re: Becoming a professional woodworking or not

Thank you for your wonderful insight in your own experiences. Well written Jim. If I could I would like to add a few things… In any business venture a person must answer a few key questions before starting that will help make informed decisions. Have you done market research until you have exhausted every single angle to properly estimate revenue. As with any five year business plan, how much do expect to pay out with no income for a full two years. This must include a lot of normally hidden costs. Like a donation to a local charity that may provide some hidden marketing. It also has to include every known expense and account for increases every year, nothing goes down in price but their is always increases even in the water bill. A good business plan takes at least a month to research, at the end of which you should be able to determine if this venture will allow you to carry forward as a full time job, or maybe just part time for a period of time. I have made a half dozen business plans for people over the years, everything from hairdressing, to hotel ownership. Any way you proceed you must consider yourself an artist that is trying to make a business doing something you love. For some just breaking even is reward enough. For the majority of us we do it as a hobby with a few tools being paid for among the way and loving every minute. Having done it both ways I can say each has its own challenges and rewards. I wish anyone willing to try the best of luck, and remind them to do the research as it will answer questions without going thru complications.