Cut, Sand, Repeat... Cut, Sand, Repeat...

Hello Readers!

There is a glimmer of light in the progress department of my small business. The brightest spot being that orders keep coming in at a steady pace. The Ugly has reared its head however in the form of doing the same process, over, and over, and over again only to repeat it again and again… I find myself trying to stay ahead of the orders, trying to not think about the fact that in the course of three weeks I have made over a 1000 square 1.5×1.5×1.5 inch blocks… No, instead I try to think about the future and what good things will come from it… If that fails I will have to find a happy place.

The worst part of all, is sanding! Good grief I need a dust collector ASAP!

Regards,

Into the Trenches

Hello Readers,

It has not been too long since my last post. So this will be just a quick update. I am headed into the trenches. received quite a number or orders for wood blocks and they keep coming. We shall see if my established system works. If not you will find me sprawled up in a corner somewhere.

ONWARD!

Best wishes to you all.

Ethan

My Small Business: Keeping Above Water and Learning to Tread... And Product Photos!

Hello Readers,

Some people get busy just doing what they do, some people get busy learning how to do it, others get busy because they allowed themselves to get that way.

Right now I’d say my process for “Product Handling Time” is working, if a customer orders a product, it is then processed and shipped normally within 3 to 6 business days of the original order.

Question: “Why not 3-5, or 1-3 days instead?”

My Small Business: My First Band Saw, New Horizons

Hello Readers,

Well Yesterday I finished setup of my first band saw. I started at the low end because that is what my business could afford and I am also learning the ropes. I read lots of reviews for the Ryobi Band saw from Home Depot and after some consideration and education on Band Saw tuning, I went out and bought one… That was Saturday. Turns out the one I picked was busted so after returning and swapping for store credit, traveling to a different store 20 miles away, inspecting the item in the parking lot and finally making it home I started to tune just about everything on the saw.

My Small Business: Slow and Steady Wins the Race... If You Can Stand it

Hello Readers!

Ever heard the saying “Slow and steady wins the race”? Or “The early bird gets the worm”? Or even “Use your head for more than a hat rack”?

I’ve heard these plenty of times from my mother when I needed to pace myself, or from my father responding to something dumb I had done. But these never really made more sense than now… Owning a business will give you a new perspective I suppose.

Starting out now over the past 3 months (December – February), it has been a slow pace, I can see the value of my business and the work that goes into it first hand, but still I wonder at times if I am really getting anywhere. Well I have come to the conclusion that this slow start-up pace is exactly what I need to succeed. Having this pace will allow me to get better and LEARN how to do what I do more efficiently. That should be my slogan “Get Better and LEARN”. The knowledge I gain from this experience will make me better and more prepared for the busier days and months and years to come.

Maybe now I should make a hat rack…

My Small Business: Accounting, We All Love to Hate it...

Hello Readers,

It sure has been a busy time for me, after my direct sale to The Cornerstone Bookstore I recieved several orders which really gave me quite a time at making sure I had the time to complete everything. In the end I did, and I finally found the right handling time that would work for both me and the customers.

I’d like to also draw attention to accounting… For some, this process can be daunting and tedious. But I suggest for anyone who is going to own a business, that they better set up an accounting process at the beginning! Because of my background in IT, I had a intermediate knowledge of how to use excel and the formulas within to make my accounting process as smooth as freshly sanded end grain cutting boards… Currently I account all sales for outside and inside my state (you don’t owe sales tax on internet sales out of state), all customer information, customer trends yada yada and a whole lot more.
Take a look at a snapshot of my accounting sheet from a few weeks ago:

My Small Business: Spud's First Direct Sale to Retail!

Hello Readers!

Well there you have it, my small business has made its first landing on the physical retail scene through the Cornerstone Book store in CT. This marks significant growth for my business as I would like to have my products sold more in local shops and stores.

On a lighter note I have had a lot of individual specialty requests from Etsy to my shop which is very pleasing. Just wanted to share some good news with you all!

My Small Business: Making Connections

Hello Readers,

Well I got some good feedback from my previous blog entry so I decided I might as well start a new series for my new small business and chronicle the ups and downs of starting my business. Enjoy!

Photo Shoot for new Etsy Shop Products

Hello Readers!

Today we had some overcast in the Northeast, so I decided it would be a perfect day for running a photo shoot for my Etsy shop photos (no shadows). I don't have a professional camera or anything like that, but I think the photos came out well. Check some of them out below and if you are curious you can visit my Etsy shop at Spud Wood Works and share with your friends!