When I started my company I had no experience with the business side of carpentry. I thought, How hard could it be? It's just running some numbers here and there, getting the materials together and getting the job done. Any Do it Yourselfer can do that, right? Besides, I practically did that every day while working as a carpenter for someone else.

Well, I soon found out that there is so much more to it than that. I had to think about overhead such as tools, truck, insurance, licenses, workshop, gas, salaries for employees...and the list goes on. Also, I had to work out cash-flow, the killer of many businesses. How was I going to fund the business to pay for the things needed to get started? How was I going pay for the day to day cost of doing business? GOOD QUESTION!
Then I had to figure out the really big problem, WORK. Where were the jobs going to come from? Who would hire me? Should I pay for expensive ads and hope the someone would hire me with no proven track record?

I started my company in a city that I had just recently moved to and knew very few people. It all seemed a bit overwhelming, and looking back on it, I don't know how I managed to do it. Luck maybe, good networking skills-they sure help, or it could have been that I wasn't smart enough to know better.
What ever it was, I know that I learned hundreds of very valuable lessons along the way and I want to share them with you. I hope that anyone considering carpentry as a career will read the content here and ask questions and even offer up advise to me and the other folks that may stop by. This will be an open forum for all interested.

In the days to come, I will be adding to this site regularly. There is so much to write and share, and I don't want to wait any longer to get this site up and start helping others. So I am launching it as a work in progress. I welcome any questions or comments, please join in.

Thanks for stopping by

It is often said that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

That is certainly true, especially in business. Before you go out and start your carpentry business, get a business plan together. You have to know what you want to accomplish in this business and how you are going to keep the business going with cash flow.

First, think about what type of carpentry will you be doing? What do you have the most experience in? Can you perform the work without help or do you need to hire someone?

Take a look around your community, and assess what niche would be the most successful and be the easiest to get going. You can always expand into more competitive niches once you have some business exposure and a client base that will help support you.

For example, starting a custom cabinet business in an area that has a few well established companies would be a tough venture. Verses, starting a company that specializes in replacing rotten window shutters in an area that has an abundance of old homes that need them and not many companies to service them. These are just examples, but you get my drift.

Now sit down and think about how much capital you are going to need to get going.
To do that, you need to know :

-What type of work will you be doing. (framing, trim carpentry, cabinets, decks...)
-What type of tools will you need (air compressor, nail guns, saws...)
-What kind of vehicle will you need to comfortably carry out you tasks?
-Do you need a work shop or storage space? What are the going rental rates?
-How will you market your business (newspaper ads, website, radio...) and what will the cost be?

After you get this information together, you will be well on the way to getting your business started.

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Assuming that you have put a plan and list together, I will address some of the issues discussed above.

Tools- Just because you are starting a new business, you don't have to go out and buy the most expensive tools with all of the bells and whistles. What matters most, is that you get a tools that is good quality and will get the job done, new or used.

Which brings me to my next point. I highly recommend that you do you research and find out which tools you need and want for your business. Then search for the best prices on the internet and also on craigslist. I could have saved myself thousands of dollars had I only thought of doing that when I started out. Only later did I find that you can get great tools at unbelievably low prices from people that went out and bought a tool on impulse and later found that they didn't really need it, and needed the cash now much more. But, if you can't find what you are looking for on craigslist, shop online. You can still find some really good deals from online retailers that might even offer free shipping.

Some of my recommendations on tools:

-DeWalt portable 10" table saw. Great saw! I've had mine for 5 years and it's still running strong. It has seen tons of abuse and I've had 0 problems.
-I love using the Hitachi 10" sliding compound mitre saw, but have recently fell in love with the Dewalt 8" slider.
-The Rigid "fuego" circular saw is suprisingly light and pleasant to use. For the money it is my favorite.

Check back in soon---