how we sold $16,753 in (mostly) cutting boards - starting a business in a pandemic | Business Update

➡️ Community for Makers who run a business: www.studstack.net
➡️ Our Programs: www.jennieanddavis.com/programs/
➡️ Our Podcast: www.letsquitpodcast.com/
This video is a recap of our first 5 months of running a furniture business in the Houston area. This is not our first business, but it's the first time we're SCALCING a business. We intend to grow quickly, so we need a firm foundation of products, procedures, and checklists to help our employees keep up with the (hopeful) customer demand.
In all we made over 16 thousand dollars in our first 5 months, and have made connections which should bring us more money in the future! We're incredibly excited for the next 5 months!
Thanks so much for watching - subscribe and try out our channel for a few days! Will you be our newest friends?
Read the blog post on this project: *Link goes here when published
We're Jennie and Davis. We love watching people grow. That includes you! Join us as we learn to build a furniture business. We want to help people dominate their fears and weaknesses. You can learn from our mistakes ;)
Find us on IG:
/ jennieanddavis
Our Blog:
www.jennieanddavis.com/blog
Music by:
Jaylon Ashaun - Stick to the Plan - thmatc.co/?l=6AFC9F7D
AFFILIATE LINKS to things we LOVE
Track Saw:
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Fuji Sprayer:
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Fastcap Lefty/Righty Tape Measure:
amzn.to/2W7QkEX
Camera Gear:
Main Cam:
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Main Lens:
amzn.to/2ualOhU
Microphone:
amzn.to/2O8z005
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
#Woodworking #SideHustle #Business #Furniture #Money #Maker #Project #DIY #DIYIdeas

[@annscrazyworld2576]

Great job guys! I'm building my woodworking business right along with you! Being a single mom with a special needs son I really appreciate the tips, both in what has worked and what hasn't, to save me some time and money. Keep up the hard work, good luck and God bless!

[@guybowers9094]

Great that you guys are getting it all going and thanks for sharing your experiences and what has or has not been working well for you.

[@matthewfarrer5778]

Congratulations! It's great seeing your business grow.

[@juliahelland6488]

You guys are so awesome! Thanks for sharing! 💯❣

[@mohammedali808]

Hey JD. I have watched many of your videos and am very impressed with them. I admire your honesty about your success and your not so good days. But, I like your never ending drive You both have inspired me to make cutting board Many thanks for your tips.

[@paulbuckeljr8870]

Congrats! Very exciting!

[@jonaszanini]

I am so happy to see you guys growing. Please keep posting everything! Oh, I am also a podcast fan of you guys =)

[@larryschmitt2513]

Congratulations to you both!👍🏻

[@markfishburn8284]

Congratulations, Thank you for sharing your video.

[@omo5995]

I'm not a woodworker nor a wood craft business owner, this is just a hobby for me. But it sounds like you guys are doing well and I am rooting for your success. So proud to see people like you take initiative and drive for what you want. Best of luck

[@NorinRad009]

Love to see the growth guys! Keep on keeping on!

[@jennieanddavis]

Ayeeeee my guy! Thanks for watching =)

[@tomhostetter8516]

Congratulations JD,

[@BAT15015]

Great video as always!! Way to go guys.

[@jennieanddavis]

Ayeeee good to see you in the comments again!

[@danieldale1770]

Yes, Jennie, pickles...

[@enzprintco.8625]

Have you ever shown one of your personalized boards? I’d love to see how they look. Glowforge? Love the content! :)

[@rickpouley2857]

Congratulations!

[@mshedd8809]

Glad to see you guys still growing! And if anyone is still on the fence about the Stud Stack, they shouldn't wait, it's a great group

[@jennieanddavis]

Thanks, Mike! This means a ton.

[@yummyforadam7485]

I just sold my first piece and tbh the process is not what I thought, I was bummed because I realized this is not something I could scale, the amount of work to create it is just too much. But then I saw your poster behind you "not every seed sprouts, so we keep planting". Its the reminder I needed, just gotta keep planting seeds until I find what works!

[@jennieanddavis]

Oh wow! Thanks so much for sharing this. You’ve got what it takes! Just a little bit of persistence and you’ll have more work than you can handle.

[@watcherdude1330]

Hello from Canada 🇨🇦. You two are so cute. Been watching a few of your videos and today I subscribed. I wish you all the luck and SUCCESS in the world. Will be following your story NO your SUCCESS from now on .

[@petehafner1659]

I love your packaging, where do you get your boxes made?

[@BruceAUlrich]

I'd say that's a pretty healthy start! Good job!

[@jennieanddavis]

Thanks, Bruce! Happy to have had your help

[@dcwshoreline5416]

Very nice work! were these cutting boards personalized for the realtor showing the house to a client? Or was it a gift the realtor could show to the actual buyer? Have you ever thoughten of cnc plasma cutting signs for them aswell out of 🇺🇸steel?

[@netanellalazar3819]

amazing guys good luck! don't break a leg ;-)

[@4everabeast79]

Great video!! How much on average do you sell your cutting boards and charcuterie boards for? And do you make them all one size typically? What are your standard dimensions, it any? Also how many different types of wood do you typically include in one board?

[@jhippl]

I ended up adding in cooperate Christmas gift boxes to expand beyond realtors.

[@robertlivingstone5759]

Great job you to

[@mikethompson9745]

I really like the shipping boxes, Do you source them locally? As a over 60 hobbyist, many people tell me I need to sell my stuff and and I am beginning to see the light. Like many of us I like to make cutting boards and trinkets, lathe things and just tid bits it is very relaxing from my daily sales Rep job. I have sold a few and at over $100 for them it was easy, I just don't want to make my relaxing hobby a job. but those boxes are really a great item. thanks

[@williammoore2259]

Could you show us how you make your cutting board would be really appreciated thank bill

[@briancashell5391]

where do you get your personalized packaging from

[@billwright7398]

How do you presale personalized cutting boards?

[@mattadams7261]

If you need a friend, you two, I live in Houston. It is a great town. Have fun pay the price at Clark Hardwood even though they have everything.

[@ericlanning9796]

Where do you get your packaging from? Hopefully I didn't miss that in another video, but the boxes are obviously great. Love your videos!

[@jamesdeclan7538]

I'm pretty sure they are from U-Line if I remember the video right, and they have cheap prices if you buy in bulk (cheaper than the dollar store boxes)

[@jennieanddavis]

Hey Eric, take a look at our channel. We've got a couple of videos on our packaging!

[@WoodUCreate]

Probably make that amount of money in youtube ads and sponsorships. But I know it's a slow process. Thanks for the follow up on where you stand.

[@chrisfrisch1347]

if you subtract the custom from the total and divide it by the cutting boards it = 121.1875$ per board.

[@anointedrj]

Can you share where your packaging comes from?

[@code3imagination441]

These boards, are the custom with realtor’s logo and something for the homeowner on it? When these realtors buy in bulk do you ship them out immediately or do you hold on to them to customize them?

[@jennieanddavis]

You gotta watch some more of our videos! Yes, they’re custom. We keep an inventory and the Realtors notify us when they need a board

[@dweissinger]

For the StudStack group, it says it's a monthly subscription (prepaid). Is the paypal invoice prepaying for one month, or is that prepaying for a year? I got a little confused about the timeframe represented.

[@jennieanddavis]

Per month

[@alexm5705]

what do you recommend a beginning woodworker to make?

[@jennieanddavis]

Hey Alex, we just put out a shorts video on what we used to make at the start of our first business a few years ago. Take a look at that!

[@briangonzalez1541]

So in reference to the packaging, did you guys decide on the tying of the jute string...or the sticker??😁 Just curious

[@jennieanddavis]

Sticker! I guess we should follow up on that soon, huh?

[@colinsmith5597]

What's your website? I'd like to check it out.

[@timlitton]

It would be interesting to know what the margins on the charcuterie boards vs your custom jobs. I assume the custom work offers much higher profit if that’s the business you’re hoping the charcuterie boards will grow.

[@jennieanddavis]

Yeah it would, but we haven’t done the math yet - still growing and building. Optimizing for profit can come later!

[@samrix5793]

Hi great video and love your channel I was wondering how much has KZbin made for you from the channels as well as income? Thanks Sam

[@jennieanddavis]

Hi Sam, we have only ever taken 1 paycheck of $500 from all of our social media earnings. The rest of the money (just like our woodworking business) has been reinvested back into the business for growth.

[@samrix5793]

@@jennieanddavis hi thanks for the quick reply and taking the time to message, that's interesting and wish you all the luck with the business. Thanks Sam

[@erikanderson542]

I got a closing gift from the gentleman who did our mortgage. Similar niche, but maybe you could target loan officers too

[@LiqdPT]

You launched your business in Houston in Jan 2021? I sure thought it was a lot earlier than that

[@jennieanddavis]

Second business. We moved from North Dakota and had a year of military training before opening up the new one

[@dougemes]

so when is Buc-ee's sending you some royalty for the shirts?

[@chazcov08]

I'm very happy for your success, but revenue is such a misleading number, though. When I was selling facemasks on Etsy, my revenue in 4 and a half months was $182,000. That number seems crazy, but that was including everything. I had to subtract all the Etsy fees and shipping from that number, which brought it down to just over $100K. After taxes, that number came down to just about $65K, which is a great number for just over 4 months of work, but it wasn't what I thought it was as we were going through. After I subtracted the cost of materials and equipment, it came down to even less.

[@jennieanddavis]

I feel you, Charles. But KZbin works a certain way... we hope (over time) we can teach the nuances of business finance to those willing to learn. But we have to use the biggest number to get the biggest amount of attention ;)

[@MelonFarmer68]

LOL they did a reveal telling people not to skip ahead and cheat but forget that they put the figure in the title :D

[@jennieanddavis]

Lol sometimes our research for a video title happens after filming...

[@sinsofvorador]

Have y'all ever thought about making end grain cutting boards.

[@jennieanddavis]

Yup! Too much labor. The sweet spot for corporate gifts and Realtors is an edge-grain board.

[@Checo1]

What is the difference between a charcuterie board and cutting board?

[@austincoughlin3184]

I believe just size. Cutting boards will be for something larger like vegetables and fruit, a charcuterie board is just for cheese and smaller meats. Just a guess though

[@jennieanddavis]

A cutting board is usually thicker and made of multiple strips of wood. A charcuterie board is usually one solid, wide piece of wood.

[@tschmath]

Hi guys. Is your Studstack fee a yearly fee? A monthly fee? A quarterly fee? I couldn't even find an amount until I went to PayPal to check out.

[@pendragyn]

Yeah, I looked and since I didn’t see the cost I didn’t go any further.

[@MrsSmith962]

It’s $75 a month!!! If you click like you’re going to pay for it on PayPal, but hit the down arrow to see what’s in your cart.... you can see it says $75 a month. No thanks. I’m out. 😟

[@jennieanddavis]

Take a look at the landing page again. Try reading this time 😉

[@tschmath]

@@jennieanddavis not sure why you had to be so snotty in your reply. A simple answer would have sufficed. $75 a month to get attitude? Not for this person.

[@pendragyn]

@@jennieanddavis I’ve looked at the landing page several times. There is no mention of the actual cost. But since it is $75/month I understand why it is hidden. This is not a very good business tactic.

[@tootybb]

How much do you sell the cutting boards for??

[@pascal5137]

I looked and they sell it for $160

[@MrsSmith962]

@@pascal5137 man, i need to up our board prices. 😬

[@dougprentice1363]

@@pascal5137 that is insane. Good for them if that's what they get. I can't imagine anyone buying a board for that. End grain would be a different story.

[@jennieanddavis]

Hey Doug, you're learning an impressive lesson about business! Not everyone values objects the same way! Gotta deliver your product to those who see the most value in it!

[@edreed5571]

Larpers

[@jennieanddavis]

⚡️⚡️⚡️ LIGHTNING BOLT!

[@fredd4785]

Stud stack - where you pay someone to give advice to them to make their business better 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@jennieanddavis]

Fred, it’s unfortunate that you’ve never been a part of a supportive networking community or you would know the Stack is a much better place than you’re describing. That said, it’s not for everyone!

[@fredd4785]

@@jennieanddavis 21 years in the military so I understand what it's like to be in a supportive networking community. I don't understand the part where you pay to be part of one. It's kinda like paying someone to be your friend. Are you really friends then?

[@christopherjbowers659]

GET RID OF THE TATOO AND YOU'D DO BETTER

[@jennieanddavis]

Yup. That's the problem. I'll get right on that!

[@christopherjbowers659]

@@jennieanddavis seriously you are dealing with gen x agents who have never seen one on anyone other than a porn star or a gangbanger, they can be offended easily