yrag1964
Member
Wood like to open a woodturning shop in northallerton north Yorkshire, would like to know how to get started on finding stock etc!!!found ideal premises but nothing to put in it!!!! 
Open a woodturning shop
- Thread starter yrag1964
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wizard
Established Member
Have you worked out the cost of running a shop, rent rates water etc
nev
Established Member
what is a woodturning shop?
A shop that sells wood turned items?
A shop that sells supplies for wood turners?
A shop that sells tools for wood turners?
A shop that sells wood turned items?
A shop that sells supplies for wood turners?
A shop that sells tools for wood turners?
yrag1964
Member
I have looked into all the costs, rent, utilities etc, (no business rates on the property), I would like to sell tools, accessories and wood for turning and carving, and of course have items on display that I have made, any help would be gratefully received
Spindle
Established Member
Hi
Are you sure there is sufficient market in your area to support you? Once a turner has bought a lathe and associated tooling all that is required to continue the hobby are materials, (wood, finish, sundries and abrasive), - not much to make a living from. Do you think you would be able to compete on price with the larger suppliers and internet?
May not be what you want to hear but questions you should really be asking yourself.
Regards Mick
Are you sure there is sufficient market in your area to support you? Once a turner has bought a lathe and associated tooling all that is required to continue the hobby are materials, (wood, finish, sundries and abrasive), - not much to make a living from. Do you think you would be able to compete on price with the larger suppliers and internet?
May not be what you want to hear but questions you should really be asking yourself.
Regards Mick
wizard
Established Member
(no business rates on the property) so its not a shop then ?
yrag1964
Member
no not the replies I was after!!! looked into everything, so looks like will be looking for answers elsewhere as yours havnt been too helpful for me!!!! cheers anyway!!!
heatherw
Established Member
Never tried to buy stuff for a woodturning shop, but we do have a furniture shop and have to stock it.
I would contact the manufacturers of the products you want to stock, and they'll probably send a rep. Most large importers will also supply you with materials, You will get discounts for large purchases, for instance, I´m pretty sure Timberbits will give special treatment to someone with a shop, and they already have quantity discounts. You could probably stock Axminster and Charnwood stuff too, if you`re far enough away from one of their shops. What I´m not so sure about is how to get hold of blanks, I know a lot of woodturners suppliers convert their own blanks, which is obviously cheaper.
I would contact the manufacturers of the products you want to stock, and they'll probably send a rep. Most large importers will also supply you with materials, You will get discounts for large purchases, for instance, I´m pretty sure Timberbits will give special treatment to someone with a shop, and they already have quantity discounts. You could probably stock Axminster and Charnwood stuff too, if you`re far enough away from one of their shops. What I´m not so sure about is how to get hold of blanks, I know a lot of woodturners suppliers convert their own blanks, which is obviously cheaper.
bellringer
Established Member
With turning blank the cheapest way to get hold of them is going to be buying cut boards
when it come to pen kits from timber bit it so cheap to buy direct there is no point stocking them
when it come to pen kits from timber bit it so cheap to buy direct there is no point stocking them
heatherw
Established Member
It's true that they would work out more expensive than Timberbits would sell them for, but if you only want one or two you would have to pay postage, so for any personal caller to the shop who doesn´t want large quantities it would be more economical to buy them there. Similarly with other items.
yrag1964":1804zzjc said:
Keep asking around. Sooner or later you will find somebody to agree fully with your idea. That, of course will confirm that it is a good one. Avoid anybody that questions it in any way.
It suggests that if you don't know where to buy from, at what price that the research is limited- probably limited to the back of a fag packet. No doubt somebody has validated it, presumably somebody with as much insight into the industry.
CHJ
Established Member
yrag1964":1u7bgqy4 said:
I assume you have done a formal business plan showing all expected expenditures, stock turnover forecasts, expected break even timescales (most likely years rather than months), projected profits for early years.
I suspect you have not or else you would not be asking on a woodwork forum for guidance on suppliers etc.
Have you approached your bank to see if they will consider giving you a business account, thought about forming a limited company, have a source of finance available to satisfy a trade suppliers financial director that you are not likely to default on payments etc.
What makes you think there is a niche market for the products in the area, how many hundreds of turners and similar hobby groups are there with a 20 mile radius.
I personally have to travel 40-60 miles to actually find a stockist that holds a broad range of consumables, if I do visit such a stockist as opposed to stocking up at a show it is usually in passing on some other errand. If the said stockist makes a profit of £10 out of each of my 2 or 3 visits a year I would be surprised.
These sort of distances, that despite all the monthly or weekly clubs with 50 or so regular members within such a catchment area, who I suspect once having established themselves are in a similar purchasing pattern to myself, indicate to me that there is not a viable living in such an enterprise locally.
Silverbirch
Established Member
yrag1964":vbser29k said:
Maybe invest in some public relations training alongside the stock acquisition?
Ian
bellringer
Established Member
even if you dont order over $80aus to get the free shipping it only cost £3.50 so it works out ok
yrag1964 - you're not asking advice at all, are you? You're hoping in vain that someone somewhere will agree with what you've already thought. As Marcross said, ask enough people and you'll find one.
As a small business advisor once said to me - if your business plan is so brilliant, why hasn't someone else done it? I knocked that one on the head.
As a small business advisor once said to me - if your business plan is so brilliant, why hasn't someone else done it? I knocked that one on the head.
Richard Findley
Established Member
The thing about opening any business, not just a woodturning related one, is that you need to go into it with your eyes open. If you are investing a large amount of money in stock (and you'll need to to fill a retail shop) you need to know that you are going to get a return on it.
So things to think about...
Brands that you and your customer know and trust. Go on, name some... That's the core of your stock.
You need to be able to match the service levels of your competition... Have you dealt with Axminster? That's your target.
Knowledge. Do you have the depth of knowledge to be able to answer your potential customer's questions about this wood or that finish, which tool to use and how to sharpen it?
Competition. You are 21 miles from John Boddy's and 40 odd from Snainton. These are going to be your competition for callers.
Web presence. You will want to offer some sort of mail order service, so a website is essential, and not just one thrown together, it needs to be smart and work well, otherwise people will just go somewhere else.
The answers may sound negative so far, but it's only because people know it isn't a walk in the park. If you are serious then you too will know this too, so it shouldn't be news, but if you are serious then you really ought to have most of this info already... My best tip when looking for suppliers is only use those that you would use yourself. A product you don't trust or believe in will never sell, and if it does you'll end up with a pile of grief. This I where your personal experience will pay dividends. If you've only been turning for a few months you are going to struggle.
Hope this helps
Richard
So things to think about...
Brands that you and your customer know and trust. Go on, name some... That's the core of your stock.
You need to be able to match the service levels of your competition... Have you dealt with Axminster? That's your target.
Knowledge. Do you have the depth of knowledge to be able to answer your potential customer's questions about this wood or that finish, which tool to use and how to sharpen it?
Competition. You are 21 miles from John Boddy's and 40 odd from Snainton. These are going to be your competition for callers.
Web presence. You will want to offer some sort of mail order service, so a website is essential, and not just one thrown together, it needs to be smart and work well, otherwise people will just go somewhere else.
The answers may sound negative so far, but it's only because people know it isn't a walk in the park. If you are serious then you too will know this too, so it shouldn't be news, but if you are serious then you really ought to have most of this info already... My best tip when looking for suppliers is only use those that you would use yourself. A product you don't trust or believe in will never sell, and if it does you'll end up with a pile of grief. This I where your personal experience will pay dividends. If you've only been turning for a few months you are going to struggle.
Hope this helps
Richard
Lons
Established Member
I'm not going to give a positive response either!
I ran a business for 3 different companies before starting my own and you can't just walk in open a business and have customers and profits rolling in. The hard work has to be done well before any venture opens whether that is by selling all the items you produce whilst still holding down a day job, until you have enough knowledge and regular customers to believe it's viable or having a genuine idea fully backed up by extensive research of the market, suppliers, competitors, overheads, financial implications, buying and selling prices and a full business plan, anticipated stock holding, actual costs of this and turnover rate of the stock. Added to this you will need extensive knowledge of what sells and what doesn't and supplier lead times The lack of even just part of this information is the most common reason for early business failures.
Your post implies that you lack much of this knowledge or you wouldn't be asking basic questions on here and your impolite response indicates that you probably have the wrong attitude to succeed in any case.
I don't want to be rude and I genuinly wish you luck but fear that you're going to need it.
Bob
I ran a business for 3 different companies before starting my own and you can't just walk in open a business and have customers and profits rolling in. The hard work has to be done well before any venture opens whether that is by selling all the items you produce whilst still holding down a day job, until you have enough knowledge and regular customers to believe it's viable or having a genuine idea fully backed up by extensive research of the market, suppliers, competitors, overheads, financial implications, buying and selling prices and a full business plan, anticipated stock holding, actual costs of this and turnover rate of the stock. Added to this you will need extensive knowledge of what sells and what doesn't and supplier lead times The lack of even just part of this information is the most common reason for early business failures.
Your post implies that you lack much of this knowledge or you wouldn't be asking basic questions on here and your impolite response indicates that you probably have the wrong attitude to succeed in any case.
I don't want to be rude and I genuinly wish you luck but fear that you're going to need it.
Bob
MMUK
Established Member
I've just started back out on my own a couple of months ago. It's not easy. Work is not abundant in the beginning and when you do have work it's long, hard hours in order to build up your reputation (although I'm lucky enough to have built a good reputation in the construction industry over the last 18 years). It could take years of long hours and no holidays before you show a profit. If you have premises of any kind, you need a fair wedge to cover expenses.
On a side note you say there are no business rates to pay. I gather you are intending to work from home or from farm premises? These are the only exceptions from business rates (apart from places of worship and training establishments for disabled persons).
On a side note you say there are no business rates to pay. I gather you are intending to work from home or from farm premises? These are the only exceptions from business rates (apart from places of worship and training establishments for disabled persons).
finneyb
Established Member
Bear with me please it is relevant ! - I read today for the first time about the Lizard Brain and the comments on this thread fit it to a 'T'.
' The lizard brain.
Or as Steven Pressfield describes it, the resistance. The resistance is the voice in the back of our head telling us to back off, be careful, go slow, compromise. The resistance is writer's block and putting jitters and every project that ever shipped late because people couldn't stay on the same page long enough to get something out the door.
The lizard is a physical part of your brain, the pre-historic lump near the brain stem that is responsible for fear and rage and reproductive drive. ' ref http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog ... brain.html
That's not to say I disagree with the comments - but maybe that's my lizard brain working - but if you don't try you will not succeed and a lot can be learned from an attempt.
Brian
' The lizard brain.
Or as Steven Pressfield describes it, the resistance. The resistance is the voice in the back of our head telling us to back off, be careful, go slow, compromise. The resistance is writer's block and putting jitters and every project that ever shipped late because people couldn't stay on the same page long enough to get something out the door.
The lizard is a physical part of your brain, the pre-historic lump near the brain stem that is responsible for fear and rage and reproductive drive. ' ref http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog ... brain.html
That's not to say I disagree with the comments - but maybe that's my lizard brain working - but if you don't try you will not succeed and a lot can be learned from an attempt.
Brian
Richard Findley
Established Member
Just to clarify, he probably is right about the rates. Rates are based on the size of the building and there is rate relief on business premeses below a certain size. I haven't paid business rates for about 4 years.
Richard
Richard
