This subject offers important insight to the world of Knifemakers and I have gained a lot of understanding of other makers and the collectors that help support their work. These different levels are what I went through and have no bearing on how good a maker’s work is or one level being any better than another. This is just what I went through.
Since I started making knives in 1975 I have gone through 4 basic levels. Each was an important step getting me to where I am now.
1st – Hobby knifemaker. I was at this level for about 10 years. I had a full time job that paid all the bills and offered a little extra to put into my hobby. At this level I made knives as gifts, blanket prizes and would sell a few. Success or failure was based on whether I was having fun or not. There was little pressure to build a name or style and I could do about what I wanted to in regard to pushing further. I learned a lot about making knives and a little about being in business. This was a comfortable level of knifemaking and I suspect a lot of makers are here and satisfied to stay.
2nd – Part Time Maker. I was at this level for about 3 to 4 years. At this level I begin thinking about working toward making this a career. I studied improving my methods and invested all the money I made with knives into equipment and materials. I still had a full time job that paid the bills and expenses such as electricity, automobiles and insurance. I started keeping customer records and started a bookkeeping system for tracking expenditures and for taxes. I produced a brochure and started going to Craft Shows, Knife and Gun Shows as well as Black Powder gatherings. During this time I also started building a recognizable style. This was a very comfortable level to be at with little pressure.
I suspect a lot of makers are at this level and are very happy to stay here. A good maker can build a good name at this level and stay as busy as they want to with a little promotional effort as long as the work being produced is good and priced competitively.
3rd – Full Time Maker with Additional Income. I was at this level for about 2 years. This is where I was a full time maker with a spouse that had a full time job. I paid all of my knife expenses and part of the household bills. My insurance was carried by my wife’s company insurance policy. At this level I begin to feel real pressure to build my name and business. I started advertising in Knife and Black Powder publications. I had articles written and sent them to the same publications. I added Knife Shows to my travels. I still re-invested all the money I could back into the business for equipment, materials and promotion. I hired an accountant to handle my tax preparation. I continued to improve my customer list and became computerized. I did mailings to my customers with catalogs and show invitations. During this period my customer base grew at a faster pace because I put more efforts in this area. My presence at Shows began to grow and I built strong relations ships with others in the business. I joined the Knifemakers Guild and the ABS.
I suspect a lot of makers are at this level too. They are making Knives full time and either have a part time job, a working spouse or a retirement income. This could also be a very comfortable level to be at for the long term. Knife sales are important but not necessarily critical to survival. A slow time can be dealt with without having to make major changes in ones lifestyle.
4th – Full Time Maker with No Additional Income. This is the level I am at now and have been since 1988. There is a lot of pressure to keep moving forward and continue building my knifemaking skills and business practices. The most important thing I did here was to add Karen to the business. She brought a lot of business skills and makes Sheaths that really put our work in a whole new league. We have to keep complete records that are an important tool for keeping the business end straight. They are vital for tax preparation and research into expenses. Knowing where your money goes is critical in knowing how to price our work. Pricing by what someone else does or what you think the market will bear is short sighted and will likely cause problems in the future. This is a difficult business to be financially successful in as a totally independent maker. There is a lot of competition and very few customers really need what we do. By having to derive your entire income from the knife business a maker is forced to get up and go to work whether you want to or not. You have to conduct business in an acceptable way so not to negatively affect your reputation. And you have to pay taxes to stay out of jail. You must put your time and money into areas that gain more than they cost. Generally you must stay aware of all aspects of your career. We invest money into new equipment that will make our work better and more efficient. We invest in new market areas traveling to non-knife shows and advertising in non-knife publications. We also look into new knife related areas and consider expansion into these areas. We have debt but it is controllable. We have life and health insurance. It is expensive but not being insured is sort of like Skydiving without a reserve chute.
I suspect very few makers are on this level. It is the most difficult to survive in. It does not make your work more sought after. It does not put you in any kind of exclusive club. But if a maker can handle the pressure it can be very rewarding mentally and somewhat rewarding financially.
Daniel
Thats Beautiful Deker :thumbup: :thumbup:
