So, you know how the business started and some of why it's still going.
Now, I will tell you about some of the hoops and hurdles I faced along the way.
First off, I had to make the choice to go forward and make it a real business instead of a hobby. That decision was made fairly quickly and I haven't looked back since. Fortunately,
I have a wife that is supportive of this creation and believes I can do it. (She does have some say in the money going out to the business, so if she says "No", then I can't get it. Unless I hit that honey-do list really hard for the next couple of weeks!)
I heard a saying in my research of this craft, "If you want to make a small fortune in leatherwork, start with a big fortune." I found this humorous but also grounding. We had to pull money away from ourselves and sacrifice a bit to put it toward the business. I have put some money into this, and I'm not finished yet. The further along I get, and the better I get, the things cost more. But if I want to be more productive, I have to get tools that will allow that. Not everyone wants to pay the money a large product costs when you have to hand-stitch and stamp it. Labor is pricey, and there is a reason for that. Not to say there isn't a market for this area, I have a client that is willing to pay whatever it costs to get what he wants. However, those clientele are not banging down my door to buy my goods.
Buying tools is kind of like buying a used car. You get what you pay for. A lot of trial and error has plagued me through this process. But when you first start out, you have to start small. With that, you buy some premade kits that have some low quality tools you need to begin, but also a lot more low quality tools you don't need. My first kit I bought was cheap. It had 180 items to get me started in leatherworking. That sounded like almost everything I would need to get some product out the door! The only thing I use from that kit today is a thumb cot for stitching, the scissors, the burnishing tool, some stamps (which I am working toward replacing with better quality stamps), and the little self-healing cutting mat. Everything else has either been given away or is taking up space in my storage area. Some people will tell you to not buy these kits and save up to buy the better tools one at a time and build up that way. I say, "Do what fits your budget and time frame. If you can be patient, save the money and buy tools one at a time. If you want to get going now and are willing to work a little harder to get professional looking products, buy the kit and build from that (it worked for me)."
I'm getting past the point where this is a couple minute read so I had better wrap it up for now and get back to work. (Although this is part of that work. LOL) I will write some more about what my cost is to have this business, and more hoops and hurdles.
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