Joseph’s Woodwork & Crafts Co.

8/30/18 – It was inevitable that I started a woodworking business through which I could sell my woodworking products. I would’ve done it sooner, but I never had the workspace I needed to actually make the products. All that changed when we moved to our new house in Pearland.

I now have a garage to work in, a luxury that many woodworkers take for granted. It’s only a one-car garage, but you won’t hear any complaints from me. I love being in my new workshop. I’ve already made a total mess in there. I love it!

During my last two years in Florida, I set up two other businesses which had nothing to do with woodworking. Due to some complex reasons, however, I was never able to launch them. I have LLC’s, bank accounts, websites and social media accounts for those two businesses, but no clients. Honestly, I didn’t even try. I was reluctant to do any marketing for those businesses because…if I had gotten a client for either one of them, I would’ve been locked into a commitment of maintaining a service for those clients.

While I was still deciding what I was going to do with those businesses, a new job opportunity in Houston fell into my lap and everything changed. We’re now settled into our new house and I work in the garage whenever I have free time. The creative bug within me is alive and thriving with new ideas. Of course, Aniela has several projects for me to work on for the house (see Master Closet Makeover). But aside from all that, I’m chomping at the bit to make stuff and sell it. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do with my new business; Joseph’s Woodwork & Crafts. Co.

My Woodworking Business

Unlike the two businesses that I started in Florida, I’m a whole lot more qualified and capable of running a woodworking business. The garage enables me to make furniture, wall décor, crafts and other creative items which I can sell all over the internet. I’m only limited by my creativity and my willingness to put in the work.

I’ve already put a lot of thought into the steps I would take to establish this business. I recently began to take a few of those steps.

First things first, I had to figure out a name for the new business. Once the name is settled, all other decisions and setup steps would flow. Perhaps by default, I considered “JAG Woodworks” or some other variation which uses my initials. I went ahead and purchased the domain jagwoodworks.com.

JAG Woodworks?

Later on, however, when I checked to see if “jagwoodworks” was available as a username on the major social media platforms, I was surprised to find at least half a dozen businesses on Facebook that are using the name “JAG Woodworks” or some variation of it. None of them appeared to be very successful and most appeared to be inactive. If my business became the success that I plan for it to become, I could easily stand apart from that group.

But then again, I simply don’t want a name that so many other businesses already have. So I let go of the idea of using “JAG.” And now that I think about it, JAG is simply too impersonal and ambiguous.

Harmony Woodworks?

For about a minute, I considered using a phrase which doesn’t include my name at all, something like “Harmony Woodworks.” Many years ago, I considered “StrongCraft Company of Texas” when I was thinking about forming a woodworking business.

But those impersonal names just don’t feel right. I’m certainly not going to sweat and slave all evening in the garage for “Harmony Woodworks.” I had to get back to my name somehow. But how? Namechk.com is usually where I go to research the availability of names for websites and social media platforms. After trying a few combinations of “Joseph,” “woodworking,” “woodworks” and even “crafts,” I finally realized that the right name was right under my nose; “Joseph’s Woodwork.”

Joseph’s Woodwork & Crafts Company!!

I don’t want to lose you in the details, but the arrival to this name was a big breakthrough for me. First of all, obviously, Joseph is my name. Names are important whereas initials are not. Adding the apostrophe and “s” to “Joseph” creates a possessive quality in the name which conveys that this is “Joseph’s business” and these products are the result of “Joseph’s work.” This makes it personal, human and approachable. There isn’t a machine out there that’s spitting out these products. On the contrary, they’re handcrafted by a real person…and his name is Joseph.

And now that I’ve added an “s” to Joseph, dropping the “s” from “woodworks” is another important detail. “Woodwork” alone implies a plurality of products in the same way that “Dow Chemical” implies that they work with a variety of chemicals. And then when I realized I wanted to add “& Crafts Co.” to the name of my business, it became essential to leave the “s” off of “Woodwork”. Otherwise, there would be too many ‘esses’.

Joseph’s Woodwork & Crafts Co. is the resulting title of the business and I’m very happy with it. I already went ahead and secured a corresponding username on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Etsy and eBay. I already bought the domain josephswoodwork.com and started working on it (click here to visit the site).

The next thing to do is get an LLC and a bank account so I can properly accept payments via Stripe and PayPal. I’m excited :)

I’m in Business!!

9/7/18 – I got the LLC from the Brazoria County Clerk’s Office on Tuesday and I just got my EIN number from the IRS today. I still need a bank account, but aside from that, this business has officially begun! Oh I’m so excited about it. I cannot wait to start making products that I can sell. I have hundreds of ideas for products.