What single product to make?

[Jacob]

OK I can think of comic answers too, but it's a serious question.
There's a lot of it about. Helped by the net - an internet shop can exist on one thing alone. People live by selling exclusively, hoover bags, grommets, you name it.

Given a small typically equipped wood workshop such as mine (the move soon to be completed) what single product or small range of wood products might make me filthy rich?
High-end craftsmanship (I could fake it)? Rubbish? Hand carved gnomes? Large items?
Made to measure, to order, "bespoke" is a mugs game IMHO. Better to make a pile of things and flog them.
The advantages of single (or small range) is obvious I think, but could you live by it?

 

[Chrispy]

Wooden Spoons!!

 

[riclepp]

What about a little of all you have mentioned. I don't mean have loads of it as you well know to have items it costs money and time. Surley then it would give prospective clients/customers an idea of the range of items that you can produce.

I presonally see what other competition in your area are selling and see if you can improve on it, cost it a little cheaper and conside unique things that are not really made, like campaign furniture, suited for houses and some even when you go camping (chairs and small table and the like) with. As well as a bespoke design and build portfilio.

Cheers

 

[Green]

offcuts with holes in for tea lights?

 

[marcros]

OK I can think of comic answers too, but it's a serious question.
There's a lot of it about. Helped by the net - an internet shop can exist on one thing alone. People live by selling exclusively, hoover bags, grommets, you name it.

Given a small typically equipped wood workshop such as mine (the move soon to be completed) what single product or small range of wood products might make me filthy rich?
High-end craftsmanship (I could fake it)? Rubbish? Hand carved gnomes? Large items?
Made to measure, to order, "bespoke" is a mugs game IMHO. Better to make a pile of things and flog them.
The advantages of single (or small range) is obvious I think, but could you live by it?

Filthy rich changes the game somewhat here. There are many disciplines that could make you a comfortable living as a one man, mid sized workshop including bespoke, and including normal site joinery. If you are after filthy rich, then I think that they key is innovation. Take for instance a clip that was posted a while ago about somebody making wooden ipad stands- look at the amount of them now...

My tactic would be to find a suitable distribution channel- your own website or other online distributor, devise a product that can be made cheaply and quickly in batches and then get people to blog about it. sell sell sell for 2 or 3 months and move on to the next thing as interest wanes. seize the moment, ride it and get out when everybody else is joining in.

filthy rich needs a huge profit margin and a large demand. You cant achieve it by doing bespoke work as you say. putting time into a project, even at 100 an hour isnt going to get you there. That said, I wouldnt have called it a mugs game, just aligned to different objectives.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Bearing in mind that whatever you make will be copied and sold for less in no time at all, why not turn the tables and select other good ideas and add your spin to them?

Or

Locate a source of material that is not widely available and work from that - it will increase the period of time your product remains 'unique'.

Regards Mick

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

An affordable after market rip fence for all the common amateur table saws. They're all rubbish as standard, everyone wants one and all the gadget hungry are prepared to pay for them and have the means. The concept of the Bessemayer just doesn't really exist in the UK. Just the TS200/250 community alone must be in the hundreds. If it got good enough I don't doubt Axy would start stocking them as they did with Peter Parfits "Parf Dogs".

The trick, is it should be mountable straight out the box so its as hassle free as possible. Or, if fixings need to be drilled etc, supply them all and provide copious instructions, well written and a weblink to a youtube tutorial to back it up.

 

[Jacob]

Hmm. Not so sure about the need to be unique or innovative, in terms of the product itself. 99% of what we buy is neither of these yet people make a good living.

 

[Spindle]

Hmm

If you don't have a USP or product quality / price point which is better than similar products I don't think you will compete.

Regards Mick

 

[Jacob]

The unique (ish) selling point would be that as maker of limited variety of objects in large batches, you would be better at it and more efficient than someone making one offs. Better, cheaper, quicker turn around (always in stock etc). That's the whole idea.

 

[riclepp]

Yes, but if you go cheap and cheerful. You would lose all credability and then you start to lose customers/client for selling tat, and then you won't get filthy rich or well off.

 

[Mar_mite]

Well I've got an idea.......but I ain't telling you lot!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

The most accurate and wise sort of "high level" summary that kind of explains business in a nutshell that I've ever heard is:

"Business is about innovation and marketing, everything else is a cost". I think it was the former CEO of Chrysler who said that many years ago.

If you think about it that's spot on. The critical functions in every successful business are the people that make the stuff and come up with the design ideas (for which it is a given there is a demand of course) and the people that locate, inform and educate to the point of buying....customers. Everything else is just a cost of doing business. The beanies keep you legal with the exchequer, the HR keep you legal with contract law, the management write lots of reports and the board decide which direction to go in. Facilities people keep a good place for you to do business in and IT people give your business enough information to help it go fast.

It's no surprise that in most large companies the chief tekky/innovator/engineer and the chief salesman are paid the most after the fat cats of course. The fat cats know their profits would soon evaporate without those critical staff.

With a one man band, you have to be both innovator and marketer all in one. But if you come up with an original idea for which there is a genuine demand and you're the first to market, you should certainly expect to make some money. If you choose to compete in an existing market then you're a commodity and either your offering or your approach had better be sufficiently different from the competition to attract the market away from them and over to you.

 

[JustBen]

I think unique or limited is much better than large batches knocked out quickly.

If people want mass produced items, they buy from ikea.

One of the main unique selling points with wood is craftsmanship.
People want quality and to know that all the care and attention that could have gone into it, did go into it.
If they don't want that, they have ikea.

For the majority, mass production loses the very high quality.
Everything is made to a standard but rarely goes above and beyond that standard.


In my opinion, quality has to be top priority.
You have to stand by what you have made/sold with pride and know that it's the best you could have done.

 

[Mar_mite]

I think a batch of say, 10 is still very personal. And will still have that hand made quality. IKEA must deal in batches of ten thousand, Hugh difference

 

[Jacob]

I think unique or limited is much better than large batches knocked out quickly.....

Large batches can be knocked out carefully.
Speaking from experience of previous employment - when you get to the 500th all the problems have been ironed out and it's a much better product than the first 10 - and you are doing them at 10 times the speed.
"Unique" is for prototypes. If it's any good there's no point in making just one.

 

[xy mosian]

Apparently in 'The Gold Rush' the people who made money ... sold shovels and picks.

What do folk spend money on with little thought? Weddings and pets. So, wedding reception furniture, table sized must haves or self assembly homes for pets. There was a thread on here recently about post boxes for weddings I think. How about a unique specially designed stool for the brides foot when showing off the garter?
Delivery must be easy.
Production must be capable of being run by semi-skilled individuals.

Sorry about the rambling.
xy

 

[kostello]

If you are selling on line you have to get to the top of page 1....

That way I don't think you have to be cheapest just in the right ballpark...

 

[manxman]

Hardwood wedges, quick and easy to make from scrap, sell them for a couple of £ for a bag of 10 on ebay + p&p.
Really handy things with loads of uses especially if you have old sash windows.

 

[mind_the_goat]

Put your workshop (or a portion of it) in the middle of a tourist trap, figure out what you can make for under £30, clocks, bookends, candle holders, place mats. Sell them with info sheets with dates, wood type etc. Even if you are not making all the time leave a bit of saw dust lying around.
You have the winter to restock, or just take a break from the 7 days a week you'd be doing in the peak season.