Importance Of Effective Marketing Strategies For A Wood Marketing Company
Steve Larosiliere
April 24, 2024
“My mom always told me that 100 pennies make a buck, right? We learned that as kids, it’s a lot easier to make a million dollars a million ways than it is to make a million dollars one way.” – Jess Crow
On this episode of Building A Furniture Brand with Ethan Abramson, he sits down with Jess Crow of the Alaska-based furniture company Crow Creek Designs. Jess is well known for seamlessly blending epoxy into her pieces, whether hyper-realistic fish or brightly colored geometric pattern tables.Â
Ethan starts the conversation about the furniture business by inquiring how Jess started out in the industry and why epoxy has become her technique of choice. Jess notes that while many people believe that she started with epoxy, the use of epoxy was actually a relatively late addition to her products. She adds that she started how most garage builders do with pallet furniture that she added art and color to, and then painting and sanding the furniture to make it shabby chic.
One of the aspects that set Jess apart from many others was her addition of painting vintage flowers and complex designs. She moved into building beds, and that was how she started with epoxy. A client came to her and noted all the lifelike paintings that Jess had been doing and stated that they wanted a nine-foot-tall queen-sized headboard with a whale swimming through a galaxy on it. As she researched how to create a galaxy for the project, she found artists using epoxy to create that effect, which opened her imagination to the many possibilities that this material could create for her.
Ethan explains that Jess’s name is synonymous with epoxy. She has become known as a queen of epoxy due to the worldwide recognition of her artistic control over that material. He then inquires how she goes about pricing her pieces because there is less awareness among the general public of how difficult it is to create epoxy-based designs.
Jess agrees that unless a client has bought a piece from her already, they are often astonished at the price difference between a standard walnut table and a piece that she has custom-designed with epoxy. She goes on to say that while people are generally uneducated about the differences between “garage floor” epoxy and the type that she purchases for her designs, she has taken a hard stance by saying that people either want her work or they don’t.
However, Jess goes on to say that there is a big difference between a rude client and an uneducated client, and she believes that the onus is on the furniture builder to attempt to educate a customer from the very first email that an epoxy build is not cheap and the reasons why.Â
Ethan notes that while it’s essential to be respectful to clients, that does not mean that builders should always bow to them. If a project is not suitable for a particular builder, then it is alright to say no. It’s a difficult lesson to learn, and he then asks how Jess reached the point where she understood it and could apply it to her business.
Jess finds that it can be challenging even now, and the changes that COVID-19 has brought into the world make for a blessing and a curse for builders. She has found that because people are spending more time at home, they better realize how expensive it is to do this kind of project, and on the flip side, many people are making their own items now with all the time spent at home. This change makes it challenging to say no to a job, even if it might only be for a 10% profit, which might have otherwise been 40% profit in 2019.
Jess notes that having a long view of projects is essential to recognize whether a client is a good fit for her and whether they will give her the creative freedom needed to make the design what it needs to be. So she believes that saying no is challenging whether you’re at the beginning, middle, or end of your journey, and it all comes down to looking at the balance of gain and loss to determine if a project is worth it.
Ethan then asks Jess about how she works with clients and what kind of contracts she uses to ensure that her work and materials are not wasted if they decide they want something different in a last-minute email.
Jess explains that she needs to learn a lesson a few times before implementing it, and contractual agreements were one of the things she wishes she had known about sooner. She recalls one client who refused to collect a completed project because his girlfriend decided she didn’t want it in her space, and it took her a week to get an answer from him. After that point, she started her contracts with a 50% non-refundable deposit, which Jess believes is one of the best choices she has ever made for her business.
She found other necessary contractual additions based on other customers later. Jess recalls one client who ordered a very large epoxy countertop and then stored it upright against a wall in a coastal, high humidity room with temperature fluctuations. Naturally, when they went to install it, it was bowed, and they wanted her to replace it. Now Jess’s contracts include statements about her not being responsible for improper storage or warping. While she recognizes that these contractual obligations may make her seem hard, she sleeps better at night knowing that she won’t lose her business due to a client making an error with their purchase and then deciding to sue her.
Ethan notes that learning as you go is the most important thing, and making sure that you don’t make the same mistake twice. He then states that the goal of a furniture company is to make money with that business, but that doesn’t mean that a builder can’t make money with other smaller items to supplement that income.Â
Jess recognized early on that it’s impossible to have only one means of making an income and that the ability to pivot is vital to the success of a business. In 2019 she was creating only custom builds, and her goal in 2020 was only to make items that she wanted that people could buy if they wished to while she developed the teaching elements of her business. She explains that 2020 changed many of those dynamics, and she pivoted her business to introduce smaller “grab-and-go” items that she likes to think of as side dishes to her overall business.
This mentality has led Jess to create small items that complement the themes of her larger items. If a potential customer is waffling about buying a table, they can easily purchase a $55 cutting board, and then she takes that concept even further. Right now, she uses her laser to make full-sized tables and then uses the scrap wood from those projects to create key chains that are only $6-7. This thought process has shown her that if she sells ten cutting boards for $50 each, she gets $500, which is easier for customers to buy than a single $500 wall art piece. Jess notes that this type of earning is more subtle, but it tends to add up more quickly.
Ethan mentions that anyone who knows Jess knows that she is an uplifting community-building person. He adds that while Alaska is a physically large place, it is a small market, and because she wants to sell worldwide, she has had to build her community to support that goal.
Jess agrees that being in Alaska has forced her to learn how to be a good marketing agency independently. It is difficult to physically ship items from and to Alaska without paying extremely high surcharges. She notes that people sometimes forget that people are not buying products as much as they are buying the story behind the product. Jess adds that when you’re doing your marketing, ensure that you tell your story and make your pieces relatable.
She continues that if a client is buying a table that you have spent 100 hours designing and another 100 hours building, those are the people who are looking for a story. They care not only about the finished table, but they care about why you’re building these things. These changes will help shift your clientele and bring the right people into your community because they are the people who will tell their friends and talk about how they feel a connection to the work. Jess believes that her advice is always to embrace your weird because whatever sets you apart is going to be what makes you stand out.
Ethan then explains that one of the scariest parts of building a business is the aspects that come from living outside the standard corporate world. One of the most frightening of these aspects is the lack of health insurance. He asks Jess how she goes about dealing with these challenges.
Jess immediately states that you have to be comfortable with hearing the word no, and more importantly, you have to be able to have the mindset of finding a way around problems. She has to deal with her own health issues and the issues she passed to her youngest daughter. Jess has found the best way to cope with that is by pricing her market appropriately. When she started, she was selling low and a lot, and as she transitioned into selling at her worth, she found that you have to set your value because nobody else in the world will.
Jess notes that you have to recognize what things you are willing to not have in order to have your business. One thing she doesn’t always show is that she still uses the same old massive drill that she got off of Craiglist four years ago, and she continues to use these tools until they die to make enough money to cover health costs. Jess acknowledges that she has some big fancy equipment and a shop, but the trade-off is that she lives on a gravel pit because she’s decided to forego landscaping for now. There is always a balance, and if you are not willing to give up on certain things, you will not be able to have a business of your own.
Ethan takes a moment to recognize that some of Jess’s success has been from how she intertwines her business and personal life to create a more engaging experience that her customers respond to. He asks what business advice she would offer to others looking to start their own business and how it relates to their personal lives.
From the business side of things, Jess learned to set her price and figure out how to negotiate from there. She believes that, when it comes down to it, you need to firmly state to your client what your price is and hit send on that email. Every time you do that, it will build your confidence, people will notice that, and it will draw them to you. She explains that it’s not arrogance; you are just confident and helping instill that in your children and those around you. You can be scared as hell on the inside, but as you work through that in your business and your personal life, it will help you develop that feeling.
Jess is very frustrated with the culture that does not allow you to express any kind of personal weakness in terms of personal goals. She notes that she is confident in herself and confident that she has bad days, and if we push those bad days aside and pretend they never happen, they build up and turn into a mountain with a foundation that crumbles. So by acknowledging the bad days, and doing something the next day, something productive, it begins to build a world where positivity is key and each day gets better as you look back at all of them.
Jess believes that by shaming folks for simply taking a break, as a culture, we are making them constantly feel that they are not good enough instead of congratulating them for doing something really hard. Recognizing all the small things that are important, and recognizing that you as an individual are important will allow you to build a foundation for your mountain that you will climb, and will stay sturdy instead of crumbling when you feel that you are near the top.
Website: www.crowcreekdesigns.com
Instagram: @crowcreekdesigns
This episode is brought to you by Jobber – BoostByJobber.com
