Growing a Wood Business Ft. Wild Edge Woodcraft

After a 25-year corporate career in health care, Avery Earwood is now a full-time woodworker and small business owner. His services include tree removals, sawmill work, kiln drying, and custom furniture building. Currently, Avery has four iDRY kilns in his operation with two in place and two to be delivered later this year. Since getting the kilns Avery has seen a constant demand for his drying service with the kilns never empty.

So far Wild Edge Woodcraft has seen a lot of success and Avery loves his new career. He dreamed for many years about transitioning from corporate life into life as a Woodpreneur, and we have to say it looks like the hard work paid off!

The Many Life Cycles of Urban Lumber

With so many different offerings available through his business, whether in terms of services or physical goods, there are a variety of client types that Avery gets to work with. It’s very fortunate that for Avery, meeting all of his new clients has become one of the best parts of the job. 

It’s developed not only into a passion for his work and his business but also a passion for his customers and the woodworking community. From woodworking enthusiasts searching for the perfect slab, to families who need trees removed, figuring out how he can help each person brings him a lot of joy.

A big sense of that fulfillment does come from the source material itself though. Avery has said that he feels a real appreciation for how often he can pick up the same piece of wood at different stages of its journey and see it turn into something timeless that captures that original beauty. From a tree that needs to be removed to a one-of-a-kind piece of functional artwork that will last generations, it’s an extremely hands-on process.

Evaluating Success

When considering success in this industry, there are a lot of factors. Most importantly, one wood business’s definition of success might vary wildly to another. One vein that tends to run true through most small businesses though, is the idea of being able to scale, and Avery has done so in an incredible way.

For our iDRY super users series (coming soon!) we touched base with Avery and talked to him about his kilns to get some insight into the inner workings of a successful, scaleable wood business. 

The biggest takeaway was to plan for your success. Even in terms of kiln space, Avery explained how he knew he wanted to grow, and so he approached his business not as it was, but as what it was going to be. 

He didn’t prepare for his first kiln. He prepared for his first kiln, and his next three. This future-thinking mindset is a recurring theme with “leveled-up woodpreneurs” and those businesses that scale and grow in a fascinating way. It’s almost a success mindset in the way that future thinking, and building your company in such a way that there is room for opportunity and success, then seem to foster and attract opportunity and success.

The Sky is The Limit 

It was less than half a year ago when we heard Avery on the Woodpreneur Podcast sharing his vision for the future of Wild Edge Woodcraft. Back then his goal was to add a kiln or two to his (at the time single-kiln) operation within a year. Less than six months later and the man now has contracts for four kilns, has expanded his business plan, and has continued to grow and find success in new ways and avenues he hadn’t even anticipated.

With iDRY, you’re not just buying a kiln, you’re joining the iDRY family, and part of that family is celebrating the successes of business like Wild Edge Woodcraft, but it’s also about community. The kind of community that people like Avery continue to boost and give back to every single day. When asked what advice he would give to those considering a kiln, he says to reach out to people like him, and even him directly because this industry is a collaborative one. 

To see some of the incredible work, slabs, or to inquire about kiln drying services please visit Wild Edge Woodcraft!

Website: wildedgewoodcraft.com

Facebook: Wild Edge Woodcraft