Pete Parisi of PeteSquared

  Today’s episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast features Steve Larosiliere sitting down with Pete of PeteSquared who is based in San Jose, California. Steve starts out the show by asking Pete how he became a Woodpreneur.    “So I’ve always been making things. I was an artist A long time ago, I guess I still am. But my dad is a crazy woodworker guy. And he’s done it pretty much all his life. And just seeing his tools and seeing his process and the things he’s built around the house. When I got older, I kind of needed a release from working in tech. About two years ago, I left Apple and just needed something to do and needed something to feel good about, you know. So I just started you know, tinkering around in the garage working on stuff, building stuff for around the house. And it’s evolved into doing this.”

• Pete Parisi

  Pete spent about 20 years in video games as a 3d artist building environments and characters special effects for games like Age of Empires and Halo Wars. He explains that 3d modeling in 3d Studio Max or Maya has inspired the style he’s doing now.    Steve notes that Pete’s style is very intricate, and asks why he’s picked plywood to work with in particular. Pete explains that he’s not tied to that particular medium, but it has many advantages in that it’s easy to make small and big parts due to its versatility and strength.

Building a Business

Steve then asks Pete how he can help his business out. Pete explains that he makes little to no money from his projects currently, but he is interested in monetizing it further down the line when he fully retires from tech.   With that in mind, Steve asks Pete to think about who his audience is to figure out who will be buying Pete’s work. Pete explains that he enjoys designing all sorts of items, and his audience enjoys the blend of art and product that he creates. Steve suggest that when he retires from tech he could focus on being a Woodpreneur that specializes in creating specialized, unique products that work in different niches.    After some in-depth discussion on art, design, and potential future plans for Pete’s business, Steve notes that since he is still a few years away from retirement, he should focus on getting his ideas and work out there to build demand for when he is ready to start making sales.   Steve goes on to discuss the importance of the artistry involved with creating things, and notes that artists have a creative spark that is a form of expression that needs to get out of them, and their medium is the way to do that whether through music, paint, or wood.   “Back to what you were saying about this creator or this artistic type of person who’s got this in their head and they just have to do it. I feel like I have that. But I think that stems from people who don’t feel like they have a voice or are maybe a lot more introverted. It was really hard for me to relate to other people and even look people in the eye and have a conversation, like when I was little.    That spark is like, Hey, you know, I can’t get up in front of you and give a performance. I can’t, I can’t relate to you socially as well. But I still exist. Like, I still have, you know, thoughts and ideas. And here, here is this thing that I made, and this validates me in a way.”

• Pete Parisi

Steve’s Advice Corner

Steve and Pete take some time to discuss how difficult it can be to guess the viral nature of social media content and the challenges involved with figuring out pricing. Steve notes the success that Pete has had with documenting his vacuum sorter and Lego projects, and advises him to reach out to other Lego creators and organizations via hashtags to signal boost and find and create a community around it.    Pete notes that he loves that idea, and that he wouldn’t mind becoming the Lego sorter guy but he wants to make sure he doesn’t end up trapped in a prison of his own design. He wants to be able to create different things without being stuck or pigeonholed exclusively in one specific area. Steve offers the advice to Pete and any other Woodpreneurs that if you ever feel trapped then it’s time to stop. “For everybody that’s listening. This is a different episode but I’ve been working on an experiment, I’m calling it a pop up brand. I’m not doing it forever, but while I’m doing it, I’m documenting. And I’m sharing the process along the way. It’s like, literally build a community around yourself, I care about giving back.    Use your business to do good. Use your business to tell stories, use your business to get your creativity out there. Because like, if we can’t get our voice out there, that’s like, Who are we. And we have this medium of wood. And we have these skills, like we can tell our stories through our products.

• Steve Larosiliere

  Website: https://www.petesquared23.com/ Instagram: @petesquared23     This episode of The Woodpreneur Podcast is proudly sponsored by Uneedainc, go to https://www.sandpaper.com for more info.