My Business is FAILING.
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- Tools/Leather from a company I really believe in:
www.buckleguy....
(Full disclosure, this is an affiliate link, and I am granted a small commission for orders placed using it, it helps me to be able to keep providing free educational content)
Time to get real friends. I am struggling...HARD. Have been for a long time. I wanted to share with all of you some of the mistakes I have made along the way in my leather craft small business, in hopes to save you all some of the same hardships, and get some conversations going. Please feel welcomed to add to it in the comments below. As always, thanks for joining in, and happy crafting.
My work, available pieces and patterns can be found at: www.dadhands.ca
1000 True Fans: kk.org/thetech...
Appreciate you being honest and transparent, I also got a bit burned out.
I appreciate you! I hope you’re able to take a break and get back to it ☺️ it’s so hard when something you love doing so much becomes so difficult.
If you quit leatherwork I hope you keep making videos. I just found you and I'm hooked already
Thank you so much Turbo. There are very few leather crafters out there that would put out something so heartfelt and honest. It’s super important for people to hear things like this as it may help in making better purchasing decisions in the future. Everyone loves a new shiny/sexy/popular tool and it’s super hard to resist them! Plenty of big accounts out there laser etching their logo on to standard stuff and putting a premium price on it. Their logo doesn’t make it a better tool or you a better crafter. ❤
❤️🙏🏻❤️ thank you so very much my friend. I really appreciate you and all of your support along the way. Very excellent point too. I’m seeing SO many rebranded Ali Express tools out there being hocked by big accounts at a premium price. Meanwhile they’re the items sitting on my bench that need replacing 🫣
Sending you love and positivity. I found your channel just a few short months ago and appreciate watching what you create and the marbling tutorials you did! I also love your quirky designs - quirky rules. Fingers crossed for the best with surgery and i would be happy with anything tutorial wise - love watching others processes.
I love your work girl! Keep up the good work!❤❤❤
So glad I stumbled across this vid. Nothing but respect for your openess.
Thank you kindly Kevin, I appreciate your kind words and support ❤️🙏🏻❤️
It's so valuable to pause once in awhile and evaluate what you're doing...personally and in your business. I think you're on the right track in adding videos to your offering. It can be simple builds or complex tooling projects. Good on ya pal.
Thank you so much Audrey! You mean so very much to me, and I am endlessly grateful that this craft brought us together ❤️🤗❤️
I’ve made the same mistakes, especially with investing in tools, etc., and that’s why I love your channel. Thank you for keeping it real! ❤
Never quit your day job.. any business that sells something that no one needs is at risk of going under at any time. A lot of people I know that work in the arts have other sources of income. A friend of mine makes $10,000 custom pool cues. He's very famous and people offer him more money to cut in front of others customers.. he still relies on his main company in construction. Leather crafts was dead prior to Covd then everyone quit their day job to make wallets. Lucky for me all those fancy tools I've been wanting will be dirt cheap pretty soon..all my tools I got that way in 2010 when the economy crashed.
Of course, and the advice I often give as well…my circumstances were of such that I didn’t have a choice when I took this on full time. That’s very cool that your friend has such a demand! It’s awesome to find a niche like that and be so in demand. It’s the ultimate goal. I’ve worked in the arts my entire working career, even as a welder/fabricator, and have always had a second job/side hustle. It’s a bummer that artists and skilled crafters typically have to do so, considering the time and skills we possess that not a lot of people do. It is what it is though. Everything’s a lesson, and I do have some plans to turn this all around ☺️
Thank you for your vulnerability and transparency. I needed this video today
You’re welcome my friend ❤️🤗❤️ thank you for all of your support!
Thank you for keeping it real. Good Luck with your surgery, rest up and I look forward to your return. Sometimes we just have to stop and regroup…..
This is EXACTLY what I needed right now, I have been very stuck as to the direction to go with my leather crafting. Your words came at the perfect time. Thank you so much! May we all thrive in our own individual lives😁
❤️🙏🏻❤️ I believe in us!
So much respect for you! I'm sorry to hear about your struggles, but I believe that the struggle will make you much stronger in the end. Wishing you a speedy recovery and I will definitely be waiting for more of your awesome CZcams content.
Thank you for honestly sharing your insights and experiences. As a hobbyist/novice I appreciate you; Corter; Viktor George, and others sharing your knowledge and experiences. Most are "keepers" of the flame and not "sharers" of it. I try to remember Brad Meltzer's words "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
Thank you for all you do. Wishing you the best. V/r Jack (Salty Badger Leather)
Thank you so much Jack ❤️🙏🏻❤️ I appreciate you and all of your support! It really means a lot!
Thx for your honest, practical & wise words. And most important, I hope your surgery goes or went well.
Thank you for always keeping things real !!! You have helped me so much I appreciate you and get better soon after the surgery keep on rocking my friend
Thank you so much Marleen! I appreciate your kind friendship and am so happy this craft has brought us together ❤️🤗❤️
Huge respect for putting yourself out there and being so heartfelt and honest with us! It's been such a pleasure to have gotten to know you the last couple of years and truly treasure our friendship beyond words! I'm looking forward to seeing you grow in this space once you're done with your surgery! You got this, I believe in you, Turbo!
Thank you so much Shaun! I value you and the friendship we have grown more than anything ❤️ Here’s hoping there’s a future for me in this craft, and hey, if not, that’s ok too, at least I got to meet some really great friends through all of this!
This was a good chat! Heard ever word!! ALOT of relatable topics! Good video 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you kindly my friend! That really means a lot!
Love this video so much! So informative and helpful.
Thank you so much ❤️🤗❤️
Thank you for finding the courage to share your experiences in the craft, your business and thoughts on the impact of false narratives pushed through social media regarding tools or products that don't bring the promised value to the average hobbyist and small business owner. This craft needs Dad Hands as much as Dad Hands needs the craft... ❤🤟
Thank you so much my friend ❤️🤗❤️ I truly appreciate you and all of your support!
Such a great video Melissa! So informative and helpful.
Thank you so much ❤️🥹❤️ I’m so glad we got to have a chat as a result. I really appreciate you and everything you do!
You've always inspired me, thanks for the sage advice. So glad you're making videos again!
thank you for sharing melissa! great vidoe, i appreciate your honesty. sending good energy for an easy recovery from surgery!!
Thank you so much Stephanie, I appreciate your support ❤️🤗❤️
Good advice, thanks for caring. Good luck with your surgery, looking forward to more tutorials.
Thank you so much John!! I appreciate you 🤗
Thank you for putting yourself out there and sharing. I wish I had the time to make videos but I just don't right now. It is hard to pull it all together these days for what is required to sell online. Leather is my evening and weekends job outside of the daily IT work. Social media has a tendency to be a soul sucker. Know that most folks are supportive, and here, and chugging away the same as you so you are not alone. Good luck with the surgery! - Anna B.
Keep up these great videos! so good.
I appreciate you!
Great video! I noticed that during the pandemic everyone got into leather working also . Iv been a hobbyist since 2014 and would like to make this a full time thing but with a full time job that pays the bills it’s hard to warrant right now.
I hope everything goes well for you!
I appreciate your kind words 🤗 Corter Leather always says (and I wish I’d heard this years ago) “the only time to leave a job to pursue a small business full time, is if you’re busy enough that you’re losing money going into your job.” Having said that though, if it’s something you’re passionate about, I truly hope you do get to make it your full time gig ❤️
Thank you for helping us newbies. Best of luck with your surgery and super excited to see the Halloween wallet in route!
Thank you so very much ❤️🤗❤️ I appreciate your support!
You just came up on my feed and I enjoyed your presentation so I subscribed. Just some thoughts, If you make the same things as everyone else, you will have a lot of competition and many of them will be hobbyists driving down the prices just trying to make their money back on their supplies. My wife did filet crochet (fine thread doilies etc) and at every craft show were some ladies selling these things at what the thread cost them. You can not compete against these people so don't try. Find a Niche product that only a handful of people are making for, preferably a market you enjoy so that you can enjoy talking with your clients. If your a professional anything you buy should help make you money. A sewing machine saves time and time is one of our big expenses. Buying bulk leather you will never use is throwing money down the toilet. An engraver I follow made the point that there are Very good engravers out there who are starving and average engravers who have more work than they can complete. The ones with the work market them selves. They engrave a knife and send it to a gun or knife magazine to be a giveaway etc. Give to your local Charity auction, People who attend these things have money and spend it. Its even better if the event falls in your niche. IE an auction to support an horse rescue and you sell tack, Attend if you can and market yourself while there.
Excellent video and always appreciate your honesty. Keep it up, you're always inspiring me to be better at the craft.
Thank you kindly my friend ❤️🙏🏻❤️
Thank you for being so real!
Thank YOU a for your support ❤️🤗❤️
This is so relatable for so many crafts. There is a time and place for investing in the expensive tools, but I've been learning to push the limits of what can I create with what I have right now. The limitations can drive us crazy, but also unlock skills we wouldn't have developed otherwise.
I'd love a video or two on your dollar store displays! They are super clean looking! And I think thats another thing we creatives get suckered into spending a ton of money on when we want to foray into the craft market world.
Thank you so much my friend!! That really means a lot! I would LOVE to put together a video for dollar store display pieces, especially with market season upon us. We should take a big island trip soon 😉🙌🏻❤️
NO MORE DOLLAR ANYTHING...ugh.
@@sharontrujillo right?! 🤦🏻♀️ I should have said $1.25 store. I’m old enough that I grew up with 99 cent stores, and have always just called them Dollar Stores. I sure miss those days.
@@dadhands whooooooosh.....My meaning is: STOP trying to make ANYTHING using CHEAP DOLLAR CRAP....
@@sharontrujillo ahhhhh gotcha… since you may be new to this channel, I use dollar store items for tools, organization and consumables, in an effort to save money that I can in turn pass along as savings to my clients, not in my finished projects. Not everything needs to be bought at a premium price. These days dollar stores stock all kinds of useful, and often name brand products. To each their own though 🤷🏻♀️
Hey Melissa, great video. I hope you get back to healthy before the spring.
I'm still at the beginning stages of leatherwork and you are 100% correct about the market being saturated. There seems to be a lot of folks out there making wallets, purses, belts, earrings, wrist bands and what have you out of leather.
I'm still trying to find a niche or some way to make my stuff stand out from the very prolific background.
I'm hoping that everything works out well for you as you and Eric are two of my favourite crafters.
As a tutorial, I personally would like to see something on design work. How do you take an idea and turn it into reality? What size works? What sort of stitching and allowances should I make? That sort of thing.
Thanks
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind words and support 🤗
I have a video a little ways back about some of my drawing process, but I will very happily make some more in depth ones really soon too!
Best of luck on your new adventure into leather craft too! I look forward to seeing what you create! 🙌🏻
Please! 💡💡💡
Dwain Watts Swivel knife🤓! There just isn't any information out there.
Swivel blade vs fixed blade, I think you can really get views and he might work a click for discount sort of thing✌️.
I pray your surgery goes well! Hugs & Prayers
I can relate with a lot of what you were talking about. At this point its just a hobby because of other commitments (work and family), but I hope someday to make it more than just a hobby.
I love your openness of very real struggles that a lot of us deal with. One thing you for sure have going for you is your quality of work. Love what you do, and how you do it. Keep making cool things!
As far a what id like to see in a future video... I find myself tooling a piece because its what i want and or like, but its always too big or thick to turn into a wallet or other item. I would love to hear some thoughts on what could be done with larger (8''x11'' or so 6-9oz) tooling designs. I was framing them, but I don't have any idea what to do with some of this stuff. Maybe a video highlighting alternative uses for tooled pieces? I dunno maybe thats too specific or just a "me problem".
Thank you so much Ian! I appreciate your kind words and suggestions 🤗 I love a challenge and will absolutely have a big think on some thicker leather projects! If you have any at all you’d like to see specifically, like bags, household items, etc, I’d love to hear it ☺️
Thank you for sharing!!!
I wish you the best!!!!
Thank you for the video, It is always helpful especially since I am doing bits as a hobby with the dreams of being self-funding eventually :)
UK based, moving to the US soon so it'll be interesting how it is in the US UK always has issues with tools and material costs makes it crazy hard where I am.
Again thank you for your great insight and some wonderful tips and help from your videos. Glad I found the channel and all the luck for expanding the channel!
You’re welcome! I wish you the best of luck in your ventures! Supplies and tools tend to be quite a bit less costly in the US. I am in Canada, and our shipping and import fees are absolutely bonkers. It’s where a lot of my money goes, but I don’t want to compromise quality. I’m going to try to find a balance, and possibly put out less work as a result, and that’s ok too ☺️
@@dadhandsI get you it's a labour of love and you want every piece to be enjoyed and be proud to be owned by someone :) and same in the UK for fees I had some people want my work and shipping to the EU was crazy expensive, especially for someone like me who was sending pretty much the first things I've ever made. One of the bags i did even got lost in transit so was super disheartening for how little time I have to make bits.
You get there for sure and thank ou for replying and all the tips especially the cutting boards for patterns I was glueing to card or just making prototypes with some leather I had then draw around those so thanks :D
Take care!
@@stumpyschof thank you, I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement! I’m terribly sorry to hear one of your bags was lost in transit 😔 that’s so difficult considering the amount of work that goes into a bag.
Great video!! I wish this video was out before I watched all those damn LKG videos back in the day when I started. Granted I did luck out and get a few super awesome knives that will last me my entire life, but I totally wasted money and time. One thing that leather work has done for me is gotten me out of my comfort zone and the ability to meet new people like you! Super fortunate to have buds like you and all the others I’ve made through this journey, like where else can you get beveling advice and mental health tips all in the same conversation from someone you randomly met on the internet through leather!?!?! 😂🎉😂🎉😂
I’m basically just the living embodiment of a flea market hahaha “wanna know what kind of thread I like to use? Wanna talk about the rad noodle brain spiral I went on this morning? Want 32 (probably) useless facts about glue? Step right up folks! I got you covered!” Hahahaa thank you so much for all of your support and great friendship through all of this!
I always appreciate your honesty and helping other people. I'm from the UK and whilst only been at it 3 months I looked into the leather industry to find its non existent over here. Massive shame but you accept and look elsewhere.
Thank you kindly Gavin! I hope you still enjoy the craft despite the lack of a market out there 🤗 I hope you’re able to find a way to make it work in your favour.
It sounds like these “Influencers “ are a bad influence. Also many of them get materials, equipment and tools for free from big companies. If this high end tools you have are failing after three years may still be better than those cheaper ones that would only last months. I personally don’t buy patterns, I guess I have the gift of looking at stuff and figuring out how to build it. Many people are in your shoes, they see the “success “ of others, it looks easy, when in reality real life is though. You are right, social media is deceiving, so many channels show so many followers but when you average the views against it doesn’t make sense at all. I like watching videos like yours because I learn so much from them, I would find satisfaction on making something rather of buying something. And is all free!
I appreciate your support ☺️ honestly I do have some of the cheaper tools, and they’ve far out performed some of the high end ones. It’s for sure not always the case though. I spent a lot of years in metal fabrication, and have/can make some of my own items, and will do so, I’d just fallen bait. It’s ok though! Everything is a lesson and hopefully I will get past this, or at least help some others along the way. That’s I can ever hope for really ☺️
Wait... so i shouldnt buy that ten thousand dollar laser cutter? haha. Great video :)
🤣🤣🤣 I mean…..at one point I almost did 🤦🏻♀️ so glad my credit wasn’t *that* great at the time hahaha thank you for your support and checking it out!
👉Missing information on you tube. (Swivel knife with swivel blade💀)
Hey, just found you when I was looking for information on swivel knives. You use one with a swivel blade!!!
I've been looking for two hours for information on the Dwain ??? Swivel knife and I saw you actually use one!
Sooooooo.... Which tools/machines/supplies do you feel were not the best use of your monies?
My #1 waste of money would be the $100.00 plus swivel knives and blades. Absolutely not necessary and I would never buy one. I do have 25 Barry King bevelers, crowners and lifters but only use a handful. Decide what you want to make and build your tool inventory from that.I do this as a hobby. The people I see in the leather business that make money are the retailers that sell to other leather crafters. That said, your personality will help your business as well as your craftsmanship.This is not directed to anyone specifically. Something that has always stuck with me is “That are a million piano players but only one Liberace.”
I will be sharing that in future videos for sure ☺️ I don’t necessarily want to trash talk these companies a ton, for all I know, they’ve made improvements, but I will definitely share some very honest reviews.
@@dadhands I don't think it is bashing. Especially if you give your whys. Like, I bought weaver stitching irons because that's what Eric used when he was working with them. Great starters. But, I wasn't liking the results for what I was getting as a noob. Got Sinabroks and huge difference. Passed them on to a friend that was needing some and he uses them and they work for what he trys to do. Bought a few other tools due to their costs and got that amount of quality. Which, wasn't much. 😂 But on your rec, got me a Duane Watts yokeless... WOW is it nice. My knife work portion of tooling has been great. Cheap Tandy's stamps get me by but want to invest eventually in better ones. Also took your rec's on the Dollar Store for other stuff. Love what you do. Keep it up!
@@TadashiAndrews that’s a really good point ☺️ thank you so much for your suggestion! I will absolutely do a video about what I’ve bought/kept/has failed over the last few years. The first chisel I ever used years and years ago, I later found out was a Tandy Thonging chisel for lacing 🤣🤣 I had no idea what I was doing, and there were zero CZcams videos. I learned a lot from leatherworker.net and other forums, and old Tandy manuals. I upgraded to Sinabroks, and honestly, never really loved them. They’re a beautiful tool, and well made, I just didn’t know about the difference between Diamond teeth and frenchies. Eric was kindly enough to ask me to be a tester of his chisels, and those Sinabrooks were never used again. I sold them recently when I did a big purge. I’ve been using the corter chisels for over a year now, and I can’t recommend them enough, especially at that price point.
I think you’re on a path to something wonderful. I do Leathercraft just for the Hobby I like giving gifts away to family and friends. I subscribe to your CZcams because you have unique videos and an art I don’t see anywhere else. From my perspective, you are a great art teacher.
I love the transparency, in this social media world it is rare. But you said that also where everything is highly edited. I have my leather thing account on Instagram but other than that i don't really like it. But it seems to be necessary for this craft. You have always been one of my biggest inspirations, and will always support you. Eric has been such a huge help with his patterns and videos. I'm still a newbie in my mind, and very small time. I did get a regular job because i went down that credit card path and need to pay so that off. You are such an amazing artist, and genuine person that you will be able to bounce back from this pause. Thank you for all you do for me without maybe even knowing it. ❤ 22leather
Thank you so much Michael 🤗 I really appreciate your kind words and the friendship you’ve shown me along the way ❤️
I mean i feel your pain but im gonna have to disagree with alot of what you are saying because ive been doing pretty well since i figured out. "you just got to be a little different" i checked out your store and while your craftsmanship is excellent your patterns are VERY VERY basic and tooled wallets arent for everybody. its not the influx of people that started crafting bad wallets during the pandemic its the fact we are already selling to a niche market of people that are willing to spend more then 10 bucks on a wallet from Walmart. you have to give them a reason to spend that extra money. Start by offering more color choices and ditch the tooling unless someone wants it special. i love tooling but its just more work that will make your stuff more expencive and that will make less people interested.
Hey Nick! Thank you for your insight. Glad to hear you’re doing great! I’m not in anyway saying I know everything, I was just sharing my own experience. Tooling is something I personally enjoy, and won’t be ditching anytime soon, I’ve always had a high demand for customs, and will be going back to that in the new year, just gotta take some time to reorganize and reset. I acknowledge my website is very out of date currently, and would encourage you to check out my instagram, I assure you my tooling is anything but “VERY VERY basic” as you so eloquently put it 😉