The Importance of Pivoting with Big Sky Dry
Our guests for today’s podcast are Christian and Lauren of Big Sky Dry located in Missoula, Montana. Currently, Lauren works full time in advertising as a copywriter, which she says helps their new business a lot, while Christian works at Big Sky Dry full time as they grow their company.
When asked how they started their business, Christian mentioned how three years ago, he was working with his dad brokering financing for logging equipment and people within that industry. At that time, one of his customers came up to him and inquired about financing an iDRY kiln, which neither Christian or his dad had heard of. His father then got in touch with Jim Parker of iDRY, and they began helping customers with financing. This was their first real exposure to wood drying, and after conversations with Jim, they went to Vermont and saw how the kilns were made.
Lauren recognized that people kept wanting to get more and more of these kilns and needed financing for their second and third ones. By that point, with each financing sale, Christian ended up selling themselves on the idea and they realized that a kiln might work well for them.
Filling A Niche
Steve asks what it was about drying that attracted them to the industry, since most people start with a sawmill.
Christian notes that it was the demand that intrigued them. There are many small sawyers in their area, but they have the only vacuum kiln within a four state radius. They realized that since there was no one in their area with a vacuum kiln, they could take advantage of an untapped market. They began by calling around and asking if anyone would be interested in drying as a service and realized there was plenty of need for it. They validated their business concept ahead of time and knew there was a market for it, which gave them a great start.
They began by putting a load of wood into their iDRY every few weeks, and developed a constant rotation of drying. Originally, Christian felt that he wasn’t a woodworker but he wanted to learn so he began by looking into making hairpin legs, and then his interest began to snowball from there as he learned new techniques. They had so much material that some of it didn’t sell right away which gave him plenty to experiment with. He began to make tables and benches and they had enormous success selling them through Facebook Marketplace and Ebay, and they intend to use Etsy eventually as well.
One factor that contributed to the inception of their business was the way Covid impacted Christian’s previous work. When they first had the idea and went for it, he was working for a company that sold gym memberships and related products. When Covid-19 began affecting businesses, almost the entirety of his department was laid off which left Christian with a void he needed to fill. He notes that he spent around a week after the layoff wondering what he’d do, but then he and Lauren realized that an iDRY could be a tremendous investment, and the financial margins were very much in their favor to develop their business..
Steve asks what they feel the biggest success in their business is.
Christian says that they are most proud of their ability to pivot, and how that ability has generated sales and opened up doors for them. They had not planned on selling their own slabs initially, but one day they had a massive load of blue pine finish drying, and posted about it on their instagram. Then a customer came by and said he wanted to buy all of the slabs. They realized the enormous potential of their business on that day. Lauren notes that another point of pride for them is that they started this project as a side-hustle, but it’s now grown to be a full blown business while they’re still in their mid-20s.
Investing In Yourself
Steve then asks about some of the other investments that they made to make the business run.
Christian notes that when they wanted to get into the furniture component of the business, they needed to invest in a router, a sled, and a welder in order to make these things happen, but these investments made them realize that above all they needed a proper shop.
Currently they’re located in a storage unit that’s 45 minutes away from their home. But now that they have developed it into a woodworking business with customers, they need a proper shop space to work in and show off products and materials.
When they started, Christian would travel to get green lumber from people to show them how dedicated they were. They would charge these people for the pickup, but it was worth traveling to build their reputation. Lauren notes that in some cases it was incredible how far people would travel for their products. One customer travelled to their work space from seven hours away for three slabs alone, which showcases the incredible demand for their services.
Lauren notes that they should be set up in their new shop within a couple of months. They have found one they love in an old grainery located right across the street from their favorite brewery near downtown Missoula. They note that there are a few other locations they’re interested in, and currently they are figuring out the details involving city codes, insurance, and other considerations.
Love What You Do
Steve then inquires about what the biggest challenge facing Christian and Lauren is.
For Christian, because he wears so many different hats while running their business, staying organized is challenging for him. Staying on top of messages, insurance, payments, and all the other facets of a small business has proven to be more difficult than he expected. Now that they’re selling furniture, he’s realized that shipping tables out effectively is difficult as well. They’ve had to rewrite their entire business plan because they keep implementing new ideas and adding new aspects to their company.
Christian notes that he doesn’t have a woodworking background, and he hated it when he was in high school. Now he loves woodworking and the community surrounding the industry makes it so much better for them. Christian states you’ll have a tough time finding people in the woodworking industry that aren’t cool. He’s met so many excellent people both locally and through social media that they feel safe asking questions any time they are uncertain about something.
Steve asks if they were to restart their business, what would they do differently?
Lauren begins by saying that they would have acquired a shop closer to their home, but they were trying to keep their overhead as low as possible when they began, and doing so has given them the money to scale. They have had a positive cash flow since day one, thanks to a combination of low rent, low payments for the kiln, downsizing their home, their car and most aspects of their life, so that they could start their business. Lauren says that one thing they would change would be to start their business with a larger vision. However, starting small and growing gave them a unique perspective on the various things a new business needed, and they learned so much by going through the process that they did.
Steve’s Marketing Advice Corner
Lauren believes they’re biggest hurdle right now is how to shape their brand. It wasn’t something they felt they needed at first, but now that sales has become a larger part of the business it has become more important. They’re in the process of deciding whether they should rebrand because they’ve expanded beyond the simple drying aspect of the business that their name implies.
Steve says he loves the name of the company as it is. He suggests that they create an umbrella name like Big Sky Wood Co. continuing their Big Sky Dry brand underneath that larger name, and capitalize on being the only game in the state by showcasing what Montana has to offer. One way he suggests doing so is by stocking all the species of trees native to Montana, and working with as many major influencers, businesses, and other entities within the state to get their name out there and become the Woodpreneur face of their state.
He believes that it’s good to broaden their business and to become synonymous with wood in Montana. He advises them to secure their ‘umbrella’ name, and print it up on merchandise, branding, and everything possible. He recommends setting up a DBA when they move into the new shop, and promote everything in Missoula. By advocating for salvaged reclaimed urban lumber in Montana, they can look into economic development or research grants for people diverting urban lumber from the waste stream and see if that can help build their business.
Christian advises new and existing Woodpreneurs to ask questions to as many people as possible, be willing to adapt to new situations and opportunities, and use social media non-stop. Lauren says how important social media has been for them and they’ve only scratched the surface, but getting leads through those platforms has been incredible for them.
Instagram: @bigskydry
Facebook: @bigskydry
Website: bigskydry.com