How to Start a $30K/Month Woodworking Business
How to Start a $30K/Month Woodworking Business
What does it take to start a woodworking business? Today we’re taking a behind-the-scenes tour of Westbrook Carpentry and Millwork, a $30K/month woodworking business that’s become one of the most sought-after carpentry shops in Seattle.
Daniel Westbrook is a third-generation woodworking craftsman, and that long experience is the cornerstone of Westbrook Carpentry and Millwork’s success. Today, he’ll talk us through the woodworking tools you need to open a home woodworking business, along with how much it costs to start, what experience is a must-have, and other advice about woodworking for beginners.
You can’t make money woodworking if you don’t have customers. We’ll hear Daniel’s marketing strategies for reaching the right customers, and how (and why) he rebranded his company from Westbrook Restorations to Westbrook Carpentry and Millwork. The types of woodworking projects he took on changed, too. We’ll find out the pros and cons of working on smaller projects compared to whole home restorations, and how to start a woodworking business that focuses on either niche.
Woodworking is a career with a long tradition, and this tradition is integral to Daniel’s business values. We’ll find out why concepts like hard work, respect, and trust are important to him as a business leader, what living those values looks like in the real world, and how holding to those principles has helped him sustain long-term growth.
Whether you’re looking to woodworking tips, how to earn money woodworking or business strategies, we think you’ll learn a lot from listening to Daniel’s story! You can learn more about Westbrook Carpentry and Millwork at their website, https://builttowithstand.com/.
Want more real-world business advice? Check out our newly-released podcast: https://www.upflip.com/podcast
See our complete, step-by-step guide to start your own woodworking business: https://www.upflip.com/blog/how-to-start-a-woodworking-business
Here are some other great business ideas for builders and makers:
Van Conversion Creates a $65,000/Month Business ►
Reinvented the Wheel and Built a $3M Company (Shark Tank Success Story) ►
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:52 Meeting Daniel
2:56 Revenue
3:55 Initial Budget
4:56 Monthly Expenses
6:16 Daniel’s Other Businesses
7:04 Inside Look To Daniel’s Truck
8:44 Advertising
10:02 Equipment
11:10 Most Important Skillset
12:40 Inside Look of Daniel’s Truck Part 2
14:07 Skill an Entrepreneur Needs To Have
14:57 Estimating Cost of Projects
16:27 Daniel’s Advice For Those Just Starting Out
17:13 Social Media
18:15 Shop Setup
20:18 Advantages or Disadvantages to Employees
21:54 Insurance
23:49 Tools in the Shop
24:55 Seasonal?
26:01 Daniel’s Current Project
27:35 Profit Margins
29:03 Mistakes
30:24 Competitiveness in the Industry
31:50 Daniel’s Biggest Challenge
33:03 Switching From Hands-on to General Contractor
34:37 How To Increase Your Hours
37:30 What’s Next For Westbrook Carpentry
#woodworkingbusiness #woodworking #earnmoneywoodworking
nothing
7500?!!
I like that you mix up the segments of the video, so that one part is about his specific craft and the next part is about a more general part of owning a business.
U should do a welding or metalworking video
Totally useless.
I really wish that i would have become a carpenter instead of pursuing a college degree, working with your hands and creating art. Sure sounds a lot more interesting than sitting at a desk with excel…..
Great Vid and great contractor.
That’s right. Lean right in on that miter saw and get a good look. 🤣
Dude charges $300 just to speak to someone about a project. In my location, people want to spend $300 on a 12′ x 4′ walnut dining table with matching benches….LOL.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLyhNgSowBpWtGzcz0yOaw/videos
Not the best answers.
This vid wasn’t of much use to me. It sure wasn’t what I was expecting.
I’m working on to open my small woodworking shop
make some shop courses and throw it up online….you can make a video once and people can watch it many times to learn your skills!
I have many questions…
The first is how one guy can charge 190 per hour for time and materials, for small jobs. If his labor is 65% of cost, that’s $120/hr, he said it could be 35%, which is way less and more in line with the trades. He also doesn’t have any equipment/machinery/tools that show he’s been making, as he said, over $150k/year for many years. I assume his house and shop are paid for given those numbers for 30+ years. However, his shop is still, no offense, a piece meal assembly of average tools an average, regular tradesman has. Where has the $100k per year for 30 years gone? I get that he’s experienced. I get that he’s “efficient.” I just don’t get the math about his income now that he’s doing work alone.
My best calculations are that to make that much money he has to charge at least $90 per hour consistently for 40 hours a week. Maybe he’s working evenings and weekends to do the work to get the work. The interview wasn’t clear in deciphering that.
Call me out, call me stupid and bad at math. Tell me how one guy can make $30k or more a month by himself or herself in a very labor intensive job.
The thing about these videos is, you have to have the knowledge, skill, the desire, and dedication to be able to do this! The titles of the videos can be misleading, like it’s saying anyone can do this!!!
Cheap bas tar d ads very second quit watching videos will never watch any of your videos again. Chase the money. Not the help of others.
I thought that was a panel saw in his truck and it occurs to me it could still be used as a glass rack maybe??
Wait… so you break something you’re restoring and you charge your client extra time and materials for that repair? So matter-of-fact on that point. I’ve never done that. Never will. My mistakes cost me money, not my client.
Lots of hype. Took a long time to get to any information of substance.
Shout out from Bellingham Washington !
Modern day craftsman don’t give af!!! Always sloppy work lol
500k in Seattle is like earning 2.5 million a year in most other states… Here’s hoping he’s located outside King Co and they’re just generalizing his location.
We usually don’t make that much for comparable work here. Great video
Do you want to start a woodworking business? What was the most interesting thing you heard in this interview? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Gilmore achieved this no more than an hour ago
Awesome video! What a talented guy! I wish he would of answered some of your questions on how much he paid for his tools and where he got them. Specifically the table saw. It was a nice one.
People always leave out the end of that quote. “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
You asked him fir a book suggestion, he told you he doesn’t read already, then, you still hammer him for a title….saying… "yes, but it’s important" Not to him! Bad attitude from an interviewer because you can’t come up with a book title TWICE.
You build those skills over decades.
Wow!! $300 dollars to show up and do an estimate thats crazy I’d do like 10 estimates a day.
This is very informative and inspiring! Thanks Daniel.
Your vedios on americas network?
As a lifelong craftsman , my biggest struggle is not performing high-level work ,but being a decent businessman, I have always put a lot of emphasis on my abilities (maybe too much) and less on business, it’s certainly a tough balance to achieve.
Hats off to this man for blending both
increasing the strength of the suction from a 2" to a 4" isn’t really a thing..you just a great suction on the 2" is the thing there good sir………
keys I’ve taken away from this other video (been binge watching all of your videos guys, you’re amazing):
1)Personal growth is fundamental in your business journey
2)10k is the minimum amount of money anyone should get started with
3)your profit margin should be between 35% and 65% (although I think this is too high of a margin)
4)get into google ads asap. Don’t use any other platforms, they’re just making money off of you
5)buy a truck to securely use your tools
6)have your equipment on wheels (another amazing piece of advice right there)
7)employees are kind of a burden
8)know your numbers
9)make sure both you and your customers know what you’re gonna do so that you don’t have any problems
10)Contracts are crucial
11)business isn’t about money, it’s about you owning it 😉
I feel like there might be a lot of people out there not doing exactly the same thing but are maybe in a similar position in their life. And I have thoughts about how we see things continuing outside of the person. Does he have children that want to learn his craft, or does he have apprentice(s) so to speak. How do we not lose the value of his knowledge and skill?
Step 1: Inherit a business.
First 2:00 minutes are just random sound clips montaged together.
2-5 grand for a website? LOL this is why I don’t listen to people from my former home of Seattle.
Interesting interview with Mr. Westbrook. However, you run far too many commercials so I will probably skip your channel if I have to suffer through all these commercials.
This dude refuses to answer his questions 💀
But what’s your profit
https://youtube.com/channel/UC65uPG_O3Whdm3zZP1NdbZg
I have seen this in so many single business owner, they push like crazy and nothing is enough till when they goes from 80 hs a week to 10. charging and arm and a leg for simple remodel – the reality is that there are there so many more complicate job that pay much less and this is the reason why i do as much as I can by myself – 40 60% margin??? really? come on
Too much ado.
great knowledge, great video
Google Ad-Words are useless unless you are very, VERY specific niche.
This is really usefull ! thank you !
Great Video
I learned so much from this video from start to end. Learning from the wise is priceless.
—Los Angeles, CA.