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Author Topic: Thinking of quiting my day job.  (Read 13435 times)

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Rich Saffold

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #30 on: May 31, 2008, 02:14:54 am »
Marty, Don't quit your day job, unless you have the means to retire.  The first aspect of this is to make a decent income you have to be making a lot of bows per month, they all have to work flawlessly, and you have to find that many customers each month to survive.

Also the current economy is in a hard downward spiral, and people don't buy toys when they have scrimp to feed their famiily,and bows are toys since you can hunt with just one, the rest is gravy.

In the early 90's there was a handful of wood bowyers, and the demand for wood bows was good, now there is a ton of bowyers, and guys who will sell their bows cheap just to buy gas or eat. Nowadays  the market is flooded with bows, and because many make their own bows so the demand is low as well...

Keep making bows, sell them to your friends cheap, and see how the bows do in their hands, and you will keep getting the experience needed to help you find your niche...

Rich-gonna go work at Eddies Laundromat ;D

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radius

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #31 on: May 31, 2008, 02:23:36 am »
some level headed advice by Rich...

Trick for me personally will be to blend bowmaking into my life as just one of several income streams...
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Offline Gordon

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #32 on: May 31, 2008, 04:16:40 am »
Frankly I don't see how someone could make a decent living by just making wood bows. The market is very small - pretty much the folks who subscribe to this and a handful of other similar sites - and a lot of those folks would just as soon make their own bow.  Also wood bows don't lend themselves to mass production so you can't produce a lot of them and you won't be able to make a decent margin on what you do make because, as Rich pointed out, there are too many guys selling their bows cheap.

There are a few wood bowyers who have made a go of it. John Strunk come to mind. But John has been doing this a long time, has built a stellar reputation and a base of loyal repeat customers - many of them overseas and makes much of his money teaching classes. Also John has a decent retirement from working 30+ years for the school district.

Face it, this craft is a labor of love. Use it to pay for gas and groceries if you can, but most of all do it to feed your soul. And, if along the way, you can brighten the day of a few folks by gifting them one of your creations - all the better...
« Last Edit: May 31, 2008, 04:29:56 am by Gordon »
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Gordon

Offline Badger

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #33 on: May 31, 2008, 05:20:32 am »
 Gordon, I htink you hit the nail on the head. Once you start doing it for a living it looses some of the fun. I sell an occassional bow. I just hate building a bow for someone. I give them away all the time. The market for wood bows is somewhat bigger than it was but I still doubt if it is big enough to make a decent living off of.
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Offline ricktrojanowski

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #34 on: May 31, 2008, 06:55:31 am »
Dang- Rich beat me to it, but I was gonna ask for a job at Eddies laundrymat. ;D
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Traverse City, MI

Offline DanaM

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #35 on: May 31, 2008, 07:45:27 am »
Apex are you married? If so where does the wife stand on this idear?
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"Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just money or things. Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just a lack of money or things."

Manistique, MI

Offline Jesse

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #36 on: May 31, 2008, 09:43:55 am »
My advice would be that once you are good enough and sure of your work. Start to advertise and see how much business you can drum up. Once you are so busy making bows that you cant keep up then think about going part time with your day job. I could see it working as an additional income source until you have a big name nationally and internationally. Then maybe full time. My fear would be that you will get some people to buy bows right away but local customers will get used up fast because there are only so many interested and even those wont buy a new one every year. The internet is great but as others have said its flooded with nice bows and making a name for yourself could be difficult. All that being said Dont let anyone stop you if you believe in it.
                                                                             Jesse
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Offline Justin Snyder

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #37 on: May 31, 2008, 05:19:26 pm »
Wow Rich (Socrates) Saffold, you are a fountain of wonderfull advice. 
Steve, I kind of think like you on this.  I have several offers to make bows and sell them to local guys.  I cant bring myself to sell because I'm afraid it may lead to a distortion of my love for making wood bows.  I cant imagine much worse than making this a job instead of a passion. Justin
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Everything happens for a reason, sometimes the reason is you made a bad decision.


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Offline Apex Predator

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #38 on: May 31, 2008, 05:50:11 pm »
I'm not rushing into anything folks.  I really appreciate all the advice, and most of it is spot on.  I just needed to hear some others say it.  I ain't quitin my day job any time soon.  I have dreams though!  I have much to learn, and think I will enjoy it a while longer before possibly ruining it.
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Offline mullet

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #39 on: May 31, 2008, 06:44:19 pm »
   When there's no dreams, It's not any fun.
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 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?

Rich Saffold

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #40 on: May 31, 2008, 11:16:19 pm »
Eddie nailed it..It's all about having fun, and making bows is fun, and selling a few because folks want your bows goes beyond the money you make..It's a great feeling when someone skilled shoots  one of your bows and just raves about it.  This more than any income is why I sell them..The phone rings and the new owner has just been shooting his new bow and he is ready to order another one..That is a big stroke trust me ;D..

 Because in this business you aren't going to make any more money if you have one order or a hundred..They still have to be made one at a time, even though you may have several blanks going, it pays no better than a decent job.. So its all about the fun, and since each bow basically has to be unique and beautiful, the fun factor has to be high to enjoy it bow after bow...

I just came in from working on a basic Hill style bow, with two different types of Koa in the grip, and the customer sent Mammoth Ivory for the overlays :o :D. How cool is that? 8) I'm having a blast!

So a few good customers can make for a lot of fun, as long as you are making bows which are interesting for you to make, and it doesn't get repetitive...

Now its time to tackle a sink full of dishes...Thanks Justin ;)

Rich-gonna dream about that laundromat!
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Offline BigWapiti

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Re: Thinking of quiting my day job.
« Reply #41 on: June 01, 2008, 05:35:54 pm »
Agree with Rich and Gordon - but if you provided value-added services, things can happen.  Doing something the other guys don't, sets you apart.  But, listen to your devil's advocates, but make your own decisions --- as they said, people are building bows because they like building bows, they like hunting with their own bows.  There are a few who will pay big dollars for a nice hand crafted bow, but it takes a lot more than a few to make a living. Believe me, I run my own business, its not easy.  worth it, but not easy.

One of my favorite quotes:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So, throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream. Discover."
                                                                                                                         ---Mark Twain

Now, go for that dream.
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Mike B.
Central Washington State
"Take a kid hunting, it'll make a WORLD of difference" -me
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