Defining Community and Who Belongs In It

There’s a pattern of questions we’re regularly asked regarding our artisan business community and how we originally got started. Here we take the mystery out of the equation, and answer the most popular questions asked of us. We hope this gives you a better feel for our world, and offers some insight if you’re thinking about building a business of your own.

How Do We Find the Artists?

This is the number one inquiry; people want to know the story behind our artisan network. There is no magic, single convention or show for this. Making these connections is a grassroots effort. We’re on the road traveling to art shows throughout the year. We attend big retail shows and small artisan craft shows. (More here.) We also connect through referrals between artists, and by doing our own research. No question, it is a time-consuming effort, which is why what we do is so valuable to our clients. We do all the driving, hotels and bad coffee to find beautiful artisan pieces, so our customers don’t have to.

How Did We Come Up with This Idea?

That’s a longer story. I’ve been creating thriving communities of different kinds for more than a decade, mostly in the start-up space and with a focus on university-based start-up communities. Eventually, I became more interested in moving toward a different kind of creative community. I missed my earlier years of creating content – writing, print, magazines – and wanted to get back to the areas I enjoyed. We had been going to art shows for years, and many of the artists we knew wanted to stay focused on enhancing their craft, not on packaging and distribution as much. Since I’ve created other successful communities in the past, launching an artisan community was a logical next step, both in terms of my skills and interests. Kevin (a.k.a. Rugged) has been a craftsman forever, so opening the door to his talents, creating beautiful gift boxes and other custom wood elements, was a big draw for him.

What Was Our First Step?

There isn’t one first step in launching a business. There are a ton. A lot of things happen in tandem once you decide to move forward - and that decision alone requires research, conversation and planning. Exploring the artisan community, and reaching out to different artists who were potentially a good match took months and much trial and error. While all that was going on, we were working with legal and accounting professionals to set a solid foundation. Then we launched a website (more here) and basic marketing materials.

We’ve come a long way since those days, and now have an established community of artists. We work closely with corporate executives, and have access to a growing number of talented professionals interested in working with us. It takes a village to build a business, and it’s important to determine quickly who belongs in your camp.

Listen, Learn and Land That Next Idea

If we listen closely enough, we find that often our customers will tell us what’s next, what to change, and how we can add value. Gathering data and metrics are important, however, combining that information with customer feedback provides a more complete picture. If you’re hearing the same suggestions coming at you in multiple ways, take the time to slow down and listen to what the market is telling you.

By paying close attention to customer feedback, we’ve made changes to our website, offerings, and to the packaging that goes with them. While not all of the changes suggested are possible or practical, many are worth considering.

One example comes from our ability to tell a story via the artisan elements we curate. Each month, we pull data to review which gift boxes have been the most popular during that timeframe, and which artisan pieces were sold. We work with a global community of artists with whom we’ve traveled to meet and built relationships. These artists represent different styles, as well as diverse geographic areas. Combined with our hand-crafted gift boxes, one could say our gifts tell a story using quality, custom, artisan elements that tie in with the origin of place.

Over time, we realized our clients kept asking for that story. First, we responded by posting where each artisan element is from on our website. Then we noticed customers wanted it in email or in summaries, so we began sending it to them with each invoice. Some clients then took our emails and printed them out, or copied and pasted them into a note that they then gave to their gift box recipients. Everyone knew the story then. Not only was their gift handcrafted, they knew the region and state where the pieces were made. As a result of observing all of this, we decided we should provide a brief, elegant summary with each gift box, as part of our service. This will mean our clients’ customers can enjoy the story of their artisan gift box, not just our customers. It also means we’ll have to figure out the printing, paper, sizing, cost and time investment, but that’s what our customers are asking for as part of their luxury gift experience.

This is one example of information we couldn’t have uncovered in metrics alone. Keep tabs on what’s being requested (or asked to be removed) and discuss those things. It could be the game changer that takes your business to the next level.

Building a Foundation to Revive and Thrive

As we post our goals, journal our dreams and visualize the future, can we also create moments of rest and reflection? How about a few deep breaths that lead us to a hearty revival of energy and spirit? Let’s take some time to reflect on how to build a solid business base in a steady yet manageable way.

One step we’re taking is preparing to add more talent to the equation - part time, contract, hourly, weekly, it’s not a one-size-fits-all. The gig economy offers a variety of options to find talented people with flexible schedules. The challenge is, we still have to set aside time on our calendars and do the research. It means slowing down (interview, train, communicate feedback) to then move faster. Admittedly, this feels daunting, but in reality, it has to be done to grow.

Here are a few things we’re doing to move forward and create the space to thrive:

Document Tasks to Hand Off

Over the course of the last six months, we’ve started to document tasks that we could delegate. It’s nothing fancy, a page on a tablet where I scribble a few words. (Rugged loves his workshop tasks, so his list will follow.) I’m making a running list I can trim later, but it’s a start. It feels like progress to write it down. I’ve been much more aware of the tasks I’m doing and the time spent doing them. I’m also aware of what else I could be doing. For example, unlike many people, I enjoy writing content, so that’s not something I want to hand off. I’m also the client-facing professional. However, operational items (inventory, shipping, research, invoicing, packaging, reports, templates.) are tasks I’d happily stop doing. It’s a chicken or egg decision. Do you add talent before you bring in the extra revenue or will more time in the day accelerate business? We’re wagering on the latter.

Virtual vs In Person Help

This decision boils down to whether the task has to be done on site or not. Packaging, for example, can’t be done online. If that’s a task we want to hand off, we need a person come here, have an area for them to work, access to the studio etc. Important things to consider. Or, reports, research, templates, these are all things that can be done from anywhere. As I jot down our wish list of tasks to delegate, I split them into virtual or in person.

Ask Around for Sources of Talent

We’re not the only ones in this situation and neither are you. Ask your business owner friends and colleagues who’ve hired, and their experience with the hires. (Cheap is not always good.) Research options via podcast interviews (see this blog for suggestions). Be sure to ask people who are close to your stage of business so you get recommendations on par with your budget. I’ve been on the phone with Belay to better understand their offering, and had UpWork recommended to us. This is in addition to the usual online options of LinkedIn, Indeed etc. Time and research are required here.

Start Creating Process Guidelines

This transition will be much smoother if there’s some kind of guideline for a new hire to follow, even if it’s bullet points. I’d like to skip this step, but logic prevails. I know I’ll pay later and spend all my time on the back-end fixing what I really wanted people to do, and not moving the needle on the company. And we’ll frustrate the talent too. So, the last time we shipped gift boxes, I sat down immediately afterward and wrote bullet points on all the steps we’d just completed. It was two pages long, and more steps than we realized. (I need to do the same thing when I post this blog too.)

Write it down, calendar it and set a timeline. This is a less glamorous side of business, however, it’s the part that will add freedom and time to enjoy the other things that make it all worthwhile.

Gadgets and Gifts for the Studio & Workshop

After years of giving traditions and holidays, it’s challenging to find small, festive gifts that are useful in the realm of work and play. We’ve put together a few of our favorite gadgets and gifts we use in the studio and workshop to give you some ideas (pics below):

A Sampling from the Studio

On-the-go Travel Sleeves – We carry these to-go-cup sleeves in our cars and keep them in our travel bags. These woolen sleeves are the best to stuff into small spots in the car, zip pouches, and inside your travel packs. They’re colorful, rugged, and practical when traveling over the river to Grandma’s house, or to the slopes and trails. They’re made in a historic mill, by fifth generation craftspeople, a real bonus in our opinion.

A Touch of Tape – When we send cards through traditional mail we use different styles of tape to add a touch of color to envelopes and wrapping. We do use brand stickers with our logo too, however, if we know a client or an artist well, we’ll spice things up in our communication. That’s where the tape comes in. We also pay attention to postage stamps which have become quite a personal statement and design option as well.

Travel and Packing Bags – These colorful flannel bags were custom made to be small, cheery, and flexible. Some of the bags are used for packing ceramics and hand-crafted wood items when meeting with clients. The bags keep artisan pieces protected, and separated by type, making it easy to find and share. We also saved some bags for shoes, a necessity when you have client meetings in cities and need to carry dress shoes. We like to engrave when appropriate too, it takes things up a notch and feels more personal.

Cool Coasters – When the sun goes down and the feet go up, we like to unwind with drinks ranging from hot tea to sparkling water or perhaps something more spirited in nature. No matter what the choice is, coasters are everywhere in our house and work. We like the color, the added texture, and the fact that they protect wood and marble furniture. Whether wooden or woven, hand-crafted coasters are ready to entertain a refreshing beverage break.

#Workshoplife

The workshop is full of large machinery that can sometimes make a freight train sound quiet, however, there are small tools and toys for craftspeople who love to tinker in the land of saw dust and sanders. When you’re tired of turning to duct tape as the last gift resort, here are a few tips for the Workshop:

Noise Cancelling Headphones – We searched for a compact yet effective accessory because this one is important. It needed to be relatively small, and at the same time, do the intended job of dimming the saw noise. Spending hours around the sounds of Table and Planer saws may have an impact on hearing over the weeks and months, and at the very least can invite discomfort. We thought it best to be safe not sorry.

Push Block – This lightweight piece is used with table saws to help push the wood through saw blade and avoid getting fingers too close to the blade. Easy and lightweight, you just need to remember to use it.

Orbit Sander – This electric sander works in a circular motion to quickly and evenly sand larger boards. It fits in the palm of your hand, which makes it easy to use. If you need to sand in tight spots or corners for touch up work, you’ll need to resort to traditional sand-paper or a sanding block, since the orbit is round.

Roadtrip Ready: How to Prep for Client Meetings

Our schedule for the next week looks like unpacking in four different hotels, spanning seven nights, while logging hours on a variety of interstates and coastal highways between Maryland and Maine. Client meetings are scheduled throughout the trip, so everything is organized in advance. One thing we’ve learned in our planning is that customers today receive information differently, and situations pop up that require flexibility. Since client discussions range from formal to casual, we try to include diverse visuals when packing our travel bags. Here are a few of the basics we consider as we hit the road:

As an artisan business, ours is a visual one, and the textures and finishes make a difference. When customers can hold a cutting board or ceramic cup, see the glaze, and feel the weight of the piece, they have a better appreciation for the work that went into making it. It’s best when a selection of artisan elements comes along for the ride, representing different colors and styles. A gift box also gets packed so clients can see first-hand the craftsmanship in our work.

The black hole of technology has taught us a lesson or two over the years. We always bring a PowerPoint of photos, mixed with access to the website. (All it takes is one big appointment, when the internet isn’t available to access your website, to learn this lesson. Been there, done that.) With the variance in internet speeds, waiting a few seconds for a page change can feel painful enough to make things awkward and there’s just no need. These days, depending on the number of people in attendance, clients don’t think twice about looking at photos on an iPhone either.

We pack beautiful, colorful promotional cards to leave behind and use to write notes (thank you, we dropped by to say hello etc.). They’re bigger than a business card, yet smaller than 5x7. (The website, MOO, has a variety of marketing options when you don’t have an in-house marketing team.) Again, we’re a visual business, and it’s beneficial to share our work in different mediums. We never know which one will resonate best.

The bottom line, be prepared and flexible. Technology breaks, time gets reallocated, and attention spans vary. The more you can adapt, the better your chance of success.

Picking Today's Brilliant Mentor? A Look at Our Podcast Favorites

I’m a big believer in the concept that you are the five people you spend the most time with. That idea, coupled with the reality that you can receive world-class mentoring from business owners you’ve never met, puts podcasts at the top of my list of business tools.

As the devoted podcast listener of our team, I prefer business topics, however, our favorite shows cover a wide array of industries, styles, and personalities. Variety is the spice of life, and I rotate episodes depending on the topic and what’s relevant to our business that day.

You’ll notice none of the podcast choices are specific to the artisan gift business. Almost all are hosted by multi-million dollar, self-made, women (and a couple of men). These brilliant women are CEO’s of companies who share business strategies, finance, social media tactics, real-world life, and mindset issues.

Power up your devices, explore the show content, and find your own gems. This isn’t our exclusive list, but it will get you started:

@goaldiggerpodcast - Jenna Kutcher is an amazing young woman, now mother, and multi-million dollar CEO. She started as a photographer and has grown out of photography and into so much more. Her personal stories about career transition, and genuine questions during her interviews are endearing and valuable. If you research her work, you will see she’s tackled many challenges, and established herself as a bold champion of women of all shapes and sizes. She’s an impressive young CEO. Jenna has a brand sponsorship with Aerie, just one of her lucrative revenue streams.
Here’s Jenna’s interview on how to become an “influencer:” https://jennakutcherblog.com/aligrant/

@msrachelhollis – Rachel Hollis is a warrior who rose from the ashes of a difficult beginning, to mega stardom. (She built her business to the point of retiring her husband from his executive job at Disney.) Rachel is now an author, global speaker (see “RISE” events) and mother of four young kids. Recently, she launched a new line of clothing with Target. Dave Hollis is working with his impressive wife at The Hollis Company. I watch her/them on IGTV, not via podcast, although she does have one. Humor is a mainstay in both her posts/videos and their efforts together. Rachel and her husband make a compelling team, which, as a husband and wife team here at Red & Rugged, is especially interesting to us.
Here’s Rachel on IG: https://www.instagram.com/msrachelhollis/?hl=en

@amyporterfield – Amy Porterfield owns an online marketing business and is the top interviewer out of the bunch. While some of her podcasts are specific to online marketing, many are well beyond that topic and include insightful business interviews. This woman knows how to prepare and ask meaningful, detailed questions. (Her occasional podcasts with her husband, Hobie, are funny too. Even “Rugged” listens to those!)
Here’s Amy’s interview of marketing guru, Seth Godin: https://www.amyporterfield.com/2018/11/238/

@edmylett - Ed Mylett interviews a wide range of world-class personalities in business, sports and beyond. He may appear as more of a macho persona looking at his brand images of big muscles, expensive cars and private jets, however, he’s genuine in his discussions and candid in his comments. His guests are heavy-hitters too. Examples of his diverse guest list include; the US women’s national soccer team coach, a professional wrestling mega-star, and several powerful women business owners.
Here’s Ed’s interview of Olympic champion, Shaun White, one of our favorites. Shaun is just plain funny! This a great combination of business, inspiration, and perseverance.
https://podcasts.apple.com/kw/podcast/how-to-reach-your-ultimate-goal-with-shaun-white/id1181233130?i=1000437045682

@theweddingbiz - Andy Kushner's podcast might seem a bit outside our norm, however, if you look at the star-studded entertainment, event, and creative professionals Andy attracts (David Stark, Marcy Blum, as examples), it makes sense. He’s is a quality interviewer too and has the skill to keep asking the one or two extra questions that really get to the details. So, if creativity is part of your business model, give it a try.
Here’s Andy’s interview with global event planner, and business owner, Lynn Easton: https://theweddingbiz.com/lynn-easton-2-2

If you need a few more podcasts to check out, visit James Wedmores’ Mind Your Business, The Life Coach School by Brooke Castillo, and The Manifestation Babe by Kathrin Zenkina.

How to Prep When You're Ready to Press "Record"

The iPhone was in position, we were in our seats, our intro was prepared, and yet, hitting “record” on our first video still felt daunting. It sounds easy to record a 1-2 minute video. While the recording process might be, the rest is not. The prep work should not to be taken lightly.

Here are a few things we learned launching our video channel:

Background work. We took time to learn the how and why of using video. This came in the form of listening to several podcasts, even before watching videos. One interview that was particularly insightful came from Jenna Kutcher’s Goaldigger podcast 246, Hit Record. I’m a big fan of her business acumen. We took to heart her comment that sometimes you just have to press “record.”

This is not the place for snap decisions. We made the decision three months before we hit “record” to launch a video channel. We’ve been asked many of the same questions by clients and artisans, and from our research, this seemed like a good way to answer those questions. Recording itself takes a minute or two, but those minutes take weeks to research, plan and execute.

Say what? Prior to this, we had very little experience with a video platform and the steps to establish a channel (thus the iPhone reference in the intro). This includes determining which video platform to even use. (We chose You Tube.) Our website, and other social platforms, have been our initial priority. I had to add in the learning curve time – and frustration – of technically how to do it. (And we’re not done yet.)

New meaning of App-titude. It’s not just You Tube you have to download, but the YT Studio for editing. Since we don’t have a professional thumbnail, yet, we use what the Studio gives us for three photo choices. (Yes, just wait until you see the first three photos you can pick from as the “face” of your video. Hot tip: make sure you’re smiling when you hit “record.”) Test recordings, editing options (not yet), uploading, adding links, it takes time to learn this stuff.

What’s the story. Next we had to decide what we wanted to discuss on the videos. And not just the first one, but what’s the schedule for the next few months? What are the topics people ask us about, and what specifically will be valuable or interesting to share in a few minutes?

Integrate it into your content. How does this video content integrate into all the other content you produce? For example, how does this upload into a newsletter? And the web site? How will you promote this, and on what timeline? We decided to post one every two weeks, which we realize is like 10 years in internet time, but a reasonable commitment beats and unrealistic one.

Cut! Take 2,3,4… Ugh, can we just tell you it takes a lot of attempts to get one you can manage to use (assuming video isn’t your natural calling). Even though it’s not live and you can delete anything, it’s funny how being on camera suddenly elevates all your personal appearance issues to a new level. And, it’s not just what you say, it’s are you staring at the camera like a zombie? What do you wear? How’s your energy level? What do you say first? How do you close it out? The list is long. We originally wrote a list of points to keep by the video as it was recording so we wouldn’t forget. Then we stared at the list and not the camera, so we had to ditch that idea! (Hot Tip: You have to be willing to laugh at yourself!)

Press the red button. We are novices in this area, however, I’m proud that we’ve made the leap and entered a brand new era for us. We’ll evolve and laugh about this one day, but the plan is that folks out there in internet-land get to know us and learn a few things that are helpful too. We’re willing to try to bring new ideas to you, our subscribers, site visitors, followers and customers. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t, but we’ll be smarter business people for it, and have some laughs along the way.

Lights, Camera! Action! See for yourself here… (be sure to subscribe for bonus editions and we’d love a “thumbs up!”)

The Refined Few Beats the Varied Many: Year 3

Reflecting on recent accomplishments and the “my how things have changed here” points is what we do as we transition into our next year. A lot has changed, as one would expect, moving into year three. (Will we be saying that twenty years from now?) If the first two years are like drinking water from a firehose, year three will be all about fine-tuning and learning to jettison (quickly) things that weigh us down. Here we pause for a moment of reflection.

Year one was the heavy business lift (more on that here), standing up the foundation and web platform (more here) along with selecting and defining artist relationships. A basic level of marketing was in order, (more here) while selling and fulfilling orders as we went.

Year two was about exploring gift box possibilities with our community of artists and the acceleration of outreach to corporate and hospitality. Increased outreach meant more energy went into processes and guidelines as larger clients expect such things.

I’ve noted before about one Hazard of the Job, which includes having access to so many ceramic shows and artists. We have a variety of styles, textures and colors at our fingertips, and it’s tempting to want more beautiful options on hand. We’re in this business because we appreciate the talents of these artists. I can justify buying for future gift boxes and for select clients who trust us to provide specialty individual gift boxes with hard-to-find pieces. Maybe. You can see where this leads, right? To inventory that isn’t as focused as it could be.

This coming year will be about refinement and focus, with added attention to the data. Numbers don’t lie, they can be interpreted differently perhaps, but the data is there for the taking. We researched and educated ourselves on SEO, and beefed up the analytics, paying more attention to the different reports available (for free). It’s a combination of understanding the data and analytics, while keeping a pulse on artisan design trends that will capture our clients’ hearts - and wallets. With two years of experience in our artisan community, and data in hand, we expect refinement and focus will be the name of the game in year three.

We’re excited about what we’ve accomplished in just two short years: a talented community of top-tier artists, respected globally; Fortune 500 and renowned hospitality clients; a growing platform of vibrant content (Blog, web, IG, Pinterest and this year, video!), and a rapidly increasing number of engaged, supportive newsletter subscribers, and cheering fans. It’s quite an amazing journey. Saddle up, and join us for the ride!

Rockin' Red Even in Silver

 Updated April 6, 2020, with the video below.

When you’re the face of your business, changing your appearance matters. For experienced, executive women, when that change means moving to silver locks, get ready.

For starters, people who’ve known me for years ask all the time if I’m still the “Red” in “Red & Rugged” now that I have a silver hair. Yes, is the short answer. The “red” still applies to my “spicey” personality (my husband’s nickname for me), not the hair color. That said, of the many decisions I’ve made in my career, it’s amazing how compelling this decision became, to let my hair turn to natural silver.

To quote Beyonce, one day I woke up like this. I was just ready to embrace it - my experience, future opportunities, and my age - which all seemed like what turning silver meant. For me, it seemed like the color of my hair was hiding things, or keeping things a secret, and I didn’t care what other people said. Or so I thought.

In addition to the attitude shift, the salon situation included spending two hours, every two and a half weeks, and upwards of $200 each salon visit. You do the math. The time commitment became too much, it just didn’t make sense to me anymore, and pouring chemicals on my head that often wasn’t thrilling either. I had spent years getting my hair to a consistent level of red, and one night I told my husband I was done. It was time to own my age and my hair color, and move on. There were more important things in life to spend my time and money on. He was surprised, but he didn’t argue. Smart man.

At first, I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I was so over the time commitment that I didn’t care. Then it became clear how publicly obvious it was going to be to get my hair from years of chemicals to silver. The first attempt consisted of 4+ hours in the salon chair, before my trusted stylist and I both gave up. The red didn’t want to leave and thus an “interesting” blondish/yellow was as good as it was going to get. We were both stressed. The second try was about the same. The easy transition was out the window, so I told my stylist to cut it shorter, the torture would be quicker. On St Patty’s Day, I put a styling product in my hair that accidentally, and slowly, turned pieces of my hair green. I heard one young lady at a business event that night say, “See, if she can do her hair that color, I should be able to do purple!” Not exactly what I was going for. My hair had been so colorful to the business community that they all thought it was intentional.

In the end, the full transition took about a year. I share this with those of you considering this move, as a point of consideration, not to say to avoid it. I will add, it feels like more of a significant decision, at times. For example, unusual business interactions began to happen that made it apparent I’d made this change. I was on an appointment with a co-worker (a white male) and our contact came down to greet us. He said his admin had told him his appointment was here with his wife. Wait, what?! I guess since my co-worker had gray hair, and now I did, I was married to him? Suddenly, it didn’t occur to people I was a senior executive? Wow. Seriously. That was not the only time this type of thing happened either, and it had never happened before. (I’m also willing to bet that comment never happens in reverse.)

This transition also triggers a new internal dialogue. As confident and not caring as I typically am, there are days when I feel the change more than others. People do look at you differently now that you’re of a certain age. Before, they wondered or guessed, but now my age range is pretty obvious. Or that’s the story I tell myself sometimes before I auto-correct and get a grip. I have no idea what they’re thinking. Or what they used to think. They might have always looked at me that way! I also catch myself thinking at networking events, “Good grief, this room is full of gray hair, we need some younger folks,” and then I chuckle when I remember I’m one of the gray ones.

In the end, it was a great decision for me. I’m still the red and “spicey” one, the one with the passionate attitude. And in spite of the challenges, having moved to a natural color feels like a blast of freedom. I never worry when the wind blows! (Some of you know exactly what I mean!) I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m out there and ready to keep rocking it, and excited to leverage my wisdom and experience in this business.

My advice, as you consider this for yourself one day… if you don’t have thick skin for the inevitable comments, and the idea of months of color transition feels like death-by-a-thousand-cuts, then you may want to hold off. But, if you’re ready to cut loose of the time commitment and be comfortable with all you bring to the table, then let the change begin!

Since this blog was originally posted, the world has changed in 2020 and many women are reevaluating how their time and resources are invested. We’re also looking at how we want to show up in the world and what a new, more simplified life might look like. Based on all this, and the questions I am asked regularly about what it was like for me as a business owner and woman to make this change, I added the video below.

Tips We've Learned Creating an Efficient Workshop

Running a workshop that deals in custom gift box orders requires being super-efficient since each order can involve different sizes, accents and wood stains. For example, we’ve worked to be strategic in the number and size of gift boxes offered, however, because the hardware accent can change, it means we go from offering a few combinations to many. Ditto on the cutting board possibilities. Options require process and a plan, and don’t allow for wasted time looking for tools, making room for wood pieces and finding the right hardware inventory.

Here are two points we consider important as we deliver on customer timelines:

1. Stay sharp. We’ve created a sharpening schedule for all the blades and bits. We use all hardwoods for our gift boxes which means the length of time between sharpening the blades is shorter than for those who use soft woods (red oak vs pine). The sharper the blades, the less sanding required, the faster the process. The blades are on a rotating schedule, making sure the ones in use perform at their best, while others get sharpened at the same time. Router bits, used for the gift box edging, require the same type of attention and sharpening schedule.

2. Get organized for production. We’re often working on multiple projects simultaneously; creating cutting boards, staining boxes, and finishing tablescapes. This means three different processes are in the works. When you require drying time, cutting time and finishing time – all at once - the work stations can get crowded quick, and meeting customer delivery dates means production schedules need to be seamless. You can’t have the clamps that hold each unique wood piece for cutting boards out in the same area where the gift box pieces need to be stained. If you’re unorganized and spend hours cleaning up benches and moving tables around for the next step in each project, you’ve wasted a lot of valuable time. And there’s no rushing things like drying time. It’s like waiting for water to boil. Endless if you’re in a hurry.

Efficiency in the workshop isn’t complicated, however, it does require attention to detail and thoughtful planning. (It’s an evolving process too, read more of our early lessons.) Delivering quality craftsmanship is as much about the tools as it is about the skill required to use them.