Osprey Knife & Tool will no longer be available on Fiddleback Fridays

Osprey Knife & Tool

Osprey Knife & Tool

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Jun 4, 2014
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I would first like to start out by thanking Andy personally and publicly for allowing me to work for him and create a brand for myself while selling one knife a week on Fiddleback Friday’s
I would not be were I am today without his guidance and support

I have decided to withdraw all future sales of OKT’s on The Fiddleback Forge Friday Sales Thread,

With the recent success with Blade Show, Blade Forums as well as acquiring 2 dealers. I have decided to increase my production in an effort to meet the demand, grow and distinguish my brand.

This is not me leaving Fiddleback Forge. As I work towards transitioning From Full-time Fiddleback to Full-time Osprey K/T. I will continue to work for Andy part time as a member of the Fiddleback Team and remain Shop Foreman.

This was a decision that Andy and I came to collectively. We both feel that it is in the best interest for both companies to grow and prosper. This is simply a decision to direct OKT traffic to my hosted knife makers sub forum and become more independent.


I will continue to post previews and offer my knives for sale on my hosted knife maker’s forum.

I will over the next few days decide exactly how and when I want to execute my sales. It will be a little different than the Fiddleback Friday
I will keep you guys up to date. Thank you everyone for their continued support!


You can also find me on Instagram here
https://www.instagram.com/ospreyknifeandtool/?hl=en

And I am Currently working on an OKT Face book page here

https://www.facebook.com/Ospreyknifeandtool/
 
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Good luck Chris with all your current and future endeavors. I will continue to direct business your way, and hope to see you grow as a knifemaker and as a valuable member of the Fiddleback team.
 
Man, I'm so proud of Chris. This is a big step, just as getting his own forum was. His knives are spectacular, and I'm glad he is going to continue working for me. I'm so proud to see his brand growing.
 
I'm sure you've put a lot of thought into making this move Chris. We'll all miss having a shot to shark one of your knives on Friday's, however it sounds like you'll be creating additional opportunities on your own sub forum so with that in mind, best wishes for your continued success !
 
Damn Chris. You go boy.. You've got what it takes. You guys both rock. Best wishes for you both. Now make me something in BLUE...
 
Congrats on all your current and future successes Chris. One of my favorite things about being able to come by the shop is to see what new patterns, finishes and material combinations you are putting together. I've seen so much progress in your work the past year and you should be very proud of the direction you are heading. Really glad to hear you'll still be there next time I stop in.
 
I was wondering when this change was coming. Congrats Chris, you make awesome knives.
 
Can't wait to get my first one this fall! Congrats on the move and I'm glad you'll still be working at Fiddleback Forge too :thumbup:
 
Congrats on the big step, can't wait to see your new sales program and the knives you produce.
 
Congrats Chris! I'm really looking forward to seeing what your future holds. Looking forward to my next couple knives from you also!
 
It's a fun ride as a member of this forum being able to watch all the talented makers connected with Andy & Fiddleback Forge learn, grow & expand their own following here on the forums. Congratulations Chris. Your work speaks for itself.
 
Very good. It will be awesome to see more of your work getting out there. My set of OKTs is slowly growing, and the detail and craftsmanship in every knife is highly evident. It will be fun to watch your brand grow.
 
Big props to you Chris, on another big step! Andy should be proud.
I wish nothing but continued success to you both!
 
Congratulations on your success Chris. You have worked very hard to achieve it. I wish you all the best going forward.

From an individual customer's standpoint, seeing a craftsman I like reach this stage is a double-edged sword (or knife ;) ) for me. There is frequently a short window of time between when a knife maker develops the skills to produce high quality knives that interest me and when he (or she) gets picked up by dealers that place big orders that crowd out your ability to work with interested individual customers. Sure it means that we have easier access to buy more standardized knives from the dealers, but that is not quite the same experience as working with you directly. As your success grows, more dealers will come on line with bigger orders and that becomes your life if you remain an individual craftsman with limited hours in a day. Suddenly you will have little or no time to personally maintain an active presence on your forum or respond to personal messages or requests from individuals. That is the price of growth all to often when you are a one man band. I love Dylan, but he seems to be caught up in that cycle these days to me.

I want you to continue to grow and succeed Chris. I just want to caution you to be very deliberate in how fast you grow so that you are always leading the business plan rather than letting it lead you. If your individual fans start to feel too disconnected from you the maker, your brand will become just another internet commodity. I think Skylar (Skystorm) said it best in Andy's thread earlier this year when demand was seriously slowing down. With all due respect to Skylar, I am going to paraphrase his point and change the names to make it relevant to you:

After showing my favorite Raptor to a friend, he says "Wow, where did you get this great knife?"

My response choices are either:

A) "I bought it off the internet..."

or

B) "It's an Osprey Knife & Tool knife. Let me tell you about my friend Chris who makes them..."

That is a powerful message in a few short sentences. Please don't let the positive momentum overwhelm who you are and what you stand for.

Good Luck and thanks my friend!

Phil
 
Chris,
Great news! It can be scary starting off on your own but you've decided to jump, your parachute will open!
 
Congrats Chris. Glad to hear about your continued success. It's well earned.
 
Comprehensivist said:
Congratulations on your success Chris. You have worked very hard to achieve it. I wish you all the best going forward.

From an individual customer's standpoint, seeing a craftsman I like reach this stage is a double-edged sword (or knife ;) ) for me. There is frequently a short window of time between when a knife maker develops the skills to produce high quality knives that interest me and when he (or she) gets picked up by dealers that place big orders that crowd out your ability to work with interested individual customers. Sure it means that we have easier access to buy more standardized knives from the dealers, but that is not quite the same experience as working with you directly. As your success grows, more dealers will come on line with bigger orders and that becomes your life if you remain an individual craftsman with limited hours in a day. Suddenly you will have little or no time to personally maintain an active presence on your forum or respond to personal messages or requests from individuals. That is the price of growth all to often when you are a one man band. I love Dylan, but he seems to be caught up in that cycle these days to me.

I want you to continue to grow and succeed Chris. I just want to caution you to be very deliberate in how fast you grow so that you are always leading the business plan rather than letting it lead you. If your individual fans start to feel too disconnected from you the maker, your brand will become just another internet commodity. I think Skylar (Skystorm) said it best in Andy's thread earlier this year when demand was seriously slowing down. With all due respect to Skylar, I am going to paraphrase his point and change the names to make it relevant to you:

After showing my favorite Raptor to a friend, he says "Wow, where did you get this great knife?"

My response choices are either:

A) "I bought it off the internet..."

or

B) "It's an Osprey Knife & Tool knife. Let me tell you about my friend Chris who makes them..."

That is a powerful message in a few short sentences. Please don't let the positive momentum overwhelm who you are and what you stand for.

Good Luck and thanks my friend!

Phil
Click to expand...

Sage advice. :thumbup:
 
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