Woodworking is mostly seen as a man’s world, but the truth is that more and more women started to enter this industry. Not only that, but there are many female-led woodworking startups that truly manage to stand out with their unique style and exciting ideas. Woodworking can be difficult, but it’s also very fulfilling and rewarding as well.
Which is why it makes a lot of sense to enter the world of woodworking and just embracing it. Yes, it feels difficult, but once you create a startup and start doing it, results will soon follow. After all, the hardest thing is to get started. Then you can turn woodworking into a great career.
Three women, April Wilkerson, Anika Gandhi and Sadie Mae John decided to take their woodworking passion and turned it into a successful, fruitful career. According to Sadie Mae John, woodworking is very empowering and the opportunity to make something by hand feels very fulfilling. While all 3 entrepreneurs are very passionate about woodworking, they all had a different journey, but that’s what makes them such great entrepreneurs in the first place.
Establishing a woodworking startup was not easy
Wilkerson says that she ended up finding her passion randomly. When she got into woodworking she just graduated and had free evenings. Upon moving into her new home, she realized that the home needed quite a bit of furnishing. Yet instead of calling someone to do the work for her, she was budget-conscious and wanted to work on these things on her own. Once she started, however, she was unable to stop, and she was constantly finding new ways to improve. In her case, she became very passionate about woodworking and always envisioned the use that the end product would have in her life.
In the case of John, things were a bit different. She had a corporate job, and she was not that happy with it. So she wanted to find ways to feel happier and fulfilled. Funny enough, it was during that time she wanted to transform her current house into a home, but lacked the funds to do so. Which means she had to start working on these projects on her own. As soon as she started doing so, she found out she’s quite good at it. Once the started sharing pictures on social media, more and more people approached her for any woodworking projects.
Gandhi’s approach to woodworking was quite different. She wanted to create a table for her daughter after figuring out none of the premade options would suit her needs. What’s interesting is that she never used a drill before. However, she started learning bit by bit, and then she became a lot more comfortable with these tools. Which was great for her, because it added a bit of a challenge, and the results became even more fulfilling in the end.
Woodworking challenges
Entering the woodworking world as a female was not easy. Even if they had a passion for learning and getting into this stuff, the learning curve was actually quite frustrating. The business started out as a necessity, and then it became a passion, at least in the case of Wilkerson. John and Gandhi were motivated to help others, and that really pushed them towards learning more and more.
Starting out without experience like Gandhi did can definitely put some people off. But in the end it shows that you get to access some amazing opportunities as you learn more and more. As soon as they learned the ropes, all these women started experimenting with a variety of woodworking projects, many of which had their fair share of challenges.
But that’s what motivated them to try out something new. Initially they were very busy, but they found some time to do woodworking. Nowadays, woodworking is their life and their business, which is great because it pushes the boundaries, while offering all kinds of amazing benefits. Gandhi and Wilkerson specifically said that they are very motivated and excited to work on any woodworking projects. If anything, they have way too many projects in mind and way too little time to bring everything to fruition.
Growing their woodworking careers
Each one of these entrepreneurs have their own personalities, so even if they share the same industry, their approach is vastly different. John has a rather approachable style, and she thinks women have plenty of room in the woodworking world. They are very creative and they can easily bring a lot of creative input. Plus, it’s a profession that keeps you engaged and constantly innovating and experimenting.
According to John, the best thing you can do in the woodworking industry is to be yourself. Avoid emulating what others do and just focus on what you want to achieve. Be yourself, and you are bound to achieve much better results in the end. Each one of these 3 women started acquiring a following online because they are very talented. Their work impressed more and more people, and they keep them coming back for more content. That’s thanks to their own style and creativity. It’s stuff like that which helps make a huge difference.
Woodworking in the 21st century
With all these technologies available these days, some might think that woodworking isn’t really what it used to be. However, the woodworking industry has evolved more than you might expect. For starters, more and more women are interested in woodworking. On top of that, men are very friendly and they accept the idea of female woodworkers. That’s what inspired and also motivated these women to try and achieve the success they always wanted.
All these woodworking entrepreneurs had their own motives for getting started, but they do want to ensure that gender and culture barriers are broken thanks to their work. It’s safe to say that every woodworking professional can bring in amazing results, regardless of their age, gender or culture. But what advice do they offer to others?
For Gandhi, the most important thing is that you need to bring value to the industry. That means not just emulating other people, you want to stand out with your own range of unique ideas and accomplishments. In the case of Wilkerson, she recommends sharing your passion with others and protecting it too. John says that you do want to buy the most expensive tools before you quit your day job and start woodworking. If anything, you can start it as a passion and eventually transfer to a full time career in this field.
Should you enter the world of woodworking?
If these 3 women showed something, it’s the fact that you can easily get started with woodworking even if you lack experience. You just need the focus and motivation to help you achieve success. It’s definitely a great opportunity, even if you will encounter some challenges along the way. In the end, woodworking is a very fulfilling, creative career where you get to have a lot of control over your work. There’s a reason why some woodworking entrepreneurs quit their office job for this. It’s more fulfilling, it doesn’t stop you from being creative, and the most important thing… it’s fun and it always keeps you motivated!
Recommended Reading: How To Begin A Woodworking Career And Make it A Full Time Living
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