Black Horse Designs has been around for about three years and is the brainchild of former landscaper, Josh Larrabee. It was in 2010 when Josh and his father took a video of themselves using their own creation, the “Tempest Wood Splitter.” The video went viral and soon requests started coming in from viewers asking for Josh to build them their own Tempests. Funny enough, one of his first customers was former podcast guest, Matthew Collins of Matthew Collins Designs! (Check him out on episode 097.)
After five years of building and fulfilling orders for the Tempest Wood Splitter, the demand became so large that when Woodmizer showed interest for the rights to the product design, Josh was ready to do so and moved on to milling live-edge slabs after the deal with Woodmizer was completed.
Josh Larrabee: A True Woodpreneur
- Josh and his wife work side by side in the business. However, it was his father who pushed him in the Woodpreneur direction and laid the foundation for the success that his business sees today.
- Josh is one of the many Woodpreneurs out there today who are driving the wood industry forward by creating much-needed products that wood industry professionals are finding essential to their success and efficiency.
Developing Needed Products For Woodpreneurs
- With the internet and shows such as Shark Tank, it can seem like the development, branding, and selling of a product is pretty straightforward, while anyone who has truly stepped into the product development field will tell you, the path to product development is definitely not simple. However, listening to the advice of wood industry product developers that have gone before, such as Black Horse Designs, LogOX, and SawHaul can make the progress of such a task much easier.
Josh Looks Back On The Biggest Lessons That He’s Learned…
- Stay on top of your books and make certain that you keep them 100% accurate.
- Take pride in your work and produce an excellent product. The quality of a product will match the satisfaction of your customer!
Words To Live By…
“Don’t chase the money, chase the dream. The money will come if you’re passionate about what you do and love what you do.” – Josh Larrabee
Contact Black Horse Designs
https://www.blackhorsedesigns.com/
@blackhorsedesignsinc
What exactly is a Woodpreneur?
So, why the term “woodpreneur”? When Steve first started Acres of Timber three years ago, the wood community and industry wasn’t what it is now.
Slab dealers, wood designers, and more specifically at the time – sawmill users, didn’t have a community or a brand and were going largely unnoticed by potential customers who would look instead to the Home Depot and Lowe’s of this world for their products. Steve sought to change that by creating the Sawmill Business Instagram account and the #sawmillbusiness hashtag as a way to share the products and creations that these innovative makers were producing. It didn’t take long for the account to grow to over 136,000 followers and with a hashtag that has been used over 35,000 times, the Sawmill Business community grew and grew quickly!
As the Sawmill Business following grew, Steve began to notice that this community didn’t just include sawmill owners. Furniture designers, woodworkers, arborists, tree climbers, chainsaw users, slab sellers, and even tree house makers became an integral part of the Sawmill Business family as well. It was at this point that Steve knew the business needed a new name that would truly encompass all that the wood community represents. Hence, @acresoftimber and the term “Woodprener” was born.
With the maker movement now in full swing, there are more podcasts, content creators, (like Anne of All Trades) youtubers, and makers, (such as Matt Cremona) that are putting a spotlight on sawmill users, furniture makers, and other wood related niches. Not only has the wood community turned into a “maker movement” it’s also filled with people who now view the work that they do as a profitable business and not just a hobby. A perception that was lacking without a community behind it.
A “Woodpreneur” Is A…
- Sawmill User
- Wood Business Owner
- Furniture Designer
- Hardwood Flooring Professional
- Woodworker
- Slab Dealer
- Kiln User
- Welder
- Content Creator
- Maker
And an overall innovative, brave, and creative entrepreneur in the wood industry!
“Woodpreneurs care about building their business as much as they care about the quality of the products they make, create, and sell. They don’t just want a job, they want a company. They invest in this company with blood, sweat, and tears and love every minute of it.”
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Are you ready to scale your woodworking, flooring, or tree service business?
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