Notes from Chris

Episode 1928

Woodworking has always been a hobby for Gus Brown, who by day works in the business of homeowner association management (HOAs). He loves tinkering in the garage and building things. At age 11, he built wooden crossbows, but eventually stopped because his bows were so good they could be deadly. When he got married, he started building furniture for his wife and then their two sons.

After his wife posted a picture of one of his projects on Facebook, a friend of theirs asked if he'd be interested in paid woodworking projects. The friend’s husband had just become a firefighter and didn’t have time to do small projects for their business, which was called Twisted Vintage and had quite a following. Gus started contracting for them and they introduced him to the concept of installing glass in hollow core doors. He created his own system for these doors that worked well and allowed him to predict how long each project would take.

Gus’s work got a lot of attention for his friends’ business, but he wanted to go into business on his own. The friends had no objection, so he continued contracting for them while getting his own business off the ground in 2018. Woodtaneous—a portmanteau of the words spontaneous and wood—specializes in transforming boring hollow core interior doors by framing them up with a glass window, nice paint job and fun window decal. The decals are completely customizable with whatever font and words the customer wants.

Gus charges clients based on the height of the door. Once he knows the height and what type of paint job they're interested in, he’ll quote them accordingly. The cheapest option, which includes having the customer do their own paint job, is around $400. Fancier options where he does the work go for $699.

If Gus is delivering or installing the door, he’ll take photos for social media (he’s active on Instagram and Facebook). But if the customer is picking up and self-installing, he asks them to take photos and share on social media. Facebook Marketplace and local TV spots have helped him get much of his business. Of course, excellent customer service and a quality product go a long way.

Three years since launch, Gus nets roughly $2,000 a month after taxes and supplies—and that’s working for an hour or two in the evenings after his kids go to bed. The side hustle provides a nice additional revenue stream for the family, especially because his wife homeschools and they rely solely on his income.

In the future, he hopes to branch out into other products and take his hustle full-time. He admits that door transformations are a niche market, so he says he needs to come up with a few more products to add to the mix so he’ll have enough business to pay the bills.

*Knock on wood* Here’s hoping the right doors will open up for this woodworking side hustler.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Gus and see his work on Facebook, @woodtaneous.

SEE ALSO:

• Woodworker Proves Money Grows On Trees: When the owner of a lawn care business can’t find the earthy table of his dreams, he finds himself with a tree-mendous new business.
• Expat Teacher Draws Up Personalized Woodworks: A teacher from New Zealand moves to Japan and creates custom wood art based on personalized memories.
• Firefighter Uses Chainsaw for Jumbo-Sized Woodworking: Taking advantage of some downtime, this Alberta firefighter picks up a chainsaw and begins carving out life-sized wooden bears. He sells his creations to universities, restaurants, and anyone who wants a unique (and large!) handcrafted item.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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