The concept of profiting from woodworking would appear at first glance to be much the same as making money from any other endeavour – make it, sell it, profit from the sale. In realistic terms, however, there are many more components to profiting from woodworking than meets the eye. A woodworker who expects to make money from their skills must be a diverse character willing and able to undertake jobs ranging from that of a craftsman to a salesperson and many others in between to be successful. While profiting from woodworking may begin at first as a hobby that has evolved into a source of income, let there be no mistake that it is a business activity and must be addressed as such in order to flourish.
In the simplest of terms, profiting from woodworking begins with the creation of a product that is desirable on some level by a consumer. Woodworking objects are in essence a form of art with an unspoken demand that each be created of quality with great attention to detail so that they stand out from those of lesser value. From cutting to the finishing detail, every step matters. Great tools must be used to achieve a certain level of artistry, and a basic but very important aspect is finding your best tool for cutting wood—look for it.
Even those items that serve common and pedestrian use must be better made than those that are mass-produced by large companies if profiting from woodworking is to be achieved for the common person.
Profiting from woodworking requires in most instances that the same person who created a product will also perform the task of marketing the item to establish a source of income. This can be problematic in that time constraints on an individual seeking to profit from woodworking can limit the amount of time that is available to create new avenues of sales. Profiting from woodworking requires that this issue be conquered, and a good way to do so is to create a small line of products that are relatively easy to make in decent volume. A person can then make profiting from woodworking a much easier task by spending less time pursuing sales and more time on the woodworking aspect.
A small business can advance its goals of profiting from woodworking by getting its products in as many venues as possible. Without the ability to show the public what a woodworker has to offer, profiting from woodworking is not possible on any level. Attendance at trade shows, hobby fairs and flea markets can make profiting from woodworking a reality rather than just a dream, and consignment shops are a great place to sell excess inventory.