Becoming a full-time maker, what should one expect?

D

Don Nguyen

Joined
Oct 4, 2011
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Of course, this is speculation down the road for me. I'm constantly thinking about it though, day and night.

Two of the biggest concerns I'm aware of are money and enjoyment. Supporting myself I'm not worried that much, but when time comes that I may have to support a family, then everything is in the unknown. When I make knives in my spare time, I love it, but when I have to make a knife to pay for rent and food, maybe I'll grow to hate it.

I'd really love to hear the stories of all you full-time makers and everyone else who has thought about or is thinking about going full-time. There are an infinite number of factors I don't even realize exist, so any piece of knowledge you have to share I'm grateful for.

Thanks everyone.

-Don Nguyen
 
Cant comment on being a knife maker but the biggest thing I can think of is that your gonna be running a business. That is the aspect most craftsman usually end up not liking about it. That is also where alot of people fail at the attempt. They can make wonderful items (whatever it is) but the business side of things ends up getting to be too much.

Learn as much as you can about running a business,

and more then anything have a business plan.

Others with more experience in the knife arena can comment on that side of it.
 
I'm a full time whatever-it-is-that-I-am self employed maker of stuff.

I see a lot of folks come into this and get into it for a year or two and move on to other interests. I suggest you do it part time a couple years before making the plunge. Some people have both the aptitude and long term interest to do well at it. Other people are too slow or don't have the aptitude or simply lose their interest in it.

As I see it there are three hurtles before a person can really start:
1: accumulating the tools you need to to the job profitably
2: accumulating the skills you need to do the job profitably
3: building a functional business that can make a profit.

There are a lot of successful makers that, for whatever reason, can't or won't put it all together. So instead they do it as an enjoyable side interest. There's nothing wrong with that.

Final thought: a good way to ruin an enjoyable hobby is to make a job out of it.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Final thought: a good way to ruin an enjoyable hobby is to make a job out of it.
Click to expand...

I fully agree with that statement. I've made a couple sets of micarta handle scales for myself, that turned out okay for my first attempt. Since then, I've practiced my skills a good bit on just scrap bits of wood (works good enough for me to practice hand shaping handle scales). I enjoy doing it, though it can be a bit of a headache at times. Turning it into a full time job, could very well kill the enjoyment of it. However, it may not and you'll end up having a job that you enjoy that doesn't really seem like a job.
 
And, one of the first comments I ever heard about knife making was:
"Knife making is a life time of buying tools - and then you die."
 
Karl B. Andersen said:
Don't go into it owing a dime to anyone - anywhere.
Be completely debt free - first.
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Amen brother!


I've been full time since 1991 and completely debt free.

None of the regular job benefits most of you are used to having though.

But I wouldn't trade it for anything. :D
 
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As others have said, I wouldn't turn a hobby into a job. I did that once, and it wasn't fun.

You certainly won't get the traditional benefits of a "regular" job. (Insurance, 401K, pension, etc)
 
Excellent advice about debt (for everyone no matter what they do, IMO).
I'll add a related concept about overhead. Don't take on monthly financial obligations unless they're really necessary. They add up fast and keep you from having flexibility when you need it.
 
Marry a teacher or a nurse, or somebody who makes good money and can get insurance through her job. If you go full time, you can take off any day you don't want to get paid.
 
I've turned two hobbies into businesses in the past and ruined my love for both. I'm just now getting back to enjoying DIY projects on the home and some woodworking. I briefly thought about starting a Outfitter business, luckily I came to my senses before I pulled the trigger (no pun intended).

The part about being debt free is spot on. Since you're single, you have no excuse for racking up debt. Just make sure you marry a woman with the same views! Once my Wife and I started following the Dave Ramsey plan and got everything paid for, it was like the weight of the world lifted off our shoulders. I can't tell you how "free" we now feel. We've been debt free since 2005 and I can't imagine ever taking on monthly payments for "stuff" again! Don't fall for the trap that you gotta have "stuff" to be successful.

The downside of being in a business like this is, if you don't work, you don't eat. If you fall ill or you want to take a few days off, no paycheck! And you won't be getting those paid vacations any longer as well! I'm all for one being their own employer, but let's face it, it isn't for everyone! There's some great guys who make the best products but they're not business minded and so most fail. There's others out there who churn out mediocre product but have a mind for business and they do extremely well. If you don't have knowledge about how to run a small business, then take a class. Most community colleges will have some type of small biz class. Good luck to you.
 
I like to make stuff, but you can make more money selling stuff than making stuff.


Find a way to make money, then use that to fund your interests.
You don't always have to work to "make money" it's best when you can have the money make itself.


ie, have all the tools, permits, labour and skills to build a house and sell one in a month.
or be a real state agent and sell one a week and make 4x with far fewer costs and risks.


Make a knife in a day, or be a retailer-dealer and sell 10x a day.

Be a goldsmith and craft a unique one of a kind piece that has your heart soul and lifetime of experience in it,
or own the store - and make money off that smiths skills as well as selling several mass produced items per day at a markup...

Ever buy a bottle of water? I've paid more for Desani water than Coke, both brands owned by Coke, but the water has no sugar, flavour carbonation or additives in it.
The water should be cheaper.
20 years ago selling water would have been laughed at, now it's second nature.
 
12345678910 said:
I like to make stuff, but you can make more money selling stuff than making stuff.
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Of course that doesn't take into account that peculiar neuroses afflicting nearly all knife makers. If making money is THE primary consideration, there are plenty of other things one could/should be doing instead.
 
what about hooking up with one dealer first and making a small run of knives( maybe 5~10 every quarter) and see how well they do? i always read how a lot of makers feel overwhelmed with all the orders, i figured if they can:

1. move knives without losing artistic movement and the passion
2. more manageable order list of 5 or whatever realistic amount of finished knives at a time
3. no backlog of angry waiting and impatient customers
4. dealer is the one who has to talk to the customer instead of you, allowing you to focus on the top three especially #1 then wouldn't this model work to segway into a full time undertaking of knife making?
 
JCaswell said:
Of course that doesn't take into account that peculiar neuroses afflicting nearly all knife makers. If making money is THE primary consideration, there are plenty of other things one could/should be doing instead.
Click to expand...

Very good point. I definitely am into the money aspect. I pay bills and help put food on my family's table with my knife shop.....but that's definitely not the only reason I do it. There's something about the satisfaction of each completed piece and the freedom to do what you want with your craft that adds to attraction. I can think of more profitable small businesses that would pay me quite a bit better, yet I'd be miserable;)
 
I was a one-man, self employed goldsmith for 30 years, operating a retail studio for 25 years, at the same location. I closed my studio in June of this year because I had found that I lost the passion for making jewelry. The special order work that paid the bills just sucked the creativity out of me and led to a total jewelry "burn-out".

In those 30 years I was able to be my own boss---NOT. I had to be at the studio in sickness and in health, in any weather, at any time needed (including weekends) In those 30 years, I had 6 vacations of a week or longer and 3 of those were going to Tuson for the gem show. I had to be very friendly and calm to customers while I had and unfinished project to be delivered in an hour.

But, I kept a roof over my family's head, put 1 daughter through college, and kept a whole lot of doctors in money as my wife became disabled during most of this time.

I closed the shop because of the burn-out I felt. BUT, then along came knives and feel the same excitement and creativity that I felt about jewelry in the beginning. I have been putting a knife shop together and have started "playing" again. Can't wait to see what happens now... ...Teddy
 
Having an agent can be a good thing for all that you mentioned. Selling whole sale is a drag though since you are selling your knives at a substantial discount than what you could retail it at.
Consigning knives to a store or gallery can be nice too, but commonly from other makers experiences too, the stores don't want to pay you for as long as possible. That way they are sitting on your money, and in case the buyer returns the knife to them , because of buyers remorse or something they can refund your money, if they had not paid you yet.


optiondrifter said:
what about hooking up with one dealer first and making a small run of knives( maybe 5~10 every quarter) and see how well they do? i always read how a lot of makers feel overwhelmed with all the orders, i figured if they can:

1. move knives without losing artistic movement and the passion
2. more manageable order list of 5 or whatever realistic amount of finished knives at a time
3. no backlog of angry waiting and impatient customers
4. dealer is the one who has to talk to the customer instead of you, allowing you to focus on the top three especially #1 then wouldn't this model work to segway into a full time undertaking of knife making?
Click to expand...
 
Medical is something that you should really think about..We are blessed to have Phillips Goverment employees benifits..Without that good medical insurance I honestly dont know where we would be right now, well other than thousands and thousands of dollars in debt...
People talk about no debt, thats not what you have to worry about..Its the debt you dont want that gets you...No one stays perfectly healthy forever, sooner or later a doctor/hospital is going to get their share too..
 
Bad health is like a lightning bolt out of the blue. I mulled over the idea of turning my knife shop into a full time job, but stayed with my regular job with bennefits. I had major surgery that ended up forcing me to take the early retirement package that was available at the time. Without the pension I would be up the financial creek without a paddle. Times have become difficult and people don't have the income to buy knives like they used to.
 
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