I’m doing everything

I have this catalog of furniture that I’ve designed, taken photos of, and shipped many units of.  Of course you can see pictures of some of the pieces in people’s homes here.  I have always run a “build first” model, that is, if you can order the piece from me, that means that I’ve already built it and it is sitting in my storage area ready to ship.  This is great because you order, and boom,  in a week or so you get it delivered.  Big factories do this. People have come to expect this. 

Of course it’s more difficult for me, I have to build one or two of anything I offer, and then use the inventory space to store it while I wait for someone to choose it.  During slow times I build up inventory and during busy times I use it up. 

The cat was not shipped

The Hensikt Sideboard packs in two boxes in order to keep the weight reasonable for the package carrier. This is three units worth of boxes.

What’s been happening is that my production is somewhat mismatched from demand.  It is hard to accurately forecast what I’ll need the most of.  Some inventory is sold quickly and some sits for a while. So I’ve moved to a “demand first” model.  I’ll build on demand. When you order I’ll start building the unit on a first-come first-served model.  When there are multiple orders it pushes my lead time longer.  People can see the lead time when they order and can choose if they wish to wait that long.  I can also choose to build ahead some units and reduce the lead time. 

That last sentence is important because it allows me to choose what to build when I have the energy and inclination. It’s important to me to try to go with the flow when I’m feeling like I have energy for a certain piece. Creative work requires being in a creative headspace and a single person company has to manage all aspects of the business, creative and otherwise.

A few years back I lived in the county and UPS would pick up my packages near the end of my driveway. So quaint! I walked them down on this garden cart. Now I live in the city of Portland so there’s less tall grass involved.

The last thing is that when I get an order from a customer prior to building, it changes my mindset. I think about them when I build it. I’m not saying I put more care into it because I always build carefully, but it changes my personal enjoyment of making it. I think of the person and how they will enjoy the piece in their home and it motivates me. Also having the paid order motivates me to work harder and quicker. When pieces just go to inventory then I can work at any pace I like, which is nice but doesn’t always inspire urgency. Having a paid job is having an obligation to the customer which I wish to fulfill quickly. It’s a subtle pressure and I enjoy it.

So a couple months ago I thought I might switch to just building decorative crates. But people emailed asking if I would produce units that were not longer available and I relented and here I am. Let’s see how this arrangement works.