Today on the podcast we are thrilled to have Justin Larson of JML Woodcraft as our guest. Justin is a one man show and a garage workshop warrior who specializes in highlighting the natural beauty of live-edge slabs. In fact, technically Justin only does woodworking part time about 15 to 20 hours a week, but he says if you ask his wife, she'll say he’s out there a lot more than that!
The Creative Focus and Origins of JML Woodcraft
Right now the focus of Justin’s company is unique serving boards and live edge slab desks and tables, but the history behind the company has been in the making for over ten years now. JML Woodcraft actually all started back in 2011, when Justin and his family bought their house and needed some furniture.
As Justin says, he had the thought process, like most woodworkers, that he could just build everything they needed so that they could save some money. First he built a farm table and some shelves, then he started getting more advanced. For the first few years he was just building things at home for his family, but then after a while friends and family started wanting the things that Justin was building for their own houses too.
Justin started building furniture for friends and family, and then some of his business minded friends told him that he should start an LLC and start building a fully realized brand and legitimate business.
In 2016 Justin started the LLC and opened up his business to go neighborhood wide. The savvy woodpreneur explains how he used Facebook to get the word out and start attracting customers, and once he did, he did everything they requested, he didn't say no to any projects which really got the ball rolling. Then, once he started the LLC, Justin’s wife encouraged him to turn their garage into a woodshop. With the work space complete, JML Woodcraft was then able to take on more complicated custom projects.
The Motivation Behind the Business
Steve and Justin talk a bit about the fact Justin has accomplished so much, and even has a 3-month backlog of customers, all while being part-time. For Justin, he says it comes down to the fact he just loves building.
The business growing has been incredible for this exact reason. As Justin sees it, the more projects he can do, and the wider of a variety the better. Justin also talks about how building isn’t just a creative process, it’s also a learning process, each project he does he feels that he learns valuable lessons for the next one.
Another learning experience for Justin has been learning not to get burnt out, and setting rules for himself about what kind of projects he works on. He even let go of some pieces of equipment with the understanding that not having the capability for certain things will allow him more projects he truly is passionate about. He says it’s all about learning, and finding your way.
To see more from JML Woodcraft check out the links below!
Instagram: @jmlwoodcraft
Facebook: JML Woodcraft
Thank you Uneedainc for sponsoring this episode of The Woodpreneur Podcast.
The Woodpreneur Podcast
We cover the business and marketing side of the sawmill, tree service, furniture making, Urban Wood, and woodworking industry. If you're a woodworker, sawmill owner, or any other entrepreneur and/or business owner in the wood industry, you need to check out this podcast.
Each week, we interview business owners, large-scale companies, entrepreneurs, makers, and designers while also offering marketing and business advice that will help you grow your business and increase your profits. Tune in every Thursday!
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