Thinking of Going Pro? Part 2

Nick Offerman called Making Things Work a “necessary read for any aspiring craftsperson, but just as requisite for the clientele.”

Thanks to Popular Woodworking and Lost Art Press, many people are familiar with my last book, Making Things Work. In fact, Popular Woodworking’s store was the first business that ordered copies to sell at retail.

Since the publication of that book, many readers have said they’d like to go deeper into the kinds of business realities most people hesitate to talk about publicly lest they be viewed as fearful, negative, or less than optimally aware. When one such reader, Adam Godet, urged me to conduct a seminar (and made clear that he would handle much of the organizing), I realized that this kind of event would not only be extremely informative, but probably also a lot of fun.

Think “Dear Abby” for furniture makers. In person. (With beer on tap.)

We’re holding the seminar at Shop Made in DC on Monday evening, July 30, from 6 to 9. Space is limited to 15, because we want to make sure everyone has a chance to ask questions and share experiences. The cost is $65 plus a small administrative charge. Topics covered will include:

• ins and outs of business insurance
• other professional services that can pay for themselves many times over (“A” is for Accountant; “B” is for Bookkeeper.)
• dealing with challenging clients
• communicating clearly
• record keeping
• estimating job costs
• managing your time.

Whether you’re

• contemplating a move from woodworking as a hobby to part- or full-time pro
• a professional woodworker already
• or involved in comparable line of work (a few of the salient features being self-employment, specializing in custom [as distinct from production] work, and working directly for clients without intermediary salespeople or managers),

Please consider joining us. This seminar will be targeted at the micro-businessperson/solopreneur in craft — just the kind of event I would have appreciated when I started my business 23 years ago. I’ve learned my lessons the hard way (and paid a lot more than the cost of this seminar for what I can share with you).

– Nancy Hiller