2. How & when did you start your business? We started out by selling hardwood building block sets on Etsy in November 2013.  We were just trying to make a little extra cash for Christmas.  Our business started as a side job that we squeezed in when we could, with our busiest times being around the holidays.  We’d make play kitchens and teethers on the weekends when Ben wasn’t at his full-time job building furniture.  It’s always been our dream for us to work from home and be together as a family every day.  This past September we decided to take the plunge and make that a reality… We couldn’t be happier! 

3. What is your WHY? Not just the practical reason for starting your own business but what drives you to keep going? Ahh… just being together on a daily basis.  We homeschool our kids so, starting our own business just maximizes our time together.  When Ben was working full-time outside of the home he would be gone 10 hours a day, 5 days a week and it just wasn’t what we wanted for our family.

4. Tell us a little bit about your family dynamic? We’ve been together for 13 years, married for 8 and we have 3 kids {ages 7, almost 4 & 15 months.}

5. How do you balance work & family life? It’s often one in the same for us.  Sometimes I’m going grocery shopping with the younger ones and our oldest is out in the shop working alongside her dad.  Last week she made a turkey decoration with him – She even got to cut it out on the band saw (with assistance, of course!) Other days it’s more “traditional” looking, where I’ll be home caring for the kids and Ben will be away from home doing small construction/odd jobs for folks.

6. What is the most rewarding part about owning your own business? It’s really nice to be in charge of your schedule!  But, that can also be challenging.  We buy a lot of our wood from a small retailer in Freeport so, when we go, we have to use our time wisely because we could spend half our day walking around L.L. Bean and visiting Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park… getting no work done. 😉

7. What is the most challenging part of owning your own business? Figuring out the legal side of it and paperwork!

8. What is one way you give back or support fellow moms or small business owners? We shop small and locally as much as we are able.  If we’re not making a gift for someone, we try to buy one from a small business. Not only do we know the impact but the gift is often of much better quality than something you’d find in a big box store.

9. How do we as consumers impact your family when we support your small business? Our business is our sole source of income so, the impact is obviously huge!  Your support pays our bills, clothes our kids, buys our daughter piano lessons and so on and so forth…

10. What has been the best compliment, review or piece of feedback received from a client or customer? {Yes, we want you to toot your own horn!}  A few years ago, Ben built this suuuuper long dining room table for a family.  It’s an extension table that has two leaves that can come out and it’s just really big!  Recently this family has let us know that despite moving across the country and having kids all over it, it’s still just as solid as it was in the very beginning!  They said it’s the best table they’ve ever owned and hearing this makes us so happy.

If you’re wood toy obsessed like me or simply appreciate a high quality handmade item, you won’t want to miss out on your opportunity to get 20% off at Wild Feather Woodworks for all the special holiday gifts on your list! Plus, stay tuned to their Facbook page for all the latest updates & specials and don’t forget to browse their shop this #SmallBusinessSaturday, November 26th!