“It’s a lifestyle exactly how it sounds. I want the business to support my lifestyle, the income level I’m looking for, the stress that I’m okay with, all of those things.”

-Wes Lewis owner of James Wesley Furniture. 

 

James Wesley Furniture: Wes Lewis

That’s the quote of Wes Lewis, owner of James Wesley furniture, the Wichita Kansas based furniture company. James Wesley furniture is on a mission to build high-quality, heirloom, Custom Furniture with no room for anything less than perfection. Whether it’s a 20 foot slab table, a custom chair for a music legend, or something as simple as a slow pour coffee stand, his craftsmanship is what stands them apart from the rest. 

 

In a world where so many companies go, “I wonder if this goal is a lofty one.” Wes has made it happen. Just like the high quality furniture he builds, he wants a high quality of life too. That is how he runs his business. While some people dream of expansion, hundreds of employees and World Domination for their furniture, he dreams of just the opposite, carving out a sustainable living that he can grow old with.

 

Wes loves what he does, he loves getting to build furniture. As he says though, the business side of it is harder and isn’t his personality at all. These two talk about the age old story, not just  in woodworking, but in every industry in every business. You work for somebody else, and then it hits you one day, “What would it be like if I did this on my own?” It’s not for everyone. Some people have that feeling, but they don’t want to make that jump. It’s nice to have someone take all the responsibility, dealing with the issues and you just do your thing. At the end of the day you go home and at the end of the week, you get a paycheck and that’s it. It’s a good feeling. But then, there are some people that seek to forge their own path and see where it leads.

 

The Beauty of Woodworking

Another thing that really sticks out is the discussion around the process of converting creativity into a full time job. That’s the beauty of woodworking and also the nightmare of woodworking, if we’re all being honest with ourselves. It’s not a nine to five job. It’s a physical job, and a physically demanding one too, but also you’re building things in the physical world. And that’s hard, but for the right people it’s equally rewarding. 

 

The discussion continues into questions about the creative process. Wes makes a very interesting point on his point of view in terms of monetizing art. He says he would give it all away if he could, just because he really enjoys what he does. But Wes also notes that he’s been burned a lot when starting a project, because the customer was in a rush, and then the cheque never came through. While he loves what he does, he also has bills to consider.

 

Ethan and Wes dive into the stresses of dealing with clients who want free design work or simply don’t want to pay for work they have commissioned. Wes says he has started taking deposits, a necessary thing to protect his time, but it’s such a delicate balance. And Ethan points out he knows that people listening know exactly what they are talking about. 

 

Wood business owners know that the reason you get work, and how they make their money, is based on the portfolio and the quality of work. But it is also based on the customer service, and how easy they are to work with.

 

The two discuss the balance between saying, “Okay, I know you’re good for it, send me the check next week, not a problem. And the other side of being a ruthless titan of industry and saying “No check, no furniture.” and taking the piece home and potentially burning that project, burning that client, and losing future projects, all because you drew a line in the sand.”

 

Ethan says that it comes down to getting the money that is owed to you. And there isn’t only one way to do that. If you listen to the other episodes of this show, there are a bunch of successful people who go about collecting money in all manner of different ways. There is no right answer to this question. There is just a right answer for how you want to run your own business. 

 

Switching Gears to Scaling

After some awesome advertising talk and a discussion about the excellent uses of social media in relation to marketing, the gears shift into scaling. Ethan notes to Wes that he could grow his business, as he has enough work coming in he almost needs an employee. But, Wes says that he wants the business to support his lifestyle, as well as the income level he’s looking for and the stress that he’s okay with. That mindset really resonated with Wes, it allowed him to really understand that he doesn’t need to scale his business. Right now, Wes just really appreciates and enjoys the time that he gets to build. 

 

Ethan closes off telling Wes that he is in a very enviable position. He’s someone who knows himself. Someone who knows what they want out of their day, and by extension what they want out of their company. Wes has found himself in a place building what he loves and is making a living doing what he wants to be doing.

 

“You build impressive things, none more impressive than the business that you have built for yourself. Congratulations on all your success, and best of luck for your future.”

 

 Thanks, Ethan.

 

https://www.jameswesleyfurniture.com/

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