As the old saying goes, if I had a nickel for every time I got a call to tell me that something is not working at the shop, I could have retired long ago. (more…)

I’ve never actually met Nobody. And yet he has been a fixture in every incarnation of my shop that ever existed. Nobody was responsible for 90 percent of all the problems I ever encountered. (more…)

It is very unusual to find a multi-talented person. Most people have some things they excel at, some things they can manage and some things they cannot seem to get a grip on. (more…)

Most business owners want to see their businesses grow. The key is in deciding just how big you want to get. (more…)

Many years ago, I made the decision to offer only high quality work. Previously, I was always open to the idea of making lower quality pieces for people who had smaller budgets or simply didn’t want to spend a lot of money. (more…)

The other day a guy left his phone number along with a request that I give him some advice about starting a woodworking business. I’ve been thinking about how I started mine. (more…)

I first found out about the rubber gorilla when I moved my shop from the Carson Valley to Virginia City, Nevada. (more…)

We have all thought, at some point about the big stores putting the smaller businesses under. It’s been discussed here often and I’ve made no bones about the fact that I am saddened to see this happening. (more…)

A comment to A.J.’s post, “Realistically, they can’t compete”, contained a dare that I accept. (more…)

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how things get broken without any explanation. (more…)