Matt Outlaw: 731 Woodworks

From Humble Beginnings

When asked how 731 Woodworks got started, Matt says that the first question he always gets is where the number 731 came from. He explains that July 31st is his wife and his anniversary, and they named their business after that date in March of 2017. Matt explains that they started it out as a side business, so he took $100 and invested in some two-by-fours after watching a YouTube video by Jay Bates on building chairs. He started building and selling chairs and slowly built his business up from there all the while posting videos on the 731 Woodworks YouTube channel.

The Power of Etsy

Steve asks Matt about what kind of niche he’s developed for himself. Matt mentions that right from the start, farmhouse furniture took off for them and the YouTube channel is very farmhouse focused. He goes on to say that his clientele was very local until they managed to get their Etsy store started in late 2018 or early 2019. They didn’t start the store immediately because they were getting plenty of local orders, and they needed to decide on well-sized products for sale on Etsy because it costs significantly more to ship the larger furniture pieces.

One of the items that Matt sold the most was stove covers. These items exploded into 20,000 sales on their Etsy store, which he eventually needed to stop offering because they were taking up all of his time. When asked about where Matt sources his product from, he mentions that he buys primarily from Barton’s which is a local chain in Arkansas.

Matt mentions that they have kept their income separate because he has a full-time job as a state trooper which has allowed them to do more with the income that they’ve earned through woodworking. He mentions that he is now able to take his wife out to eat without hurting their bill money, and they were paycheck to paycheck before starting the woodworking business.

He goes on to say that the table saw was one of the most important tools he purchased, but a miter saw allowed him to make consistent angle cuts more easily, which was a pivotal tool early in the development of 731 Woodworks. Things started to take off with the company after the first year when they started to see returning customers. Matt believes that this delay was primarily because he was not doing any advertising beyond just posting on Facebook.

Website: www.731woodworks.com

Instagram: @731woodworks

YouTube: 731 Woodworks