Importance Of Effective Marketing Strategies For A Wood Marketing Company
Steve Larosiliere
April 24, 2024
“These people, these clients are coming to you because they can’t find them somewhere else. So that right there is a price tag in and of itself. Like they’re coming to us because they can’t find what they need. And there’s a price for that.”
Welcome to Building a Furniture Brand with Ethan Abramson, the show that talks about the business behind the furniture business. In this episode, Ethan sits down with Jordan Goetz, owner of the Austin Texas-based furniture company, Growler Domestics.
Jordan’s story is a story of a creative person who found woodworking and just had a passion for it, and along the way, all that creativity turned into success. Then it comes down to having to actually run that business, having to learn to balance that creativity and still keep track of invoices and pricing and contracts, and all that goes into the business side of running a furniture company. This is the story of Jordan Goetz and Growler Domestics.
“So when I moved out to Austin from Santa Barbara 14 years ago, (I started my business nine years ago) I think like I caught the creative bug. I was creative as a child. And I kind of feel like I maybe transferred the creativity into music. I think some people that listened to my band back in the day might disagree that it was creative, but you know.
I caught the bug here in Austin as soon as I moved here I was overwhelmed with the energy that this city offered and the community and how much everyone was willing to help each other.”
Jordan explains that after he moved to Austin, his friend Gabe introduced him to woodworking through the inlay and fine-trim carpentry that he was doing at the time. This intrigued Jordan, though he hadn’t realized at the time that becoming a furniture designer was even an option to him.
As Gabe would get new jobs, he would get new tools and would provide some of them to Jordan, who then took them home and worked out of his spare bedroom in his small home in the city. He notes that he would bring them all out to his front yard and work on top of an old picnic table.
Even though he was using old tools, and working in less than ideal conditions, Jordan was ecstatic that he could be working on something creative. As time went on he began to hone his craft and upgrade his tool selection, as he pursued more creative outlets.
“I remember driving around all the old neighborhoods in my Scion xB searching for homes that were being torn down because I was so drawn to this wood. Nine years ago we weren’t really calling it reclaimed wood.
When homes were being torn down I would ask the construction workers “Yo can I grab this? Can I take this off your hands?” and they kind of were like, “This guy’s an idiot like he’s doing our job for us.” They were just going to toss it and I would just stockpile it. I loved all of the wood, it would have different colors of paint on it and nails that were stuck in there, and I would just start making stuff out of it.”
Jordan notes that when he was starting in this industry, Facebook had just taken off and Instagram had only just started, so the platforms were not what they are now. He adds that a friend of his told him to put one of his coffee tables on Facebook to see if someone wants to buy it, and he thought it was the silliest thing.
Nevertheless, Jordan went ahead and posted his table on Facebook for $200.00, and he explains that it was sold within thirty minutes. He recognizes that he didn’t actually make any money off that table, because he didn’t account for his time or creative process, but at the time he was so thrilled that someone wanted something he had made.
Jordan recounts how another friend of his, Eric, had a small half-car garage, with several essential tools, and he offered the space and the tools to Jordan since he was interested in getting back into woodworking as well. Jordan notes that he was so excited to be building things that he spent all of his time there working and finishing his projects, and he appreciates the kindness of his friends.
Jordan explains that while he was spending all his spare time building, he got a job bartending downtown. His work would finish around three or four in the morning, and then he would get up at ten in the morning to build all day, then go to work in the evening, and repeat the whole cycle over and over until the first big job came his way.
“I got hit up by a general contractor to design and build out a coffee shop here in Austin. And it was a big enough paycheck for me to let go of bartending. You know, and like looking back, it wasn’t that big of a paycheck, but it was big enough and it was my first one and I was just like, this is a lot of money.”
Jordan started to get more and more work after the coffee shop contract, and through word of mouth, he was able to move out of the shed and move into a big commercial space. He worked in that space for several years before moving into a townhouse in Austin where he now works out of his two-and-a-half car garage. He adds that he’s still doing the same amount of work at the same level, but he doesn’t have anywhere near as many overhead costs to worry about
Ethan and Jordan note that building something isn’t enough to make a business on its own, but not everyone is capable of making these things, and Jordan recognized his capabilities and recognized the demand that existed for his items.
“Before COVID happened, I would go over to your house, we’d sit down, we’d go over what patterns and colors you have in your living room, your dining room what color are your floors, things that people don’t think about that might clash.
Throughout the process, we’re keeping open communication and developing this relationship. So when I’m finished with the project, we have a new friendship that’s been built over the process, or over the time of me building this custom piece of furniture that hopefully they’ll have the rest of their life.
When asked what sets him apart from others, Jordan notes that he feels that the custom nature of his work lets him build relationships that help make his customers feel comfortable, which makes the process easier, and allows him to have more fun doing so.
On the other side of that though, sometimes clients feel they can wiggle out of certain obligations under the basis of friendship, something that Jordan says he doesn’t give any leeway for. Friends or not, his invoices are straightforward.
Being the primary builder, office worker, and face of the business means an enormous amount of work; Jordan says he handles it well being a people person, but he notes that running your own company does require being “on” all the time, especially in the early years. He adds that people need to be able to figure out how to control these elements in a healthy way otherwise they risk burning out.
When asked by Ethan what advice he would give to aspiring creatives who are interested in starting a furniture business, or improving their existing one, he notes that asking questions is the first step.
Jordan encourages people starting out to ask questions of the community. He adds to ask every possible question you can think of, because that’s how he learned most of the elements of his business early on, from pricing to techniques and more. Jordan then notes that he doesn’t think of these people as competitors, and they often refer clients to each other if their capabilities don’t necessarily match with the clients’ needs.
“My biggest advice is to just do it. Just be creative, let it flow, let it be fun, this is supposed to be fun. And for the people that are starting and are in the process of building it up, like just keep doing your thing. If you’re already in it, remember that you’ve made it this far you’ve made that jump past doubting yourself and now you’re trusting yourself to make a living.
The hardest part is really just making that first jump. It’s terrifying. When I got that check for that coffee shop and I was like, Oh cool. This will keep me afloat for a while, and I can quit bartending. I was still terrified. I knew that money was gonna run out. But like, it was literally now or never at that moment for me. If I don’t do this, I’m going to literally blow this money, and I’m gonna still be bartending. And once you do that, it’ll click and you’ll be like, this is the best moment of my life.”
Website: https://growlerdomestics.com
Instagram: @growlerdomestics
