First - mods if this needs to be moved, go for it.

Well after 4 years of living my dream job, I've had to make the difficult decision to close down Unni Woodworks.

It has been a fantastic go, but I've just plain run out of money! I still firmly believe that one can earn a living building custom furniture, but I learned that you must have stores of money to aid during the ramp up period which can be very lean. For those that don't know, I got laid off from the IT world about 4 1/2 years ago with a little money in the bank and decided to start this thing. Kind of the cart before the horse. I guess looking back starting on the side may have been a more prudent decision .

I learned more about woodworking and business and about what I'm capable of in the last 4 years than I could have ever hoped and loved every minute of it. Certainly the input from you all along the way has been immeasureable and for that I say thank you!

Now that I've made the decision having been heavy hearted for a couple of months, I'm actually looking forward to doing something different - not quite sure what (looking toward sales) and the stability that goes with it. I'm looking forward to actually doing things around the house again and not having to worry (as much) about how the bills get paid. And I know that my wife and two little girls are feeling better and less stressed.

As basement woodworking is not an option right now, I'm cleaning out my shop so please watch for the going out of business sale in the classified section.

I'll be checking in to SMC as usual, but may be more of a provider of my experience versus asking questions.

Thanks so very much,
-joe

Oh, and for those that are in the middle of the struggle or are contemplating woodworking as a living - keep at it and be confident. Note the first line in my signature - I live by it. If you don't know what it means, look it up as the TOS preclude me from translating .