The Handcrafted Podcast: The Business of making things

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Summary:
In this Office Hours episode of The Handcrafted Podcast, Paul answers four listener questions from makers navigating the realities of running a craft business. The conversation covers practical topics ranging from using Instagram strategically to deciding whether “cool” projects are worth doing, maintaining quality as you hire, and improving efficiency in a custom shop.
Drawing from his experience building Philadelphia Table Company, Paul shares lessons on engagement-driven marketing, protecting profitability, creating systems for quality control, and balancing custom work with scalable collection pieces. The episode offers honest insight into the operational challenges makers face as their businesses grow.
Key Takeaways:
Instagram growth comes from engagement, not just followers. Actively comment, message, and interact with interior designers, photographers, and adjacent creators so the algorithm begins associating your work with those audiences.
Look for strategic “network hacks.” Paul shares how hiring a photographer commonly used by interior designers helped get his work in front of their audience and generate new leads.
Don’t work for exposure. Portfolio projects can sometimes be worthwhile, but relying on exposure or discounted work rarely produces meaningful business.
Balance passion projects with profitable work. It’s okay to occasionally take on a project for learning or portfolio value, but filling your schedule with them can hurt your business.
Quality control requires clear standards. As you hire makers, create written checklists outlining non-negotiables—finish quality, feel, mechanical function, branding, and other details—to maintain consistency across the shop.
Document systems before scaling your team. Start using your own checklists and processes now so new employees can follow the same standards later.
Custom work creates complexity. Each custom project introduces new variables that slow production and add logistical challenges.
Collection pieces increase efficiency. Pre-designed furniture with standardized materials, finishes, and jigs allows shops to work faster and more profitably.
Use custom work to develop product lines. Many successful pieces begin as custom projects and later evolve into repeatable collection items.
Strong systems make custom work scalable. Organized project management, clear production schedules, and streamlined processes help prevent custom shops from becoming chaotic.
Closing:
Paul emphasizes that he’s still figuring these challenges out in real time and shares what’s working inside his own shop so other makers can learn along the way. Listeners can submit future Office Hours questions by emailing [email protected]
or join the Handcrafted Network community through the link in the show notes.
Join the Network

Join the network. 
Summary:
In this reflective, journal-style episode, Paul opens up about a tough February—slow deals, internal challenges, and the emotional weight that comes with being the one ultimately responsible for everything. After a candid conversation with his wife about whether the stress is worth it, he sits down and writes out five reasons why he continues to choose the path of entrepreneurship.
This episode is an honest look at the downsides of running a business—financial pressure, client management, stress, and the 24/7 responsibility—balanced against the powerful upsides that make it all worth it.
Key Takeaways:
The Downsides Are Real
Managing clients, closing financial gaps, carrying payroll, and feeling the emotional weight of responsibility can be exhausting. The buck stops with you—and that’s heavy.
1. No Boss — You Control Your Life
The freedom to control your schedule, take your kid to the pediatrician, go surfing midweek, or plan vacations without asking permission is invaluable.
2. Infinite Financial Upside
Unlike a fixed salary, entrepreneurship has no ceiling. The business could grow 10x, 20x—or more. Time under pressure builds long-term value.
3. You Choose Who You Work With
As a business owner, you get to build your team intentionally. Culture isn’t random—it’s designed.
4. Creating Economic Security for Others
Providing meaningful jobs, raises, and stability for 10–12 employees (and growing) is deeply fulfilling. Building something that supports other families is a powerful motivator.
5. You Get to Solve Big Problems
Running a business is constant problem-solving. For Paul, that’s energizing. Choosing which problems to tackle—and which to delegate—is part of the game.
Core Theme:
If someone asked you, “Why are you putting yourself through this?”—could you answer clearly?
Paul challenges listeners to write down their own reasons. Not the big, philosophical “why” of life—but the practical reasons they choose to be small business owners despite the stress.
Because when things get hard (and they will), clarity beats emotion.
—
If you’ve ever questioned whether the grind is worth it, this episode reminds you: the stress is real—but so is the upside.
Join the Network

Join the Network
In this episode, Paul challenges makers who feel stuck at $100K–$150K in revenue to confront the real barrier to growth: identity. Most craftsmen start their businesses because they love making things—not because they love running a business. But if you want to make a true living doing this work, a mindset shift is required.
Drawing from his own experience building Philadelphia Table Company while navigating his wife’s cancer diagnosis and growing family responsibilities, Paul explains how stepping fully into the role of business owner—not just craftsperson—was the turning point. He breaks down the math of solo production, the ceiling of top-line revenue, and why better dovetails won’t solve scaling problems.
This episode isn’t tactical—it’s foundational. It’s about obsession, ownership, and asking the hard question: What happens to your business if you stop making things for two weeks?
Key Takeaways:
Your revenue ceiling is tied to your identity. If you still see yourself primarily as a maker, your growth will stall.
Solo production has a financial cap. Even at $10K/week in revenue, realistic profit margins leave little room for reinvestment or true wealth building.
Better craftsmanship won’t fix business bottlenecks. Systems, hiring, sales, and financial literacy will.
Think beyond the garage. Growth requires planning for hiring, delegation, and infrastructure—even before you're “ready.”
Obsession is normal. Building a business requires constant problem-solving and long-term thinking.
This podcast is for professionals. Not hobbyists, but makers serious about building a sustainable six-figure (and beyond) business.
Paul also reaffirms that The Handcrafted Network exists to support that transition—from craftsperson to entrepreneur—through community, group calls, and business-focused learning.
If you want to build more than furniture—if you want to build a business—this episode is your starting point.
Join the Network

Join the Network! 
Summary:
In this episode, Paul pulls back the curtain on why he created the Handcrafted Network and the Handcrafted Podcast in the first place. While there’s endless content about how to build furniture, there’s very little practical guidance on how to run a maker business. Paul shares how his own journey—learning through mentors, books, podcasts, and real-world experience—led him to build a community dedicated to the business side of craftsmanship.
The second half of the episode shifts into a candid reflection on a tough couple of weeks inside his own company. Paul talks openly about the emotional weight of leadership and the reality that running a business is essentially a never-ending cycle of problem solving.
Key Takeaways:
Why the Handcrafted Network Exists: There’s a gap in the market for real, practical advice on running a maker business—not just building beautiful pieces.
Community Multiplies Intelligence: “1 + 1 = 5.” Shared experiences and collective problem-solving accelerate growth.
Business = Problem Solving: Entrepreneurship is a constant game of Whac-A-Mole. Solve one issue, and another appears.
Do the Hard Thing: Not every problem can be hired away. Sometimes leadership means stepping up, owning it, and solving it yourself.
Avoid the ‘Hack’ Mentality: Sustainable growth rarely comes from shortcuts—it comes from consistent, focused effort.
Don’t Take It Too Seriously: Step back. Breathe. Most business problems aren’t life-or-death.
Goals Can Shift: It’s okay to adjust direction when new realities emerge. February may require a different focus than January.
Embrace the Role: If you’re a business owner, problem solving isn’t an interruption—it is the job.
Paul closes by encouraging listeners to lean on community, embrace the long game, and treat business challenges like daily puzzles rather than personal crises.
Join the Network

Invest in your growth! 
Summary
In this episode, Paul shares a candid story from a recent mentor meeting that reframed how he thinks about clients, pricing, and positioning. After navigating a stressful corporate project that spiraled into missed expectations and rushed timelines, a simple insight emerged: when clients see you as a commodity, they treat you like one.
Through real-world examples from both his own business and a mentor’s decades-long career, Paul breaks down why great makers must clearly sell what actually makes them different—not just the product, but the experience, service, and care behind it. This episode is a reminder that not every client is the right client, and that long-term success comes from being valued, not just hired.
Key Takeaways
Being seen as a commodity puts you in a losing position — once you’re interchangeable, price and deadlines become weapons.
Corporate and third-party buyers often strip away your differentiators, reducing you to a line item instead of a partner.
Your real value isn’t just the product — it’s communication, service, experience, and problem-solving.
If you don’t clearly explain why you’re different, clients won’t assume it — especially new decision-makers.
The right clients are willing to pay more for clarity, care, and trust; the wrong ones will always push back.
Saying “we won’t be the cheapest, but we will be the best” only works if you define what “best” means.
Selling apples-to-apples comparisons is a trap — your job is to show why it’s not apples-to-apples at all.
If you’ve ever felt boxed in by price pressure, unrealistic expectations, or exhausting clients, this episode is your reminder: you don’t win by being cheaper — you win by being unmistakably different.
Join the Network