James Matthius: Pocono Table Company

 

Welcome back to a brand new episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast. Today, your host Steve is joined by James Matthius, owner of Pocono Table Company. James’ father always had a woodshop in the basement of their family home, so James was always around woodworking from a young age. His father often made cabinets, tables, and other furniture for their family, and he would teach James whenever he felt like learning.

As James grew older, his interest in woodworking went on the back burner for several years until he married and lived in his own house. He decided then that he wanted to start making things for his family and before long, friends would ask for something, which got the ball rolling for him. James began making decor items like wooden flags and cutting boards and soon decided to give woodworking a shot, so he started an Etsy account.

 

“I completely got demolished on Etsy for a pretty good time because I didn’t have any understanding of SEO, and how to take proper product photos, and how to word things to catch people’s attention. So I decided, “Okay, I gotta learn this; this is something I really need to learn.” 

I went to YouTube, and I basically taught myself how to do all that. I’m still not good at it, but once I started applying those techniques, I saw sales coming in. And I said, “Oh, boy, alright, awesome.” That kind of lit a fire under me.”

• James Matthius

 

 

Finding the Passion for Slabs

 

While he found some early success in selling the decorative flags and other small items, James found that he grew tired of making these products repeatedly. He genuinely wanted to make big pieces of furniture like tables for hotels and people’s homes.

Slabs and epoxy have always interested James, so he decided to dive into making these larger live-edge items. He began by making a dining room table and a coffee table for his home, and as people came by, they noted that they had never seen that kind of furniture before and commented on how incredible the pieces were and whether they could get one of their own.

“That’s still what I love to do. I love making river tables with epoxy. I love anything slab-related; Small, medium, large. Unfortunately, most of my orders are still on the smaller side because most of the general public just doesn’t understand the actual cost of materials. So they kind of get shell shocked when they hear the price for a 12 foot long live edge slab table with 18 gallons of epoxy down the middle of it. But I’m getting there.

When that happens with a customer or potential customer, I try to educate them because I don’t want to talk down to them; I don’t want to come off as rude. So I try to itemize things and show them the cost because I want them to know. I don’t want them to go around thinking and contacting other businesses and other woodworkers thinking that they’re going to get a Bob’s furniture piece for the same amount of money as a fully custom table.”

• James Matthius

 

 

Refining his Business

 

One of the earliest challenges for James was his understanding of marketing, advertising, generating leads, and everything under that umbrella. However, thanks to Steve’s help, he feels that he has a much better handle on it, but he is working on implementing more strategies and techniques to improve that side of his business in the long run.

James made another vital decision to begin taking time from his nine to five job and re-allocate it to his new business. Initially, he would take a few days off here and there to try to get things done, but after a while, he went to his boss and explained his situation and asked if he could go down to working four days a week to focus on his business in his off time.

James explains that he will go back to his boss in a few months and ask if he can go down to three days a week and keep hammering away at his business until he gets his feet rooted. Once he feels secure enough in his own business, he intends to transition fully into working for himself, but he is taking his time to ensure the stability of himself and his family.

When James took part in Steve’s marketing plan workshop, Steve noted that he wasn’t afraid to invest in marketing by boosting posts and paying for ads, but eventually, he reached the point where he knew he needed more dedicated help.

“I was paying Facebook a ton of money to run ads. Every time I would do a post, and it would do well on its own, I would throw some money into it to boost it to get more profile visits, but I said, “There’s got to be more to it.” I need to pay a professional to either do it for me or to teach me how to do it because obviously, I can’t figure it out on my own.”

• James Matthius

 

 

Mastering the Mentorship Program

 

“So the mentorship program is a unique group of people. There were a couple of solo milling businesses, woodworkers, and forestry people, and there were different kinds of knowledge within the group. We all had our struggles that we would tell each other, and maybe another person might have a tip or a trick or insight on how to combat that. 

And then, of course, you were there to give your advice and your knowledge about pretty much everything marketing and branding because that’s what we were all there for. To be able to learn how to grow and expand our businesses within this digital era.”

• James Matthius

 

Alongside the business and marketing advice that James picked up from the mentorship program, he notes that interacting with other businesses like his was a big confidence booster. Learning and growing together and building a relationship with other woodworking businesses was very insightful and helpful for him.

The boost to James’ confidence has given him a lot of faith in himself and his brand. He explains that he still struggles with Facebook and other social media, but he is beginning to get results. While he is still figuring things out, he is developing a community around himself and his brand.

 

 

Steve’s Advice Corner

 

Regarding advice for other woodworkers who are thinking about joining the mentorship program, James suggests that if you’re unsure or already thinking about it, just go for it. The more time you take to just think about it, the more time you’re wasting; you’re only hurting yourself.

“I feel like we’ve built a relationship. I could reach out to you if I’m ever unsure of something, and you’d be there to help me along. If you don’t know what you’re doing, hire a professional. Get it done the right way. Get on track.”

• James Matthius

 

“One of the things that I hope for is to build a community. I’ve been an entrepreneur for a long time, and I really love what I do. And I just love encouraging other people to be entrepreneurs, which is why the Woodpreneur community exists. Let’s get paid to do what you love all the time and get paid well for it. Period. Build a legacy. Build something that lasts beyond you.”

• Steve Larosiliere

 

Website: https://www.poconotablecompany.com

Instagram: @pocono_table_company