Importance Of Effective Marketing Strategies For A Wood Marketing Company
Steve Larosiliere
April 24, 2024
“You know, we’ve injected over two and a half million dollars directly into the local economy over the past six years, whether it’s through other vendors we work with, or material suppliers or just employees. But that makes a really big difference to keeping that money local is incredibly important.” – Jordan Rose
Today’s podcast guest is Jordan Rose, the owner of GoodWood NOLA, based out of New Orleans. They are far more than just a wood company, as they are a 12 person custom fabrication shop that works on both residential and commercial projects. Their shop is located in a flood-prone region, which was a big challenge until moving to a different space in the same building, but according to Jordan, the extra twelve inches of height makes all the difference!
Ethan notes that not many furniture makers need to keep a canoe in their shop for those times when the water rises, and Jordan adds that they also have a hurricane plan that involves hoisting all of their larger tools onto work tables to get them a few feet off the ground to mitigate potential damage.
Jordan explains that he didn’t see himself starting a furniture company originally. He worked on films in New Orleans for many years building props, but it was not a life that he saw himself doing long term, and so he moved into doing more fabrication work. It was during that stint that he met Mike, the co-founder of his company at a Road to Berlin exhibit at the WW2 Museum. They spent about eight months working on that project for another company, and during that time they realized they did not want to be working under others for the rest of their lives.
The two then came across an opportunity to do a project for a 250 square foot coffee shop, and despite having no tools and no shop they said they would take it on. Jordan states that they had so many people coming up to them while they worked on this project, asking them who they were and what they were doing that they decided to turn themselves into something.
Jordan and Mike chose the name GoodWood NOLA, which Jordan reflects that he might not have gone for that name in hindsight as it pigeonholes them a little bit, despite them working with far more than just wood. They balanced the workload well for about five years as Jordan is a skilled fabricator and Mike is a talented businessman, until they amicably went their separate ways recently. Since that time, Jordan has been solely at the helm of the company, and has been developing his skills on the business side of things.
Ethan notes that GoodWood NOLA has done over 250 custom projects since 2014, and those projects range from a kitchen renovation to an entire restaurant. He inquires whether residential or commercial projects have been more advantageous for the business over the years.
Jordan mentioned that he likes different aspects about each kind of project. The commercial jobs are big jobs that keep his company busy for months, are excellent for his portfolio, and he explains that there are few things more satisfying than having a drink at a bar he built. In comparison, the residential work balances out the slow times between each major commercial project. This split has proved to help their company enormously through the pandemic due to the lack of business on the commercial side.
Ethan notes that the prices for commercial and residential projects must differ considerably, and Jordan agrees that structuring proposals has been a challenge since the beginning due to the inherent uncertainty of how long a custom project will take if it’s something entirely new. He notes that the policy that has worked the best for them over the years is to be entirely transparent with the customer and lay out the cost of materials, hours spent woodworking, metalworking, assembly, and installation.
Despite the sometimes vast difference in price, Jordan notes that their proposal system works just as well for commercial as it does residential, it just requires simpler calculations. He adds that out of the many proposals and consultations his company provides, they retain about 30% of the projects, and that it was difficult to get jobs at the beginning. Ultimately, he has noted that as they have grown they have accepted that not everyone is willing to pay the premium for a custom fabricator. They have the process dialed in at this point, which has them feeling excellent about it, but it’s not an easy task.
Jordan clarifies that managing customers’ expectations is part of the challenge, as they may not understand why everything has to be the price that it is. He adds that often they can work with clients to discuss using different materials or processes to reduce the cost, either of materials or work, and provide them a result that they are happy with. This level of transparency and working with his customers to modify and meet their expectations has helped his company develop their working relationship with clients throughout the years.
Ethan notes that he found the concept of full transparency invoicing concerning initially, but Jordan has managed to swing his opinion slightly. Jordan mentions that he does not charge for proposals, and while that sometimes results in a day spent building a proposal for it to fall through, which is frustrating, it lends itself to the ultimate goal of being proficient enough to earn many more proposals.
Their payments start only when the proposal is agreed upon, at which point Jordan’s company receives a 50% deposit, or similar depending on the size of the project. One thing they have done is ensure that they do not design anything until a contract is signed as not getting a job after 10 hours of designing is unacceptable, and without the contract to keep everyone safe, he is at risk of losing his designs if they choose to share it with a different company.
Ethan notes that GoodWood NOLA is unusual for a furniture company in that it is a medium sized company, rather than the single-person shops or hundred-staffed assembly lines that normally make up the industry. Jordan explains that they have primarily college educated career oriented furniture makers, who are doing what they intend to be doing, and that he values that ideology enormously.
He adds that originally they hired people who needed work, or people who wanted to work with their hands, but weren’t entirely career-minded about it. Jordan states that that kind of environment doesn’t necessarily produce the level of passion about the work that is needed to create these valuable products that will become heirloom pieces in many cases.
Currently, they have an extremely caring team that takes ownership and pride of their work. Originally, Jordan had difficulty creating the structure that is needed for a company with several workers to operate. He mentions that about three years ago he removed himself from the day-to-day studio fabrication because he found himself spending too much time micromanaging people’s daily tasks, and ended up slowing down production rather than speeding it up.
After that point, Jordan hired a studio director named Thomas who runs all of the day-to-day work and ensures that every team member knows what they’re doing that week and he is their go-to person for questions and fabrication techniques. Since then, Jordan has expanded the managerial side of his team with a woodshop assistant director, a metalworking manager, and a finishing manager, all who work under Thomas and keep the entire operation running smoothly.
Jordan adds that the departmental names were challenging for him at first because it makes the company sound like a big manufacturer, but the titles help ensure that everyone communicates effectively, and the company works smoothly at all times. They then added an operations manager to handle the correspondence with clients, and working out proposals which were tasks Mike handled in the company’s infancy, and now Jordan feels comfortable leaving his business in the hands of his capable team, and focusing on their overall growth.
Ethan applauds Jordan on the incredible award-winning environmental sustainability that GoodWood NOLA has practiced since the start. Jordan explains that as a business local to New Orleans, they try to prioritize local suppliers, local vendors, and other local fabricators. They have injected over two and a half million dollars directly into their local economy over the past six years, whether through other vendors, material suppliers, or employees. Jordan notes that keeping the money local is incredibly important to him and his business.
When asked what advice Jordan would give to someone trying to make it in this industry, he advises to think long and hard about whether it’s something that they might want to do. He adds that it is not an easy industry, and that people need to care deeply about the work to produce the high-quality products that people want to spend money on and support over the many many online retailers available today. Jordan notes that anyone looking to get in this industry needs to ensure that the quality of their work is so high that people are willing to spend more money to support a local maker.
He notes that at GoodWood NOLA, they are entirely focused on working together and moving in the same direction. And that focus surrounds producing quality products, which is what their customers want, and what they are willing to support. This dedication is the foundation upon which Jordan’s business is built, and is the factor that will ensure their success in the years to come.
Website: https://goodwoodnola.com/
Instagram: @goodwoodnola
