starting a business

I used to have a regular route sharpening restaurant knives with my DMT stones. 5 bucks a blade I could do 6 or 7 an hour, my overhead was just driving as I had purchased the stones years earlier, then I got married and moved. Restaurants here have their kitchen supply companies drop off bundles of "sharpened" knives on contract

-Page
 
razors edge said:
Just curious here, whats spelling and punctuation have to do with the ability of sharpening a knife???
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The ability to sharpen a knife has nothing to do with the OP, it's about starting a business.

I'd say a good first impression, next to an excellent word of mouth reference can make or break a business. You want to be taken as a professional, you better look like one. A good QUALITY business card can open alot of doors. Also remember businesses work with invoices, make sure you have them.
 
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James

You just need to bring back the viking owl and all will be understood . Oh and send it back to me , I lost it when I had an oops on the computer .

Sorry folks , way off topic but I had to .
 
james- i agree with your original post completely and usually i talk and type in a more complete manner but when im around friends in a more relaxed environment i tend to get sloppy with both grammar and spelling . however i do forgive you for the harsh comments even though i have pretty thick skin .

everyone else- i can average about 13 knives an hour i first grind them on my horizontal glass wheel then sharpen them on water stones till 6000 grit then strop them i use the murray carter style of sharpening.

and btw if anyone wants to have a knife sharpened by me just send it to me with return postage and ill send it back sharp no charge all i ask is that you mention that you got your knife sharpened by the cutting edge knife sharpener ill even sharpen your whole set of kitchen knives if you want to pay for postage but i dont do serrated knives yet still trying to get a serrated knife sharpener can do them but it takes me a good 15 minutes
 
mike nelson said:
james- i agree with your original post completely and usually i talk and type in a more complete manner but when im around friends in a more relaxed environment i tend to get sloppy with both grammar and spelling . however i do forgive you for the harsh comments even though i have pretty thick skin .

everyone else- i can average about 13 knives an hour i first grind them on my horizontal glass wheel then sharpen them on water stones till 6000 grit then strop them i use the murray carter style of sharpening.

and btw if anyone wants to have a knife sharpened by me just send it to me with return postage and ill send it back sharp no charge all i ask is that you mention that you got your knife sharpened by the cutting edge knife sharpener ill even sharpen your whole set of kitchen knives if you want to pay for postage but i dont do serrated knives yet still trying to get a serrated knife sharpener can do them but it takes me a good 15 minutes
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I bet you need to find a different business name.

Here's at least one example why.
http://www.cuttingedgesharp.com/701.html

Just use your own name
 
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lol ill work on that maybe shaving sharp industries or something else i dont know anybody have some good business names for a sharpener
 
mike nelson said:
lol ill work on that maybe shaving sharp industries or something else i dont know anybody have some good business names for a sharpener
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A good name for a knife sharpener with your abilities would be "Mike Nelson".... lol. Seriously, use your name. you never know what this will lead to. I wish I had started with my own name. It took a lot of marketing to break out from behind a non-personal name in an industry where being a real person has its advantages.

Slightly better grammar would be nice, but if you just can't get your fingers on the shift key, break it up into paragraphs... Oh, and don't overuse ellipsis(...) .... cuz that's MY gig.
 
that might be a good idea but when people see the name Mike Nelson how are they going to get past the awesomeness of the name and think about the service lol but really you think just mike nelson would suffice for a business name?
 
Well.... get it in there, somehow. Nelson Knives, Sharpening by Mike Nelson, MN Knife Works, Nelson KnifeWorks. Lets face facts... after sharpening countless knives, you ARE going to get the itch to make your own. Might as well have a name that can make the transition.

BTW... gimme $5 if you use any of those... called it, can't erase it!:p
 
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i like nelson knife works how do you want your 5 ? lol and i already do make my own have you not seen the hitachi steel thread
 
Derp........ yes, I saw that thread... I just didn't connect it to your name in my thinkin' thing.

As for the $5... I accept cash, credit, personal cheques or pirate gold.
 
Back in the days of yore, we had a fellow who showed up at the local eateries that would sharpen hunting knives the first day of deer season. This was when you could put your rifle in the corner near the coat rack and nobody said a peep. He charged $1.00 and had a setup in a box truck which I never got a look at. I think he had some leprechauns or samurai inside though because he always did 'em quick and they were super sharp. I'd say go for it.Trying never harmed anyone.
 
mike nelson said:
that might be a good idea but when people see the name Mike Nelson how are they going to get past the awesomeness of the name and think about the service lol but really you think just mike nelson would suffice for a business name?
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I agree with Rick, although my last three companies do not have my name in the title. However, my first company back in '78, did. Folks liked the idea of working with the owner, of which I described myself as "chief cook and bottle washer". It was a small construction company, and folks really responded to the idea of getting to the guy they knew was in control of things.

I got some good advice from my banker at the time. (Wow... remember when we had personalized bankers? Yikes... 35 years ago?? Back then I had a commercial banker assigned to my accounts!) He told me to put my name in the company title since because when I did good work, the name association would be easier for people. His best advice was to put something in (as Rick recommended) that told folks what I did. I thought it was a bit vain, but he was right. So my first company was "Robert L. Witte Construction". That way they knew me, and they knew what I did.

So "Nelson Sharpening Service" or "Nelson Mobile Sharpening" or anything along those lines might be the ticket. Something short and easy to remember. Keep in mind you need to have a name small enough to put on a card that can be easily read. So "Nelson's Mobile Knife and Scissor Sharpening and Repair" would probably not be a good idea.

Also, if you are going to set up a dedicated phone number for this endeavor, see if the service provider will let you pick a number. Some will give you some choices (never the exact number), and some won't. You don't know if you don't ask. An easy to remember number can be worth its weight in gold.

Once you settle in on your name, make sure you go to your county seat and register it so there won't be anyone trying to tag along on your success once you get established.

Robert
 
i defiantly like the name nelson knife works i think thats what i might go with it has a certain ring to it
 
I couldn't resist responding to mikenelson's post - I think you've got a great idea, if you are in an area that'll support such a business "economically" (in other words, not overrun with competition:) ) As an example - at a large fleamarket in Pensacola, there is a guy who has been sharpening knives, in the same booth, using homemade equipment and paper wheels (and I think a small belt sander for convexing), for at least 18 years - possibly longer. When my daughter was still a toddler she used to like to stand and watch the guy and she's 20 yrs. old now. I had him sharpen more than a few of my knives over the years (before I started making them), and he puts a truly fantastic edge on a blade. Needless to say, he has a loyal following of repeat customers, and every time I go to that flea market, he's still busier than a 1-armed paper hanger with an itch! He's one of those who has people drop knives off, take a claim check, and come back later in the day. I think if you've got access to a good location (like a busy flea market), or have a way to transport equipment to various convenient locations, a sharpening service would be a great idea. That'd also give you a venue to sell your own knives. Additionally, it'd be great to be able to transact most of your business in cold, hard CASH... :cool:
 
redneckswami said:
. Additionally, it'd be great to be able to transact most of your business in cold, hard CASH... :cool:
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agreed but at the moment a mobile sharpening service is out of reach ive been thinking of doing a contract with local restaurants where i do a basic knife like a chef and a pairing knife for them like a simple version and then when they drop them off to get sharpened i send them off with another pre sharpened chef and pairing knife then we both win i sell knives and get business and they get sharp knives at a good price
 
Im no expert by any means..The only bit of advice I can offer is make sure you have a solid customer base for your intended business..I can see a sharpening business doing very well in a urban, resturant rich enviroment..Where I live you would be better off picking up pop cans:D Sorry I couldent be of more help..
 
IForge Iron has a subforum http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/45-the-business-side-of-blacksmithing/
It's about business and blacksmithing. Bit the advice there translates accross well.

I had my own plumbing business for 4 years before going back to school. I'm contemplating either buying into an existing company, or starting my own.

The name is most important when starting. After building a reputation it's secondary to the service people learn to expect. In all but the largest markets, repeat clients are the lifeblood of most businesses like yours. A website that is well set up with good SEO support is key too.
Personally, I prefer the commercial side of the business. More repeat business, less advertising costs. Your idea of targeting restaurants is good. Set simple pricing helps too. $1.00 per inch maybe?
Doing something you WANT to do helps. Do you make many knives? Kitchen knives? Just curious mostly.(that Hitachi would be cool to market!) It would be good if you do get your name in the kitchen knife community like Butch Harner has.

I'm putting together a business plan myself now. I've been plumbing for 16 years now so I have a good knowledge of what's needed but putting it on paper makes you face the cold hard facts and let's you
make a logic based plan(nothing wrong with winging it if you are able to take the risk).

I hope this works for you. Maybe stop at a few restaurants and ask a few questions about their knife
sharpening needs?

Good luck! Let us know what you do!
 
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