Question about going full time

No offended at all and I do appreciate all the responses. As a matter of fact, it was your knives Mr. Marchand that inspired me to make a forged blade. I do understand that you can't start in the middle, and tools and stuff don't make the maker. I have made and sold a few knives, maybe 30-40 knives and flint strikers and I love the whole process. The first knife I made and sold is still dressing deer and that's been a few years. At this time I have the chance to upgrade my current shop without going into debt so I feel I have a head start. I'm not placing tools over talent, I do believe I can make a good knife. I'm working on posting a pic of a knife and flint striker I made. I'm not new to knife making, and I've ran my own business in the past, so I have a little knowledge about the process. I have an amazing wife and alot of support. I plan on going to hammer-ins and classes as soon as I can, and I've had some metallurgy classes. I worked with a maker in Largo for a while, but his career as a firefighter kind of took him away for a while. I'll get pics up as soon as I can. Thanks again for all the comments and advise, I really do appreciate it, Jim




Rick Marchand said:
Thanks, mon! Looks like I'm in for Blade 2013. Hope to see you there!



Tidefan...

I hope I don't mess up the wording and accidentally offend you... my intentions are sincere.

What concerns me with your intent to go full time is that I feel you are not giving enough attention to the skill/experience part of the equation. To me(and forgive me if I am simply misreading your posts) you are putting more emphasis on a fully equipped shop, website, and the availability to hit local shows than the fact that you have only made a handful of knives. Some would say it is a balance between talent and equipment... I say talent trumps a well endowed shop, any day of the week. I could take away all of Don Hanson's equipment and replace it with a $50 gift certificate at Home Depot. I have no doubt that within a week, he would be posting pics of his latest eye-popper and nobody would be the wiser.

I'm not implying that you aren't talented(frankly, I have yet to see your work) but I got a knot in my gut when you started your list of qualifications with "I've made a few knives in the past and I absolutely love it." If you have some cushion, that can afford you the time and money... I would hit every opportunity to get with professional makers and take classes. Don't rely on a shop and the internet. It is awesome that you are so intent on doing what you love to do... but to make a living at this, OTHERS have to love what you do, even more.
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Here are the numbers;
If you can't sell at least 10 knives a week, you probably won't make any money. That is about 1200% more than you have sold to date. You will have to be able to find new customers year in and year out,too.

500 knives ( two weeks off for vacation or illness) X $100 avg. price = $50,000 gross.
Figure an average of about $30 per knife in materials, $10 in supplies, and $10 in overhead ( utilities) = $25,000 cost factor
that means you have $25,000 to pay the rent, insurance ( business and health), taxes, licenses, travel, show fees, advertising, Web site fees, and the many small expenses I haven't mentioned.
It would be a good guess that you might barely make enough to buy dinner once a week for you and the wife....which may be the only time she sees you :)

Start making and selling for fun, and if it becomes a business, great....if it doesn't it will still be fun.
 
Very few people who are looking for a business opportunity are going to choose custom knife making.
Very few of the people on this forum who are successful in having a knife making business sat down and said, "Hm. Here's how I'm going to make money at this."
With very few exceptions, we're doing what we WANT to do and figuring out how to make a buck at it.
We all talk the talk like we're good Americans ie. "yeah, I planned this out, I'm so smart and you have to be too" but the truth is that we all figure it out as we go.
You can do it too, but I'll say this: This isn't my first rodeo, I've mastered several other trades, and I may master a few more before I'm done- I just happen to love making knives and seem to have a talent for making stuff people want.
You can do it as well as anyone, I bet!

Another thought- I often think that I'm a nobody because there are so many people on this forum whose work I admire, but remember, this is a big country and the community of knifemakers is a small one- if you can make knives that your family, friends, and neighbors want real bad, you're on your way, you don't have to be the hit of the Blade show!

Note: That's a great summary, Stacy, that one's headed for my shop wall! Thanks, once again for your insight.
 
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Good luck with it. I have a brief cautionary tale. Since childhood I was an avid gardener and by my teens I was hybridizing rhodos and azaleas and propagating rare alpine trees and shrubs. I had good connections with a friends nursery and opened a landscape design business right out of high school. I was wildly successful by my standards but I started to hate it. I was installing extravagant gardens of rare plants for very wealthy people and most were pretty annoying. They had limited understanding of horticulture and I and my rare plants were another commodity along with maids and tennis courts. I closed shop at the end of my second year of operation and went to University. I still garden extensively but not for money. So the motto is that sometime an avocation does not work as a vocation and vice versa. It is good to figure out which it is beforehand.
 
If your going to start making and selling knives full time then you better learn to take better pictures or pay someone else to.
What does the knife you pictured retail for? How many hours do you have into it? Does it come with a sheath? Figure out your hourly wage and see if your actually making money.

A big part of the knife game is knowing your market and seeing who else is in it and what their knives sell for.

Going full time sounds like fun but it is not for everyone. Knives don't build themselves. When your sick or are taking care of sick kids, have to work on your house, go on vacation ect knives don't get made or sold and you don't make any money.
 
Great story, Bhamster! Been there done that.
But...you figured it out by trying it, and we all need to do the same. Trick is to change course when it's time, isn't it.
 
Call Mike Snody. You can find his telephone number here on his forum and on Youtube.

He is a full time maker and can give you a lot of the info you need. He will give you some good advice along with others who are full time makers.
 
I have been a maker since 1984. I went full time in 2003 and have never looked back. I have had a few health issues along the way, but if I had to give anyone one piece of advice it would be to ask these few questions of yourself.
You need to be honest with your self and ask do I have a good work ethic?? Can I be a self starter in the morning and not need a boss to make sure I get work done? Do I have a burning passion to make knives? Would I make knives for free if I could? If you can say yes to those questions, you are halfway there. I lost that passion once and it was not easy to get it back. If you work hard enough and listen to your customers and strive to improve your work with each knife, you will be ok.
With the present economy, who knows what is going to happen. I tell people that I have a well equipped machine shop, so I could change gears and make something else if I could not sell another knife. I missed my goal of having my home and property paid off by ten years, but it is paid off now and that took a big load off of what I am doing. If possible make a plan and make sure you have the proper equipment to execute that plan. Keep improving your knives and you will eventually find your niche. Lot's of great information in this thread. Good luck.
 
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