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Holy smokes! Two years and still building things! Who would have thought this would actually turn into a successful little business!? I certainly didn’t. I basically started “blogging” to get outside my comfort zone and talk about my builds. I remember being really timid about writing about my wood working adventures, let alone allowing people to read what I had to say (my wife gives me so much confidence!). It has been nothing but a positive experience for me and it has really opened up all kinds of avenues that I would never have expected. I sort of just figured I’d build things around the house, buy as many tools as I could on Kijiji and just be a tinkerer. However, things have just been heating up over the last 6 months and I just sent in my application for a building permit to build my own SHOP!
Let’s chat more about my shop. It’s going to be facking awesome! It will be roughly 20 x 24 (It keeps get bigger then smaller, then bigger again!). My plan is to start saving my money from my builds instead of buying things on Kijij or anything that is on sale in the flyers. Did I tell you I just got a new chainsaw!? I want to fund this build purely out of wood working money (not that I had a choice). No bank loans, no lines of credit. Straight cash! Wouldn’t it be incredible and rewarding knowing that?!! Plus, I’m building it myself and pouring the concrete. I’ve been doing some research on how to do these things and it saves a ton of cash. My plan is to hopefully start building in the fall, or the spring, or maybe even the year after that, or the year after that! It’s going to happen as long as business stays steady. I’ve basically been working 7 days a week for the last year so hopefully it continues (as overwhelming as that can be when I take on too much work).
Here’s what I’ve been up to the past month and what is happening this month.
• Finished and delivered a headboard.
• I built one of 3 baby gates for my own house. I haven’t finished painting it yet but I had to install it because Everly is on the move. Hopefully I can finish painting this one and build the other two before she is 5. Don’t worry. Our stairs are carpeted with a landing in the middle.
• My wife has been asking me to build a latter shelf for a few weeks now. I’ll get to that after I finish the baby gates….
• I just finished 12 more sandwich boards. Eight for the Murphy’s Group and three for the Scales Group.
• I built some shelves and a work bench for M&M Resources. They are a paving company located on the 48 Road. If you need anything paved, these guys are awesome! (They didn’t pay me to say that nor did they sponsor this post….. yet)
• I’m building 16 shutters for a client’s house. Hopefully I’ll start that today! (I’m not, might have some beers instead)
• A 7 X 5 Maple kitchen table! I’m really excited to build this! I ordered lumber from a local sawmill, so now I’m just waiting for them to mill it.
• I could potentially be building a table for a new restaurant in Charlottetown! Shit, did I just jinx it? Screw it. This would be cool to do!
• I could potentially be building beer tap handles for a local brewery!? Shit! Did I just jinx that too? Lol
My quotes are out so I’ll wait and see. It’s been a learning experience sending these out! I absolutely hate that part but it’s the only way to grow. I’ve received a few no’s/no responses lately which isn’t a bad thing according to the books and podcast I’ve been reading/listening to that are about pricing and running a small business. I just want to be fair and worth my time!
Well, that’s all I have to say about that. Two years building things out of wood. It’s been a dusty ride (thank god for the Roomba, it’s more than just a go-cart for Everly to drive) but I can’t and won’t stop learning as much as I can before I turn to dust myself! If that is morbid, it’s okay. It’s the truth. Life is short. Never stop learning or challenging yourself!!! I’ve solved the world’s most complex problems in the shop by myself or with my buddy, Colin, who typically comes down on Friday nights. We pretend to work and ponder the meaning of life. I could do a series about this. I’ll keep you all updated on this!
Have a great weekend everyone!!
Juddy Judson
juddy judson builds 
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