Today’s episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast features Dustin Christian of DC Woodworking. Dustin began his journey near the start of 2019 by building things for friends and family. He had a bit of background in carpentry and construction and he used those experiences to start selling projects locally.
During March of last year while the lockdowns were happening Dustin was at home for six months away from his full-time job. It was during that time he had a chance to work as a full-time woodworker, and while he was overwhelmed with requests at the time, he was thrilled to be doing what he loved seven days a week. Currently, he is back at his full-time job and doing woodworking as a side hustle, but his goal is to turn DC Woodworking into his full-time job.
Focusing on Farmhouse Furniture
“My wife always pushed me to make things around the house. She was big into the farmhouse stuff back in the day, and it’s still really popular around here. That’s basically where I got started with building farmhouse furniture. When I decided to see if I could sell locally I just got some good pictures and posted them on Facebook Marketplace, and then my inbox just started blowing up with orders.”
- Dustin Christian
When Dustin started posting his projects on Facebook Marketplace, he got backed up with orders for months. Around the same time the lockdown started, Dustin created some social media accounts, starting with Instagram. His intention was to create a catalog of his work, and while he still doesn’t have a website of his own, he used social platforms like Instagram and Tiktok to create video content to promote his business. Dustin adds that Tiktok blew up for him very quickly because of how easy it is to create viral content on that platform.
Dustin explains that he still focuses on building farmhouse furniture because it sells really well in his area, but his cutting boards and charcuterie boards are also in high demand. He adds that he doesn’t have the equipment or space currently to make full-sized tables, so his furniture is based around making coffee tables, end tables, and TV stands instead.
Dustin notes that he is really looking forward to having a full-size shop to work in. He is currently building out part of his garage to have a defined workspace rather than confining his projects to a corner of the garage and is looking forward to installing air conditioning and heating to make him less susceptible to the elements.
Building with Growth in Mind
“When I was at home last year basically working as a full-time woodworker during the lockdown, I started listening to Brad and John from Made for Profit. They were a huge inspiration to me when I was starting out with content creation. I started listening to them and following their blueprint.
Instagram came out with reels that worked basically like Tiktok, they had instant organic reach and you can go viral just like you can on Tiktok. It’s still kind of like that, so I try to use it as much as possible.”
- Dustin Christian
In terms of goals, Dustin explains that his primary goal right now is to get his shop up and running, accepting commissions again, and working full-time in his own business within five years. Steve and Dustin discuss the importance of building a community, whether local or virtual and how essential it is to support others in the community and receive support from them.
As he grows his company, Dustin notes that the biggest challenge is simply managing time. He always advises people to stay on top of content creation and social media in particular because it’s very easy to lose track of it and fall off of a schedule. He adds that collecting a lot of content and scheduling it ahead of time is an important technique because it ensures there will always be content ready, and posting it becomes much easier and quicker when it is prepared ahead of time.
Steve’s Advice Corner
Dustin says that his biggest question is how to monetize his passion and reach out to sponsors. Steve explains that most brands are interested in the size of a content creator’s audience and the level of engagement that their posts bring in.
He recommends that creators who are interested in approaching brands should aim to get a following between 10,000-20,000, and most importantly get a good amount of comments and saves on their posts to show they can provide value to those brands.
Steve adds that it’s vital for people to know what kind of business they want to create. Building a business based around content creation requires a different approach than a business based around building $3,000 tables. There will be some overlap between the two, but understanding the focus of your business will help develop them more effectively.
“Another thing that helps tremendously is having your own website. Having a website and putting out written content adds value as well. Then you have something to point people to.
If you have 10,000 followers, those are Instagram’s 10,000 followers, those aren’t your 10,000 followers. If you have built up an email list of those 10,000 followers and your [Instagram] account disappears today you can email them all tomorrow and get them to follow you back.”
- Steve Larosiliere
Instagram: @dc.wood.working
YouTube: DCWoodWorking