that magic with others as well. For the team, a constant motivation is creating high-quality products for people, helping the environment through carbon sequestering and the relationships that they have built with their incredible customers. The Sawmill Side Currently the sawmill does custom cutting, lumber sales and also of course mills wood for the furniture business. Texas Urban Sawmill runs a Woodmizer, WM1000 that can process up to 6 feet in diameter logs and functions essentially as a slabbing monster. They also run a Baker Blue Streak that focuses on dimensional lumber and smaller pieces. The baker was chosen because of it’s incredible speed, high-quality cuts and production capabilities which has been working well for the sawmill. Between Facebook, Instagram and the website that is where the majority of the traffic comes from, but word of mouth has been huge for this team. The focus that they have on customer satisfaction and doing right by their customers has made them stand out from the rest. Another key aspect has been establishing local relationships and networking. What is Next For Texas Urban Sawmill and Refined Elements? The current goal is to see the business grow by 50% every year for the next five years, which is on track so far. Covid hasn’t had a negative impact to the growth of the business which is fortunate for this team, and they are now hoping to grow the sawmill even more because of the love for milling that has taken hold. Texas Urban Sawmill also specializes in adaptive tree reuse projects which has been a focus since 2019. The goal is to work with large commercial projects that need to remove trees for building, specifically historical or heritage trees. The team then does the removal and turns these urban trees into wood products that can be shared and enjoyed by the public. The furniture side is a labor of love, and it’s not something that is going to go anywhere but the eventual hope is that all of the furniture coming out of Refined Elements will be from these adaptive tree reuse projects. It’s also worth note these large projects are typically 3-5 years in production. We can’t wait to see where this innovative team is in a couple of years and strongly recommend you check out their website and social media channels to see some beautiful urban lumber projects. Website: Txurbansawmill.com Refinedelements.com @TXurbansawmill @RefinedElements

It has certainly been a long year, but amidst the difficult times there have still been a lot of good times too and successes to be celebrated. For the final Woodpreneur Podcast of the year, we’re looking forward and planning to start 2021 on a high note as we hit the ground running! There has been a lot of growth this year and more than ever we realize how fortunate we are to be in this industry. In this episode we’re focusing on tactical goal setting. Both for business goals and personal goals too. We break down the hurdles that often come up when trying to achieve a goal or resolution and offer some insight and tips on how to set goals that are achievable and measurable. Our ethical bribe is that if you join our Facebook Group, you will also get the video recording and slides of this Goal Setting Workshop. Our big goal for 2021 is to grow and nurture this community of Woodpreneurs. This new Woodpreneur Facebook group will be a hub for the community and will feature everything from informative articles to marketing workshops, in addition to being a platform to network and promote your wood business. Our aim has always been to provide Woodpreneurs with the tools and knowledge that they need to grow and sustain their businesses, and now we’re running with it in 2021. Thank you so much for being a part of our community this year, and we can’t wait to see what 2021 brings to the Woodpreneur Podcast. Thank you for listening!

On today's show, Steve sits down to reflect on this last year in a special Christmas Edition of the Woodpreneur Podcast. We started as the sawmill business podcast, and then we found that sawyers do many different things and grew from there. Last year Steve had the privilege of attending Workbench Con and also traveled to Sweden to interview more woodpreneurs, to say the least, it has been an incredibly transformative time. To celebrate how much the podcast has given him, the incredible people he's gotten to interview, and all you wonderful woodpreneurs listening, Steve will be recapping the top 11 downloaded podcasts from the last year. Website: https://www.dreamacreswood.com/our-team Instagram: @dreamacreswood

Today on the show, we had the incredible privilege of getting to talk with Alexandra Climent, a woodpreneur who specializes in working with some of the densest wood in the world. Alexandra is a self-taught woodworking artist who fell in love with jungle wood's beauty while sourcing it for construction uses. This changed her entire future and career path significantly. What Drew You To The Urban Wood Industry? Between trips to the jungle to collect and source felled wood for her creative projects and her time back home in New York, Alexandra started creating a unique and beautiful story about her life and brand through Instagram. The Arrival of the Wood and the Future it Held It took a lot of work and patience for Alexandra to finally have enough wood that it could be shipped to the United States, and she had to deal with a lot of hurdles and red tape to get it there, but finally, the wood arrived. For many woodpreneurs, the wood's story in itself is part of the entire package, and that holds especially true in this case. Alexandra describes how she was in the jungle, seeing where all this wood came from and the animals and organisms that were living amongst the trees for so many years. Her desire to share that story, to share that feeling with someone who couldn't physically be in the jungle, serves as a continuing motivation for these products. Sustainability is also of enormous concern to this exotic woodworker. She focuses on exporting wood for design purposes that most people have never seen before. This focus on less popular species means that she puts less pressure on trees and their associated biomes that are in high demand, which ultimately protects the trees and nature as a whole. The advice Alexandra has to offer other woodworkers focused on sustainability in this industry is to use species that are not in high demand. Learning to Work with this Rare Wood Surprisingly getting the wood from far away jungles wasn't even the most challenging step in this journey. As an entirely self-taught artist and woodworker, Alexandra also had to find shop space and learn how to work with this incredibly difficult material that is exceedingly rare in the industry on her own. Once the wood arrived, Alexandra would spend any spare time off from her full-time job working with her materials and honing her craft. Eventually, she got a few clients and decided to leap into her business full-time. Steve sums it up perfectly: "You had this job, and the dream was making its way on a container someplace over to you, and then when it got there, you bet on yourself." What Have Some Of the Challenges Been? It has been a journey even after going full time to frame her business in a way that makes sense with the product she works with. Many woodpreneurs have multiple projects on the go or produce content in a steady stream, which can be intimidating. Still, while it is all woodworking, it's a very different industry when you consider the medium. The wood Alexandra works with is extraordinarily dense and requires specialized tools, care, and crafting to produce stunning results. A Look at the Past and Future If Alexandra were to start her business over again from scratch, she thinks she might have benefited from a business plan of sorts. Even now, her biggest focus is on how not to waste time and money with broad marketing efforts. For 2021 the goal is expanding the business and ideally getting to do more speaking engagements about her story and passion for this industry while taking into account the restrictions that have been imposed by the global pandemic. Instagram: @alexandracliment Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amoonfox Website: https://www.alexandracliment.com/?fbclid=IwAR2kSii5Nra-Z5Oi1HeHOpUt-UpV2_n3-irUqrrrlxLTb9WQ7LlHPkfAgRE

Today on the show, we have the pleasure of speaking with Bernardo Urbina, the owner and founder of Costa Rica Sawmill. Bernardo has been a furniture designer for over ten years. He started his studies at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, focusing on industrial design and furniture design. His journey continued to Italy, where he proceeded to do a master's program in industrial design and architecture. After that, he spent three years in the Philippines before moving home to Costa Rica and opening a furniture shop and design studio. Having worked with extremely high-quality products throughout his journey, Bernardo found he was having difficulty sourcing kiln-dried wood in Costa Rica as the standard is air drying. This demand for high quality, kiln-dried lumber and slabs is what drove Bernardo to start milling and drying his own supplies. From there, he realized there was a market for exotic Costa Rican wood that was being sold for ridiculous prices to woodworkers in the United States. Bernardo knew he had the logistics and ability to help counteract this problem. He decided to increase his inventory and start sending high-quality wood abroad. "If I wouldn't use it in my shop, I wouldn't offer it to you for yours." Now he runs two sister companies, his mill, and his furniture business. Bernardo keeps the two separate in his mind, even though they are interrelated in some aspects. The way he sees it, the lumber supply wouldn't exist without the woodshop because of the risk involved. As he has his own woodshop and can use all the products he mills, there is less risk associated with sitting on inventory. If nobody else has a use for the wood, that's fine because he and his team will use it eventually. If they do, then he has quality materials he can provide. One of the biggest focuses for Bernardo is sustainability. He doesn't waste any material and believes that it isn't right to use trees without giving back and replenishing them. For every $100 that Bernardo makes, he donates it back to make sure a tree is planted. The entire design company actually started based on this concept of sustainability. Bernardo would make art from overlooked materials, like slabs with holes that were rejected by sawmills or other debris and fallen trees he could upcycle and repurpose. Discussing the concept of Urban Wood, Bernardo says transparency is critical. The first two things he always asks for when he sources wood is to see the permits and a receipt. It is crucial to keep everything above board, pay the proper taxes, and not try and get around the system. The goal for Costa Rica Sawmill is to eventually be able to offer single slabs to woodworkers in the United States. Currently, shipping is done in large orders, but he would like to be the "Amazon" of Urban Costa Rican wood one day. Staying connected and working with other woodpreneurs keeps Bernardo inspired and motivated. He loves hearing about the projects he can help source wood for. As for business advice, Bernardo wonders how to remind clients or potential clients that he's out there and can help them with their urban wood or furniture needs without being too pushy. Steve's advice is to implement a monthly newsletter where Bernardo can compile all of the stories from the lumber supply part of things and the furniture making side. He can have an avenue to talk about his sustainability efforts and feature other woodpreneurs to continue networking while simultaneously giving his customers content and a gentle nudge to remind them he's there. Also, Steve suggests to send a follow-up DM once in a while to previous customers and check in with how they're doing. To see some of Bernardo's beautiful work and his user-friendly website system, check him out here: Instagram: @costaricamill Website: https://costaricamill.com/ Email: [email protected]

Like many starting Woodpreneurs, Bardo from XXL Boomstamtafels in the Netherlands began working with urban lumber as a hobby. Around seven years ago, he and his wife began building a house for themselves from scratch. During that time, he was at a friend's house and saw a live edge table, uncommon in that area. This table made a significant impression on Bardo, and it triggered his journey to find beautiful slabs. He went around to different wood sellers and inquired about large slabs, and every single place he visited showed him the largest pieces of wood they had, but all of them were cut into straight lumber and didn't even come close to what he was imagining. After a while, Bardo started visiting sawmills directly in an attempt to track down the slabs he needed. At one of these mills, he saw a massive log in the corner, and when he asked them why they hadn't milled it yet, they told him that they didn't have the right saw for the job. Bardo purchased the log from them and took it home to figure out how to mill it. Once he had purchased a sawmill for, he cut the log open and was amazed at how beautiful the interior was; he describes it as being "like opening a present." After milling that first log, he began visualizing the interior of every log he encountered, and the desire to continue milling these giant trees took hold of him. The transition from a hobby to a business came about when the pile of wood on his property became so high he could no longer see his neighbor's house through his window. Originally, Bardo had a very romanticized idea of milling logs and building live edge tables from home to spend time with his children. Unfortunately, the local government prevented him from operating a commercial business in his residential area. This restriction required him to rent a commercial property to continue working on his passion, which forced him to turn his hobby into a business that would pay for the space required. Bardo credits his business's success partially to the free advertising he gets just from acquiring logs in the first place. Since he likes to get huge trees, it requires equally giant cranes, and the process of removing trees creates such a spectacle in town that he gets a lot of publicity right from the start. People often say that he shouldn't bother getting the massive logs because they are too big, and Bardo acknowledges that he doesn't sell very many of the wide tables he creates from these trees. Still, by drawing attention to these extreme things, he can then sell something more standard-sized. With XXL in the company name, customers often ask if he sells small pieces, and he always responds by saying, "big trees can always make little slabs." Bardo mentions that the biggest challenge he encountered when starting his business was getting comfortable with asking for the right price for his work. He is happy to speak with anyone interested in his designs, but he is adamant about not discounting the labour, talent and processes that goes into his creations. He states that if customers want something cheap, they should go somewhere else. That being said, he doesn’t like to be unkind to anyone, even those who don’t do business with him. His friendly nature creates a good rapport, and he often gets referrals from customers who talk to their friends about how nice a time they had speaking with Bardo. If he could restart his business and do things differently, Bardo says that his only regret is missing out on individual logs. Every tree has a story, and while some of the logs he has acquired have caused him a lot of trouble, he wouldn't change that for anything. The stories themselves are precious to him, and he says that if this work ever gets boring, he might do something else, but it never gets boring, so he will likely never stop. Website: https://www.xxlboomstamtafels.nl/ Instagram @xxlboomstamtafels

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! On this episode of the podcast, we’re taking some time to reflect on the last five years in the wood business and discuss this incredible journey. The goal of this podcast has always been to give a voice to the woodpreneur community and the growth we have seen is incredible, thank you to each and every one of you. We’re so thankful for the amazing guests we have had over the years and everything their stories have shared with us and taught us. Also seeing people who have used this podcast to network and grow their own businesses has been so inspirational. We wanted to take some time to connect with you all and to hear your feedback. If you’ve gotten something out of this podcast, if you’ve been inspired by a story, been helped by some of the advice, or used it to network or grow please let us know and drop your Instagram @ in the comments below. We’ll be reading them on the next podcast, doing a giveaway, and encouraging even more networking! As many of you know I’ve moved to Michigan and am working a few days a week with my Father in Law helping with his sawmill business. We’ve done a lot of marketing, and search engine optimization and it’s been blowing up! He’s literally at the point he has too much business coming in. Lately, I’ve also been helping to streamline and automate his business to be more efficient. When thinking about your business, it’s important to make sure you are providing something of value, something that the industry or people around you are in need of. That is why we are so excited to tell you guys about what we have coming up. In 2021 we have a woodpreneur brand we will be launching in full, as well as a Customer Relationship Management app designed specifically for the wood industry. We are currently in the testing phase so please let us know if you want more information, we’ll be officially launching it in 2021. This is a fully rounded CRM app, it streamlines a lot of different communication platforms so that all of your Facebook messages, Instagram DM’s, etc will be in one place. It also will help you collect more data about your business and will analyze your marketing efforts. You’ll get information on where leads are coming from, what leads you need to follow up with, what each lead is worth, and it even has a website and landing page builder. This CRM has already dramatically changed business for some of our clients and we’re so excited to see how it improves the lives of other woodpreneurs and their businesses. If there is one thing we have learned over the years it’s that woodpreneurs like to figure things out on their own, but sometimes if you want to grow a little faster, or you don’t know what you don’t know, or you want some help it’s a really good call to reach out. So something we want to say right now is if you are struggling, want to know how to grow, how to add more marketing, how to position yourself as an influencer, grow your brand, grow your sales, any of that at all, reach out. “I can help you, I’d love to help you. Send me an email” [email protected] It has been a crazy year for a lot of people but the goal from us is the same as it has always been: to help woodpreneurs get paid to do what they love. Steve has room for one or two more coaching clients and a ton of resources available to anyone who needs them, so please reach out if you need, let us know what you love about this podcast, and have a great Thanksgiving! [email protected] @acresoftimber Acres of Timber on Facebook

Featuring a blast from the past, we catch up with Jake Latvala of Ol Loggin Sawmills and discuss the growth and changes he's seen in the past three years in terms of business and mindset. After twenty years with one company, Jake decided to take the leap and follow his woodworking passion. He would never have imagined this is where that passion would lead him. "It's such a scary thing to do, but it turned out the be the best decision I've ever made in my life." Even once he had the equipment, he was still patient, working evenings and weekends on his woodworking, but keeping his day job until he was confident and ready to try his hand at being a full-time woodpreneur. Since his last time on the podcast in 2018, not only has the vision of the company changed, but his entire mindset has grown and evolved as well. The original bar Jake set for himself was to be making at least as much as he used to make at his 9-5. Now, he has increased his earnings by 300% in the last two years, and grown Ol Loggin into a full brand and scalable business. The business isn't just a person anymore, it’s not just me, it's a brand, Jake notes. Initially, Jake recalls he didn't want to be big, but now with thousands of active Facebook followers and nearly 13k followers on Instagram invested in his journey, he's realized the passion isn't just woodworking. It's also teaching. For Jake, pursuing his love of woodworking opened him up to new things that energize and excite him like teaching and marketing. The teaching came from creating content about his business and projects and, most importantly, a community mindset over a scarcity one. Jake teaches people to do exactly what he does and, in many cases, learns with his followers when it comes to new projects. When people ask if he's worried about creating competition for himself, all he can do is laugh. "I'm motivated to inspire people on how to do this stuff. I want to start doing a class where I teach people how to do it." There is more than enough prosperity in this industry to go around, and networking is one of the essential parts of being successful in this industry. Jake mentions as an example how reaching out to Steve for marketing advice helped him build his Instagram following, and how the next step is having his own platform of customers via his website, so he doesn't have to rely on a third-party platform to connect him to his community. It’s about building, connecting, and realizing just because you can do it all, doesn’t mean you necessarily should. Jake collaborates with local kiln owners and mills in his area and hopes to connect with more woodworkers and spread the wealth in terms of projects too. Other big plans include a bigger shop so that he can get his own vacuum kiln as well as more cinematic videos of his process and woodworking. In this way, Jake has perfectly shown the power of diversified revenue streams and also the importance of outsourcing and networking. By being the lumber yard, epoxy distributor, and teacher, he knows that he offers value to his followers and customers. He also knows the importance of quality, both in terms of the physical products he offers and the content he creates. In terms of the next steps and advice, Steve says the number one thing is to get liability insurance. In fact, any business making some decent money should make sure they invest in that aspect. Steve elaborates that this kind of investment has significant returns not only for being insured in the event of something unexpected happening but also in terms of being able to bid on big jobs for corporations, universities, etc., With so much to look forward to, big exciting projects on the horizon, and now equipped with some excellent business advice, we can't wait to see where Jake and Ol Loggin Sawmill is the next time we have them on the show. Website: www.ollogginsawmill.net/ Instagram: @ollogginsawmill Facebook: Ol Loggin Sawmill

On this episode of the Woodpreneur podcast, we have the pleasure of listening to Doc Wright of The Wright Edge Custom Woodwork. Specializing in handcrafted custom woodwork & exotic live-edge tables, Doc has made a name for himself in the high-end custom market in less than 4 years of operation. Doc studied geology at Texas Tech University and immediately began working in the oil industry. He always enjoyed working with his hands and began doing woodworking on the side as a hobby. Approximately three months after that, he was offered a job for $134,000 to build five custom conference tables, each with a different style and made from a different material. At that moment, Doc made the decision to take a risk and jump into woodworking full time. His client was so impressed with the work, they immediately commissioned a sixth table as well. After completing this first project over the course of seven months, Doc explains that he had a panic attack and realized he needed to figure out how to make this new leap into a fully-fledged business. Despite enduring condescending remarks from friends and family, Doc recognized that he did not want to build small projects for small prices, he wanted to remain focused on the high-end custom market. This self-awareness paid off as he ignored the negative noise from others, and spent his time and money developing the image and business practices of his company. As he states, “If you want high-end clients, you have to look high-end.” With his background in science and research, Doc focused on refining the aspects of the business to remove bottlenecks. By reducing the time spent harvesting, milling, and drying his wood he was able to focus on build times and acquiring clients. With this early understanding of his vision and investing time and money into his high-end brand, from business cards to his website and marketing materials, Doc was able to secure contracts from large companies like Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott. Doc has learned from experience how to connect with the right people to do business in an appropriate manner. He was originally importing wood from a company in Los Angeles who would sell him a full container, which he would pay for as he used it. After almost two years, The Write Edge became their largest buyer, and he attempted to negotiate prices every few months. He was then approached by his current friend and associate Bernardo, who’s transparent business dealings helped Doc cut his overhead by almost half by simply bypassing the middle man. This sense of honesty and transparency is important to Doc and The Wright Edge and guides their business practices. Doc explains that The Wright Edge is not a furniture maker; They create an entire experience. By taking pictures, and videos and providing updates to their clients of the entire construction experience, and subsequently providing those materials along with the actual product to their clients they create a true emotional connection to the finished creation that sets Doc and his team apart from their competitors. Some of the best advice Doc was given comes from a friend in the high-end menswear industry. He was taught never to offer discounts or sales on his products, as that ultimately shows that they are not worth the marked price. He was also taught that when times are good, plan for the bad times, and when times are bad, be prepared to upscale when things turn around again. Doc’s understanding of who he is has allowed him to find the success that he has achieved, and as he moves into the new year, The Wright Edge will continue to grow and flourish with each step they take. Website: https://thewrightedge.com/ Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thewrightedge/

PJ Fetscher is one of the only primary sawyers in southern Florida as well as an educator and custom furniture maker. He's gone from picking up branches that could fit in the back of his truck to running a lumber yard and custom furniture business. Amazingly enough, it all started with a passion for looking at the inside of a tree. PJ owns The Evolution of Tables and has been in business for nine years. What started as a hobby that got out of control has turned into this incredible multi-faceted company. His journey from hobbyist to professional and the equipment and dedication he started acquiring for woodworking he refers to as "a bit of a sickness, but a fun sickness". His first investment was a Granberg Alaskan Chainsaw Mill with a 16-inch bar but in hindsight that was really just the kiddie pool of mills for PJ. The next acquisition was an MS 880, the big dog chainsaw and finally a Lucas Mill. This was a big leap, but one PJ says was logical, he got comfortable on the small stuff, and it built confidence. Nothing about milling is easy work and you can't really comparison shop for a sawyer, so it's frustrating to try and explain the cost to those who don't understand this labour-intensive industry. PJ is fortunate that he gets to name his price for the most part, but also notes that he turns a lot of people away who don't understand the cost breakdown of slabs. Still, even with the frustrating parts of the industry, PJ loves what he does and always tries to evolve his craft. The best investment for The Evolution Of Tables, he says has to be the Lucas Mill. There are different mentalities between Woodmizer users and Lucas Mill users, and PJ notes the benefits and downfalls of both saws. Ultimately the value for money has to go to the Lucas Mill. PJ did a lot of research into what he wanted to be creating and what was going to be the best machine for him and went back and forth a few times. With the Lucas Mill though, he's able to cut much larger slabs than a standard 32 inch which was a critical decision point for him, that and the great attachments. Since quarantine PJ has noticed an uptick in rough sawn slab sales because of people wanting to try DIY projects, he also mentions that about 70% of people he sells live edge material to end up coming back and asking him to finish the project. This again comes back to education; most people don't know the skill, time, materials, equipment and effort that goes into making beautiful furniture. Once they try it themselves, the thousand-plus dollar price tag doesn't seem so high anymore. Currently, PJ describes it as two different companies, running a lumber yard and also a custom furniture business. Sometimes he can get pulled in a lot of different directions, but he's staying busy and loves it. He even does some milling services. People will call if they want lumber milled from a sentimental tree, for example. Even though he can sometimes end up with too much on his plate or complicated projects, he knows that he needs to make sure the frustration never comes to the customers' experience. For his customers, it's a unique thing getting to have a custom table designed, and from them picking out the tree or slab all the way through to the finished product PJ makes a great experience the priority. He describes the philosophy as similar to the one he has for teaching for his woodshop, biology and weight training classes. You can't phone in a year, because for that group of kids that is the only year you have to reach them, and it's the same with a project for a customer. Even if it's PJ's hundredth table, it's often their first, and that's always exciting. For more information, check out. @PJ_Fetscher on Instagram And The Evolution of Tables on Facebook

On this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, we’re talking to wood crafter, Ryan Hawkins of West Coast Boards. West Coast Boards specializes in creating unique cutting boards that are personally made for each customer. Ryan began by being introduced to woodworking at the age of 19 while he was at trade school. The first piece Ryan ever made was a solid oak and maple computer desk. Ryan has been creating different pieces out of wood ranging from farming houses to custom furniture. The idea of creating hand made pieces out of wood became of interest to Ryan after making his first piece and his passion was fueled after he created his first cutting board. Ryan stated: “I believe finding passion and purpose in life is a trial-by-fire process. In life, you must keep trying new things, to find what truly fuels you. To discover your ‘why’. Working intimately with wood for nearly 13 years has provided me the opportunity to try many things and wander down many avenues. It has allowed me to discover my ‘why’.” Check out West Coast boards and the custom cutting boards they have for sale. Ryan also accepts custom orders where he will create a personalized piece to add to your kitchen.

On this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, we’re talking to wood worker, Mark Peacock of Deer River Craftsman. Deer River Craftsman focuses on designing, creating and selling custom furniture. Mark began by first making personal pieces followed by commissioned work for friends and family which lead to him expanding his services to everyone. Mark has been making custom pieces for over 20 years using various materials such as wood, metal, plastic, glass, and leather. It has always been a dream for Mark to become a professional craftsman which is why in 2018 he built his own workspace to build custom pieces and became a professional maker. After accomplishing his dream, Mark strove to elevate his knowledge while giving back to the maker community. Mark accomplished this by joining the “maker community” which features a global network of like minded artists where he can be both teacher and student. The authenticity of being a genuine maker is something that runs through Mark's blood and this authenticity is exactly what the maker community needs. Check out Deer River Craftsman and their handmade pieces they have for sale. If you have something particular in mind you can also reach out to him for a custom piece for your home or garden. https://deerrivercraftsman.com/ https://www.instagram.com/deer_river_craftsman/

On this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, we’re talking to former Marine, Aaron Weideman of Weideman Woodworks. At Weideman, they focus on creating and selling live edge countertops, tables, and also the niche style of Shou Sugi Ban furniture. Aaron began seeing traction in his business once he started posting his work to Instagram. The unique and non-mainstream style of Shou Sugi Ban Furniture combined with Aaron’s natural artistic skill with a camera began pulling followers in and soon he hit 10.k. A marine with a business finance degree, Aaron wasn’t a woodworker by trade. Because of this, he continuously strives to learn the ins and outs of his passion and is constantly pulling scraps of wood to practice on if he’s asked by a client to create something that he hasn’t done before. This isn’t to say that the work he has already created isn’t incredible and incredibly made. Looking through his feed and hearing the excitement in his voice as he talks about his journey so far, is enough to make one commission a piece before the episode ends... Check out Weideman Woodworks and their merch line where 10% of apparel sales is given to support veterans in need through the Wounded Warrior Project. In addition, they plant a tree for every table sold. If that wasn’t enough, Aaron sources his materials out of fallen trees gathered in the local area or by repurposing thrown out pallets. https://www.weidemanwoodworking.com/ https://www.instagram.com/weidemanwoodworking/

On this episode, we're talking with the man who is a CEO, President, Resident Blacksmith, Boss, Slab Purveyor, and any entrepreneurial wood maker title you can think of...Dean Curfman of @oak_hill_iron_wood_showroom! Tune in to hear the story of his incredible journey from Blacksmith to Storefront owner. Contact Dean: IG: @oak_hill_iron_wood_showroom https://oakhilliron.com/ Showroom: Phone: 828.437.9217 [email protected] Shop: Phone: 828.437.5348Email: [email protected]

Dana O'Brien left the security of her government job to pursue what she loves - building outdoor living spaces. From art studios to greenhouses, Dana creates stunning and personalized spaces from reclaimed and salvaged products. She's been featured on @abcnews, @oprah.com, @houzz, and more! Find out how she chased her dreams and used her passion to make it on this episode of the #woodpreneurpodcast. Contact Dana: https://www.instagram.com/aplacetogrow_slo/ https://www.facebook.com/APlacetoGrowRecycledGreenhouses/ https://recycledgreenhouses.com/ .Don't forget to submit your free entry for a chance to win products for your business! Prizes include a small log chainsaw mill from Granberg International, swag from Odie's Oil, and wood hauling tools from LogOX! Go to woodpreneur.com/bluecollarcash for your chance to win.

On this episode we're talking with Ethan Abramson, former stuffed animal maker turned woodworker and influencer. Ethan has gone from taking on any and all jobs just to get by to being featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Knot, Vogue Living, and more. If you're looking to grow your wood business, become an influencer, or just get started, this episode is essential. Ethan shares his advice and lessons learned from past experiences while offering up an incredible perspective on choosing the job you love. Subscribe, tune in, and let us know what you thought of this episode. Contact Ethan: http://ethanabramson.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thebuildwithethan/ Visit us at: www.woodpreneurlife.com

Ken Rusk has spent over 30 Years working In blue collar trades, from his humble beginnings as a ditch-digger to entrepreneur, successful business owner, and perhaps most importantly, a mentor. And now, he’s written a book specifically for #bluecollar hustlers like you.⠀ Blue Collar Cash will show you how it’s possible to avoid student loan debt, credit card strain, and the stress of working multiple jobs at once and instead be not only widely profitable in your chosen Blue Collar job, but also content and happy in that career.⠀ Pick up a copy of Ken’s book today at www.woodpreneur.com/bluecollarcash and get ready to find out how to skip traditional career paths and become financially secure doing the job you WANT to do, not one that you HAVE to do.⠀ You can also win prized during our Blue Collar Woodpreneur contest! Enter to win prizes for your business from wood brands such as Granberg International, @odiesoil, and @bigbluelogox⠀ Stop by woodpreneur.com/bluecollarcash and enter for your chance to win! Terms and conditions apply⠀ Offer valid until August 31st , 2020

Join us for this limited Woodpreneur Podcast series featuring the ambassadors of iDRY Kiln Systems. We'll dive into the reasons why these wood business owners decided to invest in an iDRY, how they made this financial investment back, and why purchasing an iDRY was one of the best things they ever did for their business.

Joining us this week on the Woodpreneur Podcast is woodworker and sawmill operator, Mitch Purcell of Purcell Lumber & Design in Kingston, ON. Inspired by posts he saw on Instagram, Mitch built his own fractal burner and began making charcuterie boards. Through this experimentation, Mitch realized his passion for woodworking and began taking commissions for custom work. Shortly thereafter, his parents had a massive Ash tree cut from their yard, which sparked Mitch’s interest in sawmilling. He took on the task of milling the Ash himself after he realized he could buy his own set up for close to the same price as paying someone else to mill it. Mitch began milling salvaged lumber he sourced from the internet or by good old fashioned word of mouth. Mitch is an engineer by trade and has been extremely resourceful in launching his wood business. Early on, he recognized the advantages of kiln drying his milled lumber; so Mitch researched kilns and built his own mostly from salvaged materials. Mitch reinvested his initial profits into new equipment for his sawmill business. Having only been in operation for a little under six months, Purcell Lumber & Design is already well on its way to success. Show Highlights: Mitch has a great “Do It Yourself” attitude which has helped him establish his sawmill and woodworking business.He realizes the importance of networking with other woodpreneurs, like his partnership with Woodland Mills that has elevated his status.Purcell Lumber & Design has a strong Instagram following which is used for marketing and reaching new clients.Although we are living in uncertain times, Mitch remains optimistic and hopeful for the future of his business. Goals and Advice: Currently, he sources his wood largely from online and by word of mouth. Mitch stresses the value of good networking as a key to his success.Future goals include opening a commercial showroom space to better serve customers. Mitch wants to extend his product offerings to include materials like epoxy and glue for woodworking projects.Learn from everything you do. Don't hesitate to act. Contact Purcell Lumber & Design Instagram: @purcell_ld Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/PurcellLD Follow us on Instagram!! @acresoftimber Want more?? Join our private Facebook Group and get access to our FREE marketing hacks course for Woodpreneurs! - CLICK HERE TO JOIN Listen to more episodes at www.acresoftimber.com @acresoftimber Read our Free Instagram Report:" Tools for how to turn leads into sales, grow your following, and easily create engaging content." Are you ready to scale your woodworking, flooring, or tree service business? Click HERE to schedule your Free strategy session with Steve, founder of Acres of TimberDID YOU LIKE THE SHOW? iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE!Join The Wood Entrepreneurs Networking & Mentoring Facebook Group Like us on Instagram: @acresoftimber Website :: Facebook :: Insta SHOW SPONSORS:

Today is the last episode that features our interviews from WORKBENCHcon! Our host, Steve, was a speaker at the event and while he was there, he had the opportunity to interview different influencers such as Jimmy Diresta, Ben Ueyda, The Wood Maven, Alma Villalobos, Minspired Living, and more! Follow along as we learn about their content creation secrets, the things that inspire the work they do, and how they plan to continue growing their brand and impacting their communities.

For the next two weeks, join us at WORKBENCHcon! Our host, Steve, was a speaker at the event and while he was there, he had the opportunity to interview different influencers within the Maker and Woodworking space. Follow along as we learn about their content creation secrets, the things that inspire the work they do, and how they plan to continue growing their brand and impacting their communities. Join the Woodpreneur community on Instagram and Facebook @acresoftimber.

For the next two weeks, join us at WORKBENCHcon! Our host, Steve, was a speaker at the event and while he was there, he had the opportunity to interview different influencers within the Maker and Woodworking space. Follow along as we learn about their content creation secrets, the things that inspire the work they do, and how they plan to continue growing their brand and impacting their communities.

On the podcast today is Annie and Michael Murphy from the Jacksonville based woodshop and sawmill, Eco Relics. Annie and Michael Murphy originally had careers in Stock Trading and Software but came to a point in their lives where they realized it was time for a change. With Michael’s background as a wooden toy maker and Annie’s passion as an environmentalist, they took the dive and opened a woodshop and lumberyard. Fast-forward a few years and Eco Relics is now the largest Architectural Salvage Yard in the Southeast. Customers travel from Miami, Atlanta, Charleston, Savannah, Maine, and Minnesota to shop the unlimited variety of lumber stock, reclaimed items, and antiques that Eco Relics has to offer. With a 15,000 sq. ft. woodshop and another 50,000 sq. ft. of storage, it’s not a surprise that the business was even considered for a reality show last year! The Mission... With 40-60% of the nation’s landfills filled with building materials, Eco Relics mission began with efforts to keep building materials out of landfills. Annie and Michael would salvage materials that they knew they could save and then started re-selling these reclaimed building materials, lumber, and even antiques that they found at their shopAnnie and Michael continue to use salvaged items and logs for their shop and also upcycle the sentimental items that their customers bring in from time to time The Setup... When it comes to lumber sales, Eco Relics is hard to beat. With everything from barnwood, exotic woods, dimensional stock, slabs, cookies, and reclaimed wood in their 15,000 sq ft shop, customers that visit are certain to find exactly what they’re looking for.In addition to their woodworking and lumber offerings, Eco Relics also offers drying services with their iDRY Kiln. In fact, the kiln’s space is rented out so often that they’re currently in the process of purchasing their second iDRY! Contact Eco Relics http://Eco Relics.com/https://www.instagram.com/Eco Relics https://www.facebook.com/ecorelic https://www.pinterest.com/Eco Relics1064/https://www.youtube.com/user/Eco Relics

Justin Kerkhove-Brandt joined the Banking Barns team two years ago and has taken the business from a small garage shop to a company with two storefront locations. Banking Barns was named when its founders who would salvage reclaimed barn wood realized they were “banking” on selling the wood they removed. Since then, Banking Barns has moved away from solely producing items with a reclaimed aesthetic and now also produces epoxy designs. Read More HERE

Terran Arwood, president of Woodland Tree Service is located in Memphis TN. He has been in business since 2003 when a major windstorm devastated Shelby County, and he was working a job at a college. He and his roommates had some chainsaws and they started helping the area recover from the destruction. Born and raised in California, Terran, and been around tree-related work his entire life and it’s become his way of life. He gained a lot of knowledge of the giant sequoia trees with his friends and family in that business. Trees grow bigger and faster in Memphis than other places in the country, the amount of rainfall and weather is what allows them to grow so fast. Terran describes Memphis as an urban forest in itself. Something he notes as great for his business is when he started purchasing cranes, and Woodland Tree Service became well known for storm response early on. He had originally processed trees that they removed into firewood, which became a lucrative business thanks to BBQ restaurants which are huge in Memphis. They sometimes made almost half a million dollars in profit from those sales alone but they still had a load of material left around. Terran’s strong environmentalist background means that he has a hard time with removing trees, but if he has to, he wants to make sure it’s worth it. Luckily being paid for the material that he collects, rather than needing to pay to dump it, allows him to have a good business model with strong eco-friendly practices. Terran speaks about the fact that Woodland Tree Service staffs 40-50 employees on the tree service side and 8-10 on the wood product side of things. They like to get the misfit wood, the weird stuff, and degraded twisted trees. The bottleneck in their business has always been the difficulty of drying the wood, especially the thicker stuff. Originally they were using air drying, which was taking forever. The game-changer was getting an iDRY kiln that truly unclogged that bottleneck just by speeding everything up. A big factor for Woodland Tree Service’s local support is that they are located approximately an 8-10 hour drive between the majority of the population of the state. They want to significantly grow their business by offering the kiln-dried slabs to various woodworkers around Tennessee. Terran is hoping to be able to provide these slabs through a franchise model or direct to consumers now that they’re able to ramp up their drying process. If Terran is able to up their distribution level with the huge influx of material that they get through the busy season they would like to stabilize their business in the offseason by offering wood to other businesses. Treework is highly competitive, busy, and dangerous, so getting into a division that would offer less competition and more stability would benefit them enormously. Recently Woodland Tree Service has been focused on live edge slabs, and with decreasing drying time thanks to the iDRY kiln, they’re looking to do more dimensional wood in the native species of Memphis. The company will occasionally order in exotic stuff for accents with things they build, but it’s uncommon. A large amount of the business they are starting to receive comes from the restaurant business which Terran believes is due to the competition of that industry, and a lot of builders and architects are specifying materials from them in the Memphis area, which has seen a lot of growth in the last 6-7 years. Woodlandtree.com @woodlandtreeproducts

Today’s guest is a great example of a Woodpreneur with a dream that he’s made a reality. Ryan Penner of the Veteran owned, RST Timberworks! Ryan discusses going full time after balancing his love of urban wood and woodworking with a full-time job. Ryan comes by his passion honestly, he’d always been interested in wood and woodworking and started a side business as a tree removal specialist while in the military. His interest in urban wood piqued when he realized some of the trees he was cutting down were too beautiful to end up as firewood or in a landfill. Ryan eventually decided to trust his entrepreneurial mindset and take a chance focusing solely on milling and woodworking. His current set up is pretty great, he has a small sawmill and mills customer logs that they bring or have brought out at a competitive rate. Thanks to his history doing tree removal, he also still has some friends in the industry who tip him off to good logs, he mills those and sells the lumber as well! He is currently air drying so all his prices are for green lumber, but he’s in the process of taking the business to the next level with a solar kiln. On top of the lumber side, he also does custom live edge woodworking, custom bartops, river tables, and desks. On the decision to go full-time Ryan says it really came down to not just enough hours in the day, passion, and self-employment being the right path for him. While he essentially is a one-man operation, he talks about getting help from his dad and his young sons making the family aspect another reason this was the best route. With the support of his wife and family, he’s been able to focus full time now on the business, and Ryan is growing it and expanding it one piece at a time. He discusses his marketing costs, hurdles, and how the business has been over the last few years, in terms of advice he says; “My advice is to not give up.” Ryan stresses that you have to have a passion for this, owning a small business means often hearing a lot of “no’s” and putting in a lot of work, but if you have the passion it’s worth it. Even more so in the Urban Wood Business because of how niche it can be. Ultimately though he says to just not give up and have patience, even in terms of equipment you’ll never have everything you want starting out so patience is key. Ryan remembers rolling 1500lb logs uphill before they had a tractor, but the love of the craft made it worth it. To see more about Ryan and RST Timberworks check out https://www.rsttimberworks.com/https://www.instagram.com/rsttimberworkshttps://www.facebook.com/rsttimberworks

While pursuing a stitch fix-esque site one day, John Dupre was inspired while being led through the site questions heading down the path to his dream wardrobe. His inspiration turned into action as he realized that this sales model was exactly what the wood flooring business needed. Instantly running to the drawing board, John and his team tweaked, built, and re-built a similar algorithm specifically focused on wood flooring customers. While Revel Woods sells directly to consumers, they also know that the wood flooring business rarely has more than 1-2 return customers within a lifetime. This is why, once they had perfected the above sales tool, they decided to focus on explaining its purpose, use, and algorithm to interior designers. With their experience in the field, interior designers instantly saw the problem that Revel Woods was solving with this tool and quickly became return customers.

Jesse Born is a 23-year-old puzzle box Woodpreneur from New York. Jesse creates these puzzle boxes with different hidden compartments and sneaky latches! A full-time puzzle box maker before he even left high school, Jesse is a serious Woodpreneur, and we were so excited when Jesse reached out to us about coming onto the podcast!

Today we’re talking with family members and co-workers, Bobby and Joe of Trestlewood! Trestlewood began with the deconstruction of a Southern Pacific 12 mile long railroad trestle back in 1993. A 12-mile long trestle constructed from Douglas Fir and Redwood, the wood they took away from this project equaled to about 30 million board feet and they are still selling wood from this trestle to this day!

Get an inside look at how a former retired city worker is building a prolific and profitable portable sawmill business. Hear how he started, his partnerships, and what tools he used to grow his business. Aaron is also a current client of Acres of Timber! Check out his website at http://crosscutlumber.com and follow him on Instagram at http://instagram.com/crosscutlumber. What exactly is a Woodpreneur? So, why the term “woodpreneur”? When Steve first started Acres of Timber three years ago, the wood community and industry wasn’t what it is now. Slab dealers, wood designers, and more specifically at the time – sawmill users, didn’t have a community or a brand and were going largely unnoticed by potential customers who would look instead to the Home Depot and Lowe’s of this world for their products. Steve sought to change that by creating the Sawmill Business Instagram account and the #sawmillbusiness hashtag as a way to share the products and creations that these innovative makers were producing. It didn’t take long for the account to grow to over 136,000 followers and with a hashtag that has been used over 35,000 times, the Sawmill Business community grew and grew quickly! As the Sawmill Business following grew, Steve began to notice that this community didn’t just include sawmill owners. Furniture designers, woodworkers, arborists, tree climbers, chainsaw users, slab sellers, and even tree house makers became an integral part of the Sawmill Business family as well. It was at this point that Steve knew the business needed a new name that would truly encompass all that the wood community represents. Hence, @acresoftimber and the term “Woodprener” was born. With the maker movement now in full swing, there are more podcasts, content creators, (like Anne of All Trades) youtubers, and makers, (such as Matt Cremona) that are putting a spotlight on sawmill users, furniture makers, and other wood related niches. Not only has the wood community turned into a “maker movement” it’s also filled with people who now view the work that they do as a profitable business and not just a hobby. A perception that was lacking without a community behind it. A “Woodpreneur” Is A… Sawmill UserWood Business OwnerFurniture DesignerHardwood Flooring ProfessionalWoodworkerSlab DealerKiln UserWelderContent CreatorMaker And an overall innovative, brave, and creative entrepreneur in the wood industry! “Woodpreneurs care about building their business as much as they care about the quality of the products they make, create, and sell. They don’t just want a job, they want a company. They invest in this company with blood, sweat, and tears and love every minute of it.” Follow us on Instagram!! @acresoftimber Want more? Join our private Facebook Group and get access to our FREE marketing hacks course for Woodpreneurs! 👉CLICK HERE TO JOIN Listen to more episodes of the Woodpreneur Podcast at: 👉https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/sawmill-business Read our Free Instagram Report:👉 “Tools for how to turn leads into sales, grow your following, and easily create engaging content.” Are you ready to scale your woodworking, flooring, or tree service business? DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?👉 iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE! Like us on Instagram: @acresoftimber www.acresoftimber.com Facebook @acresoftimber Copyright © 2018 Acres of Timber

Join us for the fourth and final episode from the Logosol World Meeting in Sweden! For this final episode, we're talking with April Wilkerson, Ola Andersson, and the man himself - CEO and President of Logosol, Malte Frisk! In addition to networking with wood industry leaders from across the globe, we experienced a next-level example of "work-family" and a way of life that opened our minds. As a company, Logosol is incredibly innovative and provides a workplace that lets its employees thrive. Between their incredibly advanced and technology-driven products, tight-knit employees, and a happy workplace, one could say that Logosol is the "Google" of the Woodpreneur world. Join us again in this episode and get inspired to become a part of the Logosol family. The World Meeting Curious about what went on behind the scenes at the Logosol World Meeting? Go on Instagram and use the hashtag #logosolwm2019 What exactly is a Woodpreneur? So, why the term “woodpreneur”? When Steve first started Acres of Timber three years ago, the wood community and industry wasn’t what it is now. Slab dealers, wood designers, and more specifically at the time – sawmill users, didn’t have a community or a brand and were going largely unnoticed by potential customers who would look instead to the Home Depot and Lowe’s of this world for their products. Steve sought to change that by creating the Sawmill Business Instagram account and the #sawmillbusiness hashtag as a way to share the products and creations that these innovative makers were producing. It didn’t take long for the account to grow to over 136,000 followers, and with a hashtag that has been used over 35,000 times, the Sawmill Business community grew and grew quickly! As the Sawmill Business following grew, Steve began to notice that this community didn’t just include sawmill owners. Furniture designers, woodworkers, arborists, tree climbers, chainsaw users, slab sellers, and even treehouse makers became an integral part of the Sawmill Business family as well. It was at this point that Steve knew the business needed a new name that would truly encompass all that the wood community represents. Hence, @acresoftimber and the term “Woodprener” were born. With the maker movement now in full swing, there are more podcasts, content creators (like Anne of All Trades), YouTubers, and makers (such as Matt Cremona), that are putting a spotlight on sawmill users, furniture makers, and other wood related niches. Not only has the wood community turned into a “maker movement”, but it’s also filled with people who now view the work they do as a profitable business and not just a hobby- a perception that was lacking without a community behind it. A “Woodpreneur” Is A… Sawmill UserWood Business OwnerFurniture DesignerHardwood Flooring ProfessionalWoodworkerSlab DealerKiln UserWelderContent CreatorMaker And an overall innovative, brave, and creative entrepreneur in the wood industry! “Woodpreneurs care about building their business as much as they care about the quality of the products they make, create, and sell. They don’t just want a job, they want a company. They invest in this company with blood, sweat, and tears and love every minute of it.” Follow us on Instagram!! @acresoftimber Want more? Join our private Facebook Group and get access to our FREE marketing hacks course for Woodpreneurs! 👉CLICK HERE TO JOIN Listen to more episodes of the Woodpreneur Podcast at: 👉https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/sawmill-business Read our Free Instagram Report:👉 “Tools for how to turn leads into sales, grow your following, and easily create engaging content.” Are you ready to scale your woodworking, flooring, or tree service business? DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?👉 iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE! Like us on Instagram: @acresoftimber www.acresoftimber.com Facebook @acresoftimber

Join us for part 3 of the clip interviews from the Logosol World Meeting in Sweden! On this installment, we’re talking to Woodpreneur giant, Paul Lemiski of Canadian Woodworks and social media mastermind and arborist,@patkarlsson and @huggarolle. In addition to networking with wood industry leaders from across the globe, we experienced a next-level example of "work-family" and a way of life that opened our minds. As a company, Logosol is incredibly innovative and provides a workplace that lets its employees thrive. Between their incredibly advanced and technology-driven products, tight-knit employees, and a happy workplace, One could say that Logosol is the "Google" of the Woodpreneur world. @projectoftheday @isprzet.pl The World Meeting Curious about what went on behind the scenes at the Logosol World Meeting? Go on Instagram and use the hashtag #logosolwm2019 @foxforestry @projectoftheday[/caption] What exactly is a Woodpreneur? So, why the term “woodpreneur”? When Steve first started Acres of Timber three years ago, the wood community and industry wasn’t what it is now. Slab dealers, wood designers, and more specifically at the time – sawmill users, didn’t have a community or a brand and were going largely unnoticed by potential customers who would look instead to the Home Depot and Lowe’s of this world for their products. Steve sought to change that by creating the Sawmill Business Instagram account and the #sawmillbusiness hashtag as a way to share the products and creations that these innovative makers were producing. It didn’t take long for the account to grow to over 136,000 followers, and with a hashtag that has been used over 35,000 times, the Sawmill Business community grew and grew quickly! As the Sawmill Business following grew, Steve began to notice that this community didn’t just include sawmill owners. Furniture designers, woodworkers, arborists, tree climbers, chainsaw users, slab sellers, and even treehouse makers became an integral part of the Sawmill Business family as well. It was at this point that Steve knew the business needed a new name that would truly encompass all that the wood community represents. Hence, @acresoftimber and the term “Woodprener” were born. With the maker movement now in full swing, there are more podcasts, content creators (like Anne of All Trades), YouTubers, and makers (such as Matt Cremona), that are putting a spotlight on sawmill users, furniture makers, and other wood related niches. Not only has the wood community turned into a “maker movement”, it’s also filled with people who now view the work they do as a profitable business and not just a hobby- a perception that was lacking without a community behind it. A “Woodpreneur” Is A… Sawmill UserWood Business OwnerFurniture DesignerHardwood Flooring ProfessionalWoodworkerSlab DealerKiln UserWelderContent CreatorMaker And an overall innovative, brave, and creative entrepreneur in the wood industry! “Woodpreneurs care about building their business as much as they care about the quality of the products they make, create, and sell. They don’t just want a job, they want a company. They invest in this company with blood, sweat, and tears and love every minute of it.” Follow us on Instagram!! @acresoftimber Want more? Join our private Facebook Group and get access to our FREE marketing hacks course for Woodpreneurs! 👉CLICK HERE TO JOIN Listen to more episodes of the Woodpreneur Podcast at: 👉https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/sawmill-business Read our Free Instagram Report:👉 “Tools for how to turn leads into sales, grow your following, and easily create engaging content.” Are you ready to scale your woodworking, flooring, or tree service business? DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?👉 iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE! Like us on Instagram: @acresoftimber www.acresoftimber.com Facebook @acresoftimber Copyright © 2018 Acres of Timber

Join us on part 2 of the clip interviews from the Logosol World Meeting in Sweden! We’re talking to marketing expert and daughter of the founder of Logosol, Katarina Byström, Tobias Elkind - aka @projectoftheday, and Tom Fox! That’s right, we went to the Logosol World Meeting and met up with some incredible minds and makers in the wood world! Not only that, but we were able to see what an innovative and forward-thinking company they are with some of the happiest employees (and customers) that we’ve ever seen. Join us throughout the next few weeks as we spend some time on the Woodpreneur Podcast with makers, sawmill owners, and wood business owners across the globe! The World Meeting Curious about what went on behind the scenes at the Logosol World Meeting? Go on Instagram and use the hashtag #logosolwm2019 What exactly is a Woodpreneur? So, why the term “woodpreneur”? When Steve first started Acres of Timber three years ago, the wood community and industry wasn’t what it is now. Slab dealers, wood designers, and more specifically at the time – sawmill users, didn’t have a community or a brand and were going largely unnoticed by potential customers who would look instead to the Home Depot and Lowe’s of this world for their products. Steve sought to change that by creating the Sawmill Business Instagram account and the #sawmillbusiness hashtag as a way to share the products and creations that these innovative makers were producing. It didn’t take long for the account to grow to over 136,000 followers and with a hashtag that has been used over 35,000 times, the Sawmill Business community grew and grew quickly! As the Sawmill Business following grew, Steve began to notice that this community didn’t just include sawmill owners. Furniture designers, woodworkers, arborists, tree climbers, chainsaw users, slab sellers, and even treehouse makers became an integral part of the Sawmill Business family as well. It was at this point that Steve knew the business needed a new name that would truly encompass all that the wood community represents. Hence, @acresoftimber and the term “Woodprener” was born. With the maker movement now in full swing, there are more podcasts, content creators, (like Anne of All Trades) YouTubers, and makers, (such as Matt Cremona) that are putting a spotlight on sawmill users, furniture makers, and other wood related niches. Not only has the wood community turned into a “maker movement” it’s also filled with people who now view the work that they do as a profitable business and not just a hobby. A perception that was lacking without a community behind it. A “Woodpreneur” Is A… Sawmill UserWood Business OwnerFurniture DesignerHardwood Flooring ProfessionalWoodworkerSlab DealerKiln UserWelderContent CreatorMaker And an overall innovative, brave, and creative entrepreneur in the wood industry! “Woodpreneurs care about building their business as much as they care about the quality of the products they make, create, and sell. They don’t just want a job, they want a company. They invest in this company with blood, sweat, and tears and love every minute of it.” Follow us on Instagram!! @acresoftimber Want more? Join our private Facebook Group and get access to our FREE marketing hacks course for Woodpreneurs! 👉CLICK HERE TO JOIN Listen to more episodes of the Woodpreneur Podcast at: 👉https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/sawmill-business Read our Free Instagram Report:👉 “Tools for how to turn leads into sales, grow your following, and easily create engaging content.” Are you ready to scale your woodworking, flooring, or tree service business? DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?👉 iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE! Like us on Instagram: @acresoftimber www.acresoftimber.com Facebook @acresoftimber Copyright © 2018 Acres of Timber

Join us on part 1 of the clip interviews from the Logosol World Meeting in Sweden! We’re talking to Marcus Lindgren, Igor Goldman, Carlo Petrolo, and Glenn Lucas, some of the leading Woodpreneurs in the Logosol owner’s sphere. That’s right, we went to the Logosol World Meeting and met up with some incredible minds and makers in the wood world! Not only that, but we were able to see what an innovative and forward-thinking company they are with some of the happiest employees (and customers) that we’ve ever seen. Join us throughout the next few weeks as we spend some time on the Woodpreneur Podcast with makers, sawmill owners, and wood business owners across the globe!

Join us on this episode as we flashback to our interview at the 2019 Woodpreneur Summit with Paul Lemiski of Canadian Woodworks! With over 400,000 followers on his social media page and a business that is booming, Paul is one of the leading authorities when it comes to advice on growing your business and exploding on social media! Contact Paul Lemiski and Canadian Woodworks Instagram: @canadianwoodworks Website: https://www.canadianwoodworks.com/ What exactly is a Woodpreneur? So, why the term “woodpreneur”? When Steve first started Acres of Timber three years ago, the wood community and industry wasn’t what it is now. Slab dealers, wood designers, and more specifically at the time – sawmill users, didn’t have a community or a brand and were going largely unnoticed by potential customers who would look instead to the Home Depot and Lowe’s of this world for their products. Steve sought to change that by creating the Sawmill Business Instagram account and the #sawmillbusiness hashtag as a way to share the products and creations that these innovative makers were producing. It didn’t take long for the account to grow to over 136,000 followers and with a hashtag that has been used over 35,000 times, the Sawmill Business community grew and grew quickly! As the Sawmill Business following grew, Steve began to notice that this community didn’t just include sawmill owners. Furniture designers, woodworkers, arborists, tree climbers, chainsaw users, slab sellers, and even tree house makers became an integral part of the Sawmill Business family as well. It was at this point that Steve knew the business needed a new name that would truly encompass all that the wood community represents. Hence, @acresoftimber and the term “Woodprener” was born. With the maker movement now in full swing, there are more podcasts, content creators, (like Anne of All Trades) youtubers, and makers, (such as Matt Cremona) that are putting a spotlight on sawmill users, furniture makers, and other wood related niches. Not only has the wood community turned into a “maker movement” it’s also filled with people who now view the work that they do as a profitable business and not just a hobby. A perception that was lacking without a community behind it. A “Woodpreneur” Is A… Sawmill UserWood Business OwnerFurniture DesignerHardwood Flooring ProfessionalWoodworkerSlab DealerKiln UserWelderContent CreatorMaker And an overall innovative, brave, and creative entrepreneur in the wood industry! “Woodpreneurs care about building their business as much as they care about the quality of the products they make, create, and sell. They don’t just want a job, they want a company. They invest in this company with blood, sweat, and tears and love every minute of it.” Follow us on Instagram!! @acresoftimber Want more? Join our private Facebook Group and get access to our FREE marketing hacks course for Woodpreneurs! 👉CLICK HERE TO JOIN Listen to more episodes of the Woodpreneur Podcast at: 👉https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/sawmill-business Read our Free Instagram Report:👉 “Tools for how to turn leads into sales, grow your following, and easily create engaging content.” Are you ready to scale your woodworking, flooring, or tree service business? DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?👉 iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE! Like us on Instagram: @acresoftimber www.acresoftimber.com Facebook @acresoftimber Copyright © 2018 Acres of Timber

Today’s guest is Nick Harvey from Bay Area Redwoods. We met Nick at the 2019 Urban Lumber Conference and knew we needed him on the show! Nick fell into the Woodpreneur sphere when he happened to see a pile of wood on the side of the road and stopped to check it out. The owner of the wood saw him and offered him not just the wood pile, but also a different pile of Redwoods that he had. Not knowing how to mill, Nick found a local mobile miller and had the wood milled right on his suburban home’s front lawn! Shortly thereafter, he happened to meet a board member from the “Save the Redwoods” organization who gave him a lead on what he said was "a few Redwoods". It turns out, they were giant Redwoods that were 5 ft in diameter and over 100 ft tall. With a yield of over 50,000 bd ft of wood - this was the moment that Nick says Bay Area Redwoods truly became a business.

Today on the podcast we have the privilege of talking with Dwayne Sperber of Wudeward and the Wisconsin Urban Wood Non-Profit. In the midwest 15 years ago an urban wood movement emerged, this came about from identifying an abundant and underutilized product. Not wanting to waste some truly beautiful and storied wood, the private sector raised their hand and decided to find a way to use these trees. This led to the development of Wudeward, and a collective of other urban wood pioneers salvaging logs and sequestering carbon one tree at a time. In a nutshell, Dwayne organized Wudeward to bridge the gap between an abundance of lumber and those who can and should refine those products. The formation of Wisconsin Urban Wood was a realization of the importance of linking together all the supply chains. Dwayne doesn’t see himself as a leader but more as a member of a collective of many partners. Hearing about urban wood changed his life, and from there he was transformed from a corporate background to one of passion, community, and woodworking. Dwayne attributes his drive to protect and value natural resources to his parents and grandparents who taught him their importance. In the lumber industry, it’s sometimes hard to make the sale on urban wood, but Dwayne says he likes to root for the underdog. Since 1998 he has been working to establish a trusted brand and set of standards for urban wood to give them even footing with their mass milled counterparts. The brand of Wisconsin Urban Wood and the importance of it has led to urban wood being used for bigger and bigger projects. The brand assures consumers that they are following the same standards for urban wood as typical lumber and sawmills. “Lumber has been grade specified and sourced the same way for a century, again we don't have to think about it too much. We have identified an abundance and great potential for a new wood product, and this product fills almost all of the same needs as this traditional lumber.” Dwayne talks about the romantic side of woodworking and what a labor of love the craft is. He also notes that woodworking truly is a community and connecting all parts of it, from arborists to makers makes it very collaborative. On the other side he knows that to make urban wood as popular as it should be and show others the romance of the industry and product, it needs to be seamless and done to the standards of large mills, which is hard to achieve without a lot of effort. Wudeward and Wisconsin Urban Wood have big hopes and plans for what the future of urban wood is going to be like and look forward to potentially having a certification of some kind in the next five to ten years, which would be the next big step for urban wood in an ideal future. As Dwayne notes sadly, the beauty of the craft, unfortunately, is diminishing thanks to non-wood substitutes and things produced en mass, but hopefully certified urban wood could change that. For more on Dwayne, Wisconsin Urban Wood, or Wudeward, check out the info below. http://wisconsinurbanwood.org/about/ https://wudeward.com/about/

On the show today is Bryant Dickens from Dickens and Son Sawmill. A fish biologist by trade, Bryant fell in love with live edge furniture in college. His passion really took off 11 years ago when he learned how expensive live edge furniture was, decided to figure out how to make his own designs, and sourced his wood from local tree service companies from what they considered their “tree waste” piles. Bryant originally paid for local businesses to mill the logs for him but after increasing his earnings selling these slabs and also by making furniture, he purchased his first mill, which was soon upgraded to a Wood-Mizer LT35. He became very passionate about using a resource that is historically underutilized in Arizona, and salvaging wood from the urban forest became his way of combating that waste. Bryant explains further that 75% of what he does is sell raw slabs, and he is certain to pay for his logs even if folks would otherwise be dropping them off at the dump. He does this to give fair value to the tree service workers who provide him with a lot of his product. As a result of his direct and fair practices, the tree service workers often check with him first before going to a dump. Most of the wood Bryant sources is truly local, within 30 miles of his house, and to avoid waste, he tries to use the whole log, no dimensional lumber. As he mentions, “A lot of trees in Arizona don’t grow straight anyways.” While Bryant uses Instagram and Facebook as most businesses do, because he is focused on his local area, a lot of his business comes through Craigslist. As Bryant states, “People on Craigslist are actually a surprisingly large market since they tend to be slightly less educated on the materials, but they want to get high-quality wood.” Due to his willingness to help local customers, they often send him photos of their projects. Bryant takes his level of care one step further by offering advice on how to finish their project professionally. This attention to his local community means that a great deal of Bryant’s advertising is word of mouth. By making a bench or cutting/charcuterie board for a customer who then refers another friend to him, he has built his business on the basis of being “the guy” in town to get people their wood. He believes that people want wood and furniture with heritage and with a history. He also knows that most want products that are built durably so they will last a long time, but there needs to be a way to get it for a reasonable price so that average consumers can buy quality wood rather than disposable big box store furniture. In the next ten years or so, Bryant would like to get a larger space and have a proper urban lumber warehouse/milling operation. Sometimes when he’s out, not even looking for wood and he hears a chainsaw, he’ll go talk to the tree service company doing the work and ask them where that log is headed. Especially if you are in Arizona, get in touch with Bryant through his Instagram if you want to come look through his woodpiles or to get one of his pieces of furniture that may be a tree from your hometown. @dickens_and_son_sawmill Phone: 602-390-2635

Today we’re talking to Wes Lewis, owner of James Wesley Furniture. Based out of Wichita, KS. Wes started working part-time out of his garage in 2015 and Two years later, he moved into a shop and now builds furniture full-time. With talents stretching from metal fabricating to furniture design and sawmilling, Wes is able to experiment in his design creations as well as create beautiful and unique bases for his products.

We’re stoked to have maker and furniture designer, Dylan Walters on the show today! Dylan is the owner and head maker at Dillweeds Custom Wood, a woodshop based out of Pensacola, Florida. Dillweeds Custom Wood started a few years back when Dylan lost his job and spent his last bit of savings at the local mill and on EcoPoxy. He went home, started pouring, and the business grew from there. Dylan’s main focus is on furniture design, but as he puts it, “Any piece of wood that I think is cool and can get my hands on, I’ll try to make something out of it!” Feeling Grateful For His Local Mill Dylan sources his wood from the local mill, People’s Exotic WoodPeoples carries anything and everything and Dylan is able to get almost any type of wood that he needs from them

Black Horse Designs has been around for about three years and is the brainchild of former landscaper, Josh Larrabee. It was in 2010 when Josh and his father took a video of themselves using their own creation, the “Tempest Wood Splitter.” The video went viral and soon requests started coming in from viewers asking for Josh to build them their own Tempests. Funny enough, one of his first customers was former podcast guest, Matthew Collins of Matthew Collins Designs! (Check him out on episode 097.) After five years of building and fulfilling orders for the Tempest Wood Splitter, the demand became so large that when Woodmizer showed interest for the rights to the product design, Josh was ready to do so and moved on to milling live-edge slabs after the deal with Woodmizer was completed.