5 Ways to Make Money with Woodworking in New YorkBy Angelica Malin

Is it possible to make money from your woodworking business in New York? I think the answer to this question is that it is very possible to do this, but you need to know how you will manage to turn potential customers into people willing to spend money.

That is where having a good idea of how this entire woodworking business works will prove helpful. So, I’m going to take you through five different ways this type of business can start producing real cash for any individual based in and around New York.

Now, I know that New York is a tough market to crack. The competition is rife, and you need to be really on your game if you are to become a success. Yet, I don’t see it as impossible, and I’ll explain why I think that’s the case and also what you can do to improve your chances of making some cash from this type of business.

Can You Make Money Doing this?

I admit that it’s not going to be easy. No business is easy when it comes to New York. But it would be best if you remembered that you have a skill and a talent that fewer people have, which will prove to be highly beneficial to you.

I cannot tell you how much you will earn. However, the different methods below can come with the potential of boosting your income even if you only intend to work on this business a few hours a week.

So, let’s go through these different options and hopefully kickstart your mind into thinking about how you could potentially run with these ideas when it comes to your very own woodworking business. 

Way 1: Selling Your Creations

The first way I’m going to mention is perhaps the obvious one: to sell your creations. However, I know it’s not always as easy as that. After all, if it was that simple, then surely everyone would be doing it?

So, you need to understand how you will manage to get yourself into a position where you can actually make some sales. 

For this, there are several options available to you.

First, you can have a physical store. Unfortunately, that will cost you a lot of money in places such as New York, and it’s something I’d avoid. By all means, it’s something to work toward, but it’s not the type of thing I would do at the outset.

For me, I would create an online store and make sure you have everything you offer, from services to products, clearly listed there. You want to ensure people know exactly what you do and can perhaps even buy things on there for you to deliver or send out.

Also, you do not always need your own website. You can use something such as Etsy to get your items out there. However, that opens you up to a massive market, and if you want to focus on the New York market, then you need to perhaps do things slightly differently.

That is where I would use things such as social media to my advantage. You can have your profile on social media and then spend time developing and growing your page where you advertise whatever it is you do.

Also, you have the option of integrating into groups or pages linked to the area. That allows you to really hone in on a very specific local market, and some of the pages for New York are huge when you look at the number of people that are members. 

But honestly, I’d look at trying to sell my creations in more than one place. It pays to make yourself as visible as possible to increase your chances of making those sales. 

Finally, what can you sell? Well, I’m going to mention a couple of things below to give you an idea. 

Way 2: Flipping Furniture

Another option is to flip furniture, and there’s always a market for this type of thing. However, I would suggest you do some research before becoming too involved in this type of business.

You see, it’s vital that you have your finger on the pulse regarding what people are looking for from a furniture perspective in New York. You cannot simply apply what people love in Chicago to New York and think it’s the same. Tastes can vary a huge deal.

So, before I would go ahead and start to look at furniture I could repair and sell for a profit, I would spend time coming to terms with what people want. That way, you can identify the correct furniture to buy in the first place, and you can then refurbish it in the proper way to then ensure you can sell the finished piece.

People always love something unusual or different from the norm, and you can be that business that offers that to them.

Flipping furniture can be a fantastic thing to do. It’s very easy to pick up discarded items from various sources, and then it’s all up to your skill as a woodworker to then transform them into something people want. You can work on items of all shapes and sizes, and as long as you have that creative side to you, then I believe you can produce things that would sell.

But as I said, you need to understand what people are wanting or looking for to then ensure you offer that to them. A failure to do this will lead to you effectively piling up furniture you cannot sell, and then you won’t make money. 

So, what do you need in order to do this? Thankfully, there shouldn’t be anything that you don’t already have. As long as you have the space in your workshop, skills, and tools, then the only thing left is to match up furniture items with what a potential buyer would want.

That is why I mentioned knowing what people want and are looking for before diving in. The good news is this furniture flipping market in New York is massive, and as long as you get your pieces out there in front of people, it should work.

Way 3: Custom Items

If your skills allow it, you can offer clients the opportunity to contact you for custom items. This can be an area where you can push your prices up and earn some substantial cash, but you need the ability to offer something different for that to happen. 

So, what can you offer when it comes to custom items? Well, I would suggest desks, chairs, coffee tables, and other highly usable items that pretty much everyone has in their home. 

The key here is to ensure people understand you can make something to the size and dimensions they want and also in the style they want. It does help when you already let them know the types of styles of items you can produce to allow them to see if you match up with their needs.

That means if you can produce rustic, then make sure it’s out there in the market that you offer rustic. The same applies to more of a Shaker style or a modern style. I’m sure you can come up with a list of different styles or approaches.

But what you need to remember is that people enjoy having something specific to their needs. People need a table a certain size or a cabinet with exact dimensions to fit into a designated space. 

As a result, you can have clients willing to pay more than they would for a regular cabinet just because it is exactly what they want. 

However, I admit that this can be a slightly tougher market to get into. You need to produce some furniture and sell the idea. You need to promote the concept of people having the opportunity to come to you with their exact wants and know you will then produce something that is absolutely to their mandate. 

If you can do that, then you will quickly build a reputation for yourself, and your business can then have the potential to grow. If you have the workshop space, tools, and ability, I would suggest this can be a fantastic way to make money with woodworking.

Way 4: Teach Others

I know this one is slightly different, but people all over the country would love to learn some of the skills you have at your disposal. So, why not offer that to them?

People know that the cost of hiring a contractor in New York can be exceptionally high, so they would love to have the option of doing some jobs on their own. You can be that business that teaches people how to carry out certain projects in their homes without the need to hire someone for a lot of money.

I think this is a great idea. You have the potential to be paid by the hour by people who actively want to learn even basic skills connected to woodworking. If you have the experience and expertise, then this way to make money is an almost guaranteed success.

Yet, you must ensure you get your name out there and let people know you offer this service. Again, I would use something as simple as social media to make a difference. Let people know you can teach them, and then make a list of the types of lessons you offer.

People get lessons to learn how to cook or paint or how to play a sport. Giving lessons for DIY or woodworking is something that people actively want. If you have the capabilities to provide this service to people, then I think it’s something you should go for. 

But there is something amazing about this idea. You already have everything you need in order to offer it as a service. All you are required to do is to lay out the classes you will offer to people in person and how it will all operate.

I would suggest ensuring people can get something physical out of these classes. That means incorporating materials into the price to allow you to get them to make something and walk them through each step of the project.

People love when they get something for their efforts, and this is no different. 

Way 5: Sell Plans and Courses

This way sort of follows on to the previous point, but you can manage to earn some impressive cash by selling plans and courses to people in and around New York. Now, I know you have nothing stopping you from selling these plans or courses to anybody anywhere in the world, so let me take you through how you can pinpoint people in and around the city when offering these services.

Once again, it involves making full use of social media. Also, I would use websites such as Udemy or other similar sites to sell your courses. But, if you want to focus on the New York market, then you need to market to them. 

Get on local pages and groups. Spread the word by networking. Actively search for individuals asking for this type of help and direct them to where they can either get your courses or download your plans. 

But I know this then opens up another question: what plans?

This concept of selling plans has become more popular in recent years. People want to try to do things on their own. They perhaps even have the tools that they think they need, but they have no idea of the steps they should take to get their desired end result.

Let’s run with the example of laying a wooden floor in their home. They know they need the boards, but they don’t know how to cut the boards correctly or whether they should glue or float them.

That is where selling what is effectively a step-by-step guide can work. 

What you need to do is to think about different projects you have either completed yourself or know how to complete. Produce plans that tell people what they need with both tools and materials and then the individual steps they need to follow.

But do me a favor. If you intend to sell these plans, make sure they are easy to follow. People hate trying to follow complex instructions. Just think about how you feel when you buy flat-pack furniture, and the instructions seem impossible. So, please don’t do it to them and design the plans so that a novice can easily follow them.

And the same applies to the idea of the courses. 

Don’t provide too many things covering too many different projects when creating courses. It can become overwhelming. Also, it’s the perfect opportunity to offer people in the area the chance to work on projects in person with you and to learn the ropes.

This way to make money with woodworking takes advantage of modern technology and popular ways of learning while still being able to use your knowledge and expertise. Of course, once you have set up the plans or courses, they then run on their own, freeing up your time to get on with your own projects or even work on some of the other ways mentioned above. 

So, Is It a Good Idea?

Those are my five ways to make money with woodworking in New York, but it’s worth mentioning that it’s not only New York where these methods will potentially prove successful. Instead, you can apply them anywhere as long as there’s a market of some kind for either your services or products.

But understand that this is something that may take time to build. Of course, you could strike it lucky, in a sense, and manage to make some impressive money in a relatively short time, but that’s more unusual rather than anything else.

Also, the five ways above are not the only ways in which you can manage to earn money with your skills. However, I hope that from these different methods that, you are able to start to think about other avenues worthy of exploration. Ultimately, you want to use as many methods as possible to increase your chances of making those sales and getting that cash into your business.

The New York market may be tough, but it’s not impossible. So, don’t fall into that trap and believe in your skills and what you offer, as that is what will get you through and start producing that money.