The day job isn't going anywhere...

Robert_Phelps

Robert_Phelps

Joined
Nov 29, 2005
Messages
475
Due to the drought here, I don't think the plant industry will be doing much hiring for a long while... I'm not going to quit my day job.. but don't expect it to ever go anywhere, like I thought. I've been thinking for weeks, and decided maybe I should just take this as an opportunity to start down the path to being a close-to-fulltime knifemaker. How should I get started selling knives professionally?

Should I get a booth at some knife events like Blade? Sell online one way or another?

Any good ways to get word out around town without taking out a loan?
 
Thats a tough question. I'm sure you will get some very good answers, but most folks will want to think about it a little while first.

I guess my first bit of advice is that you should know that its very difficult to be a real full time knifemaker, so you will definitely want to keep that day job. I think you'll find that even the more popular/prolific knifemakers here at BFC still have another occupation of some sort. Jeff higgins made some very honest and thoughtful posts on this subject in the past, and I think you can find a few threads by Nick Wheeler from when he decided not to be full time anymore also.


As far as actual sales, each person is different. Back when I was still turning out a fair number of knives, I'd say that about half my business was from word of mouth, and half from listing them here at BFC. I didn't have the time to go to shows and set up a table, and never had enough knives on hand to do that either.
The internet thing only works if you have a means of taking decent pictures, and you have to be good about communicating through private messages and email.
The knife/gun show thing only works if you like meeting people and don't mind shaking hands and answering the same questions 100 times for each knife you sell.....

Overall I think that buying a knifemaker membership and listing a few knives in the for sale forums here is a great way to start.You generally deal with more knowledgeable collectors, who are comfortable doing transactions online/through the mail and won't hassle you too much. And you can do it at your own pace, instead of worrying about having 20 or 30 knives ready to fill a table somewhere.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot about doing that. I'll try to do that for sure. It gives something back to the forum as well, that way.

Anyone else have some ideas? I don't figure just one method will drum up enough business.
 
I feel your pain. I own a roofing company in Northern California and this year has been tough to say the least. I know guys that have been in business for over 25 years and only made 10% of last years income. I think trying to start any new business in the current econmic environment is going to be tough. Also a big problem is people are really tighting up on discretinary spending. They are only buying what is needed. food/gas/ mortgage what have u. I know this year i didnt go to mexico to tuna fish, i didnt go to colorado elk hunting , i didnt go to illinois whitetail hunting. I had the funds to due so but decided to hold on to my dollars incase econmy got worse , which it has. I dont know what the answer is for u but i hope it works out for u whatever u decide.
 
Before you start any business, you have to make/have a business plan. Lets look at it from the end result:
You want to make $30,000 annual gross personal income (very modest for a businessman)
Then you will have to operate your shop, purchase the materials,etc. This will usually run about 25% of each knifes sales price (not carved in stone, but a good guideline)
So. With $30,000 as the final result, and 25% costs, you need to sell $40,000 annually.
Now lets say you make a darn good hunter and bowie knife, and you can get $400 average for your knives (some for $100 and some for $800) . You will have to ,make and SELL 100 knives a year. That is two sales a week - EVERY WEEK.
Now 'Bob' and 'Fred' may like your knives and buy one, heck they may buy two. The folks here on BF might buy a couple, but over time you will run out of customers if you are not:
A) A well known maker
B) Heavily advertised
C) Selling at many shows (This greatly increases the cost of business ,though)
On a ten year plan you would have to be able to generate 1000 customers - that is a lot of folks . And that's just enough to live barely above the poverty line.

See where I'm going. Many (most?) full time makers went full time due to their becoming well known and already having the business. The way to get there is make a good knife and start selling them, as volume builds you may be one of those who is able to go full time. It takes many years for someone to get that type of "street cred".
Best plan is to work hard, make the best knife you are able to, start going to shows in your region, and see where it goes from there.
Stacy
 
I'd figured the selling two a week thing out (I looked at it like 2 $300 knives at 200 or so profit a piece, a week.. which I don't see happening, demand-wise)

With what my wife and I make now, I could be alright selling a couple a month.

Any other advertising tips?

Thank you for the help so far :thumbup:
 
Upgrade to a knifemakers membership and post them in the "For Sale" sub-forum. This will give you nearly free advertising and will test the marketability of your knives. Exposure to others in the knife community is where you need to start.

Also, start using your name on the forums and in all posts and offers. While Blue Dragon is a nice name (it is taken,and not available for trademark),YOU are the maker. Even if your mark is "BLUEDRAGON" you should still get your name in somehow in ever piece of paper or web posting. People will say, I like those BLUEDRAGON knives by Bob Jones (Think of Ken Onion and his "leeks"). It could make or break the value of your knives in ten or twenty years.
Stacy
 
I was very fortunate in that my name got out there very fast. A very large part of that was due to the forums.

I'd recommend you do the very best work you can do, get it professionally photographed by Jim Cooper or Point 7 (Eric) and post it around the forums.

Get a table at a "local" show and put your face/knives in front of people.

My ultimate *boom* in getting started was being picked up by Daniel O-Malley at BladeGallery.com. I think any of the major purveyors would do you well... as far as getting your work in front of people that would be interested in buying it.

It's a very tough road to hoe, making knives full-time. I just plain couldn't hack it. To be brutally honest, I make an extremely clean knife... but I cannot sit down and completely focus on one task at a time. I would need to be finishing one knife, yet instead I would find myself starting a new one. THAT kind of thing won't take you very far.

I have been very, VERY fortunate in getting to find a hobby that I love and a group of collectors that are more than patient with my constantly wandering mind and lack of overall production. If you want to make this gig a full-time job, you have to make a GREAT knife, be in constant contact with collectors/buyers, price your work fairly, and DELIVER. If you really want to blow them away.... deliver when you told them you would! ;)

So... the bold print part: TRY TO MAKE A BETTER KNIFE THAN THE NEXT GUY,forums, local shows, pro photography, try to get hooked up with a major buyer/seller (dealer, purveyor, etc), forums, big show, forums... :D


Best of luck to you! :)
 
I live close to Atlanta, is it hard to get a table at Blade? (Being a big show and all, is it sort-of exclusive?)
 
As long as you contact Mary Lutz now, and ask for one, your chances are good. She'll send you an ap right away and you send your check in and cross your fingers ;) That is a bit of an intimidating show if it's going to be your first one... but sometimes it can be best to just jump right into the deep end :D

mary.lutz@fwpubs.com

The first time I did that show, I got a table in the ABS section with only about 4 months lead time.

Since the show is in June, I'd recommend you contact her now. :)
 
Something else to do is get a website. Take good pics for your site. The site should be easy to navigate. Either get the software and do it yourself, or trade what you have to, but it's an important part of the business. Reciprocal links are also important because they raise your position on search engines.

I couldn't live without my site and it still needs work.

Gene
 
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