The Strategy Of The Knife Making Business
My circumstances were super fortunate. I was in college when I started and I lived with my parents. I had no rent, no expenses, and my only responsibility was to do my best in school. Even considering the knife market, things were simpler back then. There were only a handful of full-time independent kitchen knife makers, where as now there are literally thousands. It seemed straight-forward when I started out - I learned knife making part-time while I was in school, built up my skills and reputation, and then made the transition to full-time after graduating. How do you even attempt to follow this career path today when everything is moving so fast with so much noise?
The timing and tactics might be different, but I think the strategy is still the same. There is no overnight success. I would recommend to anyone interested in trying this out to learn it part-time first. I don’t mean just making the knives, I mean EVERYTHING: the business, marketing, photography, finances, organization. I’ll cut it straight - this is not an easy profession. It can take years just for this first stage. Two to three years to learn the basics of knife making, and two years on top of that to develop the basic business sense. And this is an OPTIMISTIC view of it; not everybody has easy shop access to simply jump in making knives, and not everybody has the time to dedicate to the entire learning process. If after those first years it doesn’t gain traction, then I would seriously reconsider the pursuit.
A lot of people (me included) just want to get into it, have fun, make cool stuff, and not worry about money. Here’s the unfortunate reality check - you have to be able to make a living. How much money would you theoretically have to make in order to sustain a business? The average living cost for a single person in the US is about $38,000 a year, let’s just round that to $3,000/month. Does that include shop rent? Add another $1,000 a month. Materials and expenses? Another $1,000/mo. Actually let’s make that $2,000/mo. So we’re looking at $6,000/mo revenue that we need to make per month to sustain this business and lifestyle. How does that translate into knives? It depends on the style that you’re going for. Realistically a good price point to aim for when starting out is around $400-600 per knife once you have developed a solid product and you’ve built a bit of a reputation amongst some communities. This means you need to make 10 to 15 knives per month, and actually SELL THEM. There will be periods of time where things don’t work out and nothing sells. There will be moments where everything seems to sell. The important thing is that on average, you must hit those numbers and be ready for times when not everything is ideal.
That’s an extremely simplified, optimistic quick look at the money that goes in and out of the business. You absolutely need to do your own homework and figure out for yourself and your circumstances what’s required for you. To the guys doing this full-time supporting a whole family in NY (looking at you Greg Cimms), you have my respect. To everyone else, I know the feeling.
Let’s talk the long term. Doing what you love. Passion. Does it last? I think for a lot of people, no, it doesn’t last. A lot of people are finding that when you turn your passion into a job, it turns into just that: a job. There needs to be a slight shift in the perspective and in the approach. It’s not about doing what you love, it’s about loving what you do. There’s a subtle difference there but it’s massive. The truth about my knife making career is that I have had to become my own boss, and I suck at it. I have to set a strict schedule for the day to day, the week to week. I have to get in the shop and actually be productive even if I’m not feeling the gumption. I have to think about what decisions to make to best move the business forward for the next quarter even when I’m completely mentally spent. Most of the time it’s not as romantic as it seems.
Ok, all of this was kind of a downer, but I wanted to lay down that foundation. It’s all true, and I don’t want to sugarcoat any of it. The good news is that it’s an amazing freaking job everything else considered. I’m a horrible self-boss but at least I’m the only one I can blame. If I don’t like my circumstances then I have it all within my power to change the things I don’t like. Most of the time I’m stressed about money and deadlines but I’m never bored and I love what I do. Now let’s talk about how to start a knife making business.
First, find a space to learn. If you have a suitable garage, great. If you can find a shared workspace, awesome; be respectful of them and plan your time there. I started out learning at a blacksmithing/bladesmithing community college class for a couple years while I started building up a little workspace in my parent’s garage. If you have to rent a space, unfortunately that’s the cost of entry. I would suggest having a decent work table, good lighting (SO important), a drill press, some way to cut steel (angle grinder (be safe) or portable bandsaw mounted on a table), and a belt grinder (you can get more affordable 2x48” ones or a 2x72” for dedicated knifemaking. Easily the most expensive of them all is the grinder but it’s essential. You can make knives without a belt grinder but not in the pursuit of a career. As a starting point, this all could be $2,000-$4,000 in just equipment alone.
Next, how do you even learn? I learned on my own, going through forums, YouTube videos, Reddit, books, etc. The knowledge available is changing so fast, and I haven’t been in touch with it for a long time. I cannot go into detail on all of this here; this is its own section, it’s own entire book (or more). It’s your responsibility to do your homework here. Read up as much as you can, don’t take any one single resource as bible and when you’re stuck, respectfully ask a more experienced maker for their help. Most of us are super welcoming and willing to help, but you have to do your homework first. You can jump start this process by taking classes.
You’ve starting to make prototypes/products now. How do you start selling them? I have four big suggestions. One is make a website. Two is make an email newsletter. Three is find some communities to network and show your works in progress. Four is learn photography as a side craft. Your website will be the central hub that everyone is directed to - it’ll showcase your portfolio, list your social medias, have your contact information, and your email newsletter sign-up. Your email newsletter will be the primary contact to your clients as you sell your work or make big announcements. The communities will be where you get to know other makers, hobbyists, users, enthusiasts, and potential clients. They come and go; in my past I was on forums, Facebook, and in-person. Currently it’s Reddit, Instagram, Youtube, and in-person. If you can find good in-person communities, they are vital; this can include local chefs, knife shows, hammer-ins, etc. This leads me to my next point.
Marketing. For me there are two levels - short term and long term. Your short term is whichever social media or tactics are currently trendy. These are the algorithm games on Instagram/TikTok or even paid ads. The short term is to catch attention quickly to build a wider audience. The truly important one is long term though - once you catch attention, how do you keep it? You build trust. This ties back to the community and showcasing works in progress. Valuable followers and customers are those who empathize with your process, your philosophy in craft, your honor so to speak. The MOST important part in all of marketing is building trust with valuable followers, because they will be the ones who truly drive your name and brand forward in the long term. I have seen too many people get big really quick and then promptly vanish. This is why physical shows are still so helpful in times where the internet seems to promote everything at instant gratification.
This was a VERY quick blaze-through for knife making business strategy. Let me know if you have any questions.
