WoodMarvels.com: The Evolution of a Business
As you may or not be aware of, in addition to LegendaryLife.com (phase I is complete btw, working on phase II before launch), I am also the proud owner of a site called WoodMarvels.com. It is a site that sells blueprints, EPS files and even physical, laser cut kits!
The Beginning
When I first began WoodMarvels.com, I wanted to create a site that allowed people access to inexpensive blueprints to make wooden models unlike anything available on the marketplace. I wanted to create some really cool looking pieces of work and allow others to build it for their friends and family. Wood is an amazing material and I wanted to bring what is possible with it to a whole new level.
At first, the site only featured downloadable blueprints but about 5 or 6 months into it, I thought, “hey, not everybody has access to woodcutting tools, I wonder if I could sell kits!” About a week later after some research, I found a site that could do JUST THAT! Fantastic! I can now offer woodcrafters plans and those without a shop or cutting experience, laser cut kits which they can assemble with glue. I started gaining attention within various communities and got some designers to show their work on my site.
A full year later, I began to be approached to sell the models I created in EPS format, I ignored these calls initially… who would want EPS files I thought to myself? If you are not familiar with EPS files, they are a digital format that is used as a path reference for laser cutters and other machinery. If you put a line on an EPS file, the laser cutter will cut along that line. It took some convincing that there was a market for it but as usual, I came back around and decided to offer it on my site, a process that I am almost done doing. My biggest fear was that of control, giving-up your EPS files to the internet means that anybody can reproduce your work as many times as they want without any loss in quality or distinction from products bought from my site. It’s equal to releasing the files that make-up a car to the world and then waking-up the next day and everybody has your car but you never got compensated for this mass-produced copy.
The Middle
Well, just today, I realized at how much WoodMarvels.com has evolved, from an idea to a physical business that is making money for other designers and allowing people around the world access towards making some extra money on the side. How is that? Well, I am selling commercial production licenses of all my models in addition to many of the other designers who have joined with me in offering this. By sharing my expertise, others are able to find joy and challenges in their lives, able to find a different avenue to create additional confidence in themselves and most importantly, spreading the fun of wood as a very viable alternative to plastics for everyday household items, including toys!
The End
WoodMarvels.com is growing rather well, client lists keep expanding and so do the offerings. I am generating sales for designers and new opportunities are arising. We are also going to be written-up in a major magazine in a months time! How will it all end? Who knows, but for now, I am really enjoying the rid up and with a second volume being proofed right now for WoodMarvels.com along with the one I wrote for LegendaryLife.com, still a lot happening!
The Bottom Line
What you start with isn’t always what you end-up with.
Buzvia: WoodMarvels.com
