Joseph Mostad shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Joseph, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
I get a ton of questions from friends asking me to make something for them. Or suggesting I make something. I’ve been asked if I’m a cabinet builder, if I can make a baseball bat, if I can make a giant spoon (no kidding) or if I can make new handle for someone’s BBQ tongs. My answer is always yes, but….. I think that most people hear “woodworking” and it sparks something very specific for them.
I always tell them that every doctor goes to medical school but, they don’t specialize in the same thing. There’s everyone from podiatrists to brain surgeons. It’s the same in woodworking. I love to learn new woodworking techniques and I have a ton of machines that do different things (it’s honestly a problem). But, I’m at the stage right now where I need to balance passion with profit. I have moved out of my garage space to a commercial shop where I need to cover the rent.
If you’re a close friend and it’s a meaningful project, like the big spoon, I will take on the task of learning the technique and figuring it out. But at the end of the day, I have to stop myself from doing this too often because I’m a perfectionist. I need to focus on being a brain surgeon for those that need me and only occasionally dabble in pimple popping (you know who you are)…..
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Joe Mostad and I run Mostad Works, a woodworking business. Right now we make a lot of kitchen items such as cutting boards, knife blocks, bowls, rolling pins, etc… I am retiring from the Navy after 24 years and am focusing on making this a full time job now. I am in the process of expanding my business into the custom furniture realm.
I really enjoy the challenges that people have for me. That’s have the fun of this business. Of course it’s great to sell someone something that I created but if a customer has a specific requirement it’s great to solve that problem for them. I am developing a line of furniture that will become packages. Like a bedroom, dining room or living room package. I am aiming to replace the common complaint of people buying from box stores and their furniture falling apart in less than 5 years. While my works don’t come cheap, your grandchildren will fight over them. I try to keep my prices as low as possible while producing heirloom quality goods that never go out of style. Simple, classic, quality. That’s what we’re about.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
In 2022 I returned from my final deployment with the Navy. I have traveled the world in service to our country. Some places fun, others were more….interesting. I needed a release from the job. I had built up almost 5 months of vacation time (COVID restrictions didn’t allow us to use our vacation days) and I decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. While I was in the mountains, I really got to reflect on my life and my future. I realized that life is really up to you.
You may have a job where someone tells you what to do but, you can choose how you spend your free time. Do I want to spend it talking about my job or create a life for myself. Should I compare myself to others or do what I want and unintentionally become unique? Remember that interesting people are interested and that unique people do unique things. Take “you do you” seriously.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I once heard a phrase. “You can’t wait for life to stop being difficult before you decide to be happy.” You’re going to have downturns in your life. I recognized once that I was in a downward spiral and I decided to let in happen. Don’t get me wrong, I prepared for the worst and made sure I was in a safe place but, I consciously let myself “explore the depths” to see what was there. Once I got close to the bottom, I had an epiphany. My depression was none of my business. I was basing my poor feelings on someone else’s feelings. That’s their life, why would I let it affect me? You don’t train a racehorse to lose. You train it to win. That way when it is losing it is uncomfortable and decides to dig deep and find that fire within itself to win, which is survival. Other people’s decision are just that. Theirs. Suffering taught me that it’s not my problem. Success would only teach me to feel bad that I was losing. It wouldn’t teach me how to dig myself out of a hole.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
I’m going to try to relate this to furniture. There’s a reason that Mid-Century Modern has made a resurgence in recent years. It’s because it’s classic without being complicated. Don’t get me wrong. There were some designers that came up with some uncomfortable designs. I mean they look like a child turned a drum set into a couch with bright colors. But then you see the Eames chair. It’s unique but still incredibly comfortable. Charles and Ray Eames decided to steam bend plywood, throw a plush, leather bound pad in three sections into it with metal supports and violia!, a classic, comfortable chair. This was a foundational shift in furniture design that mixed different metal with woods and plastics.
Now for fads. Does anyone own a bean bag chair, unironically? No. Because it was a fad. I hoping bamboo cutting boards go the same way. (They’re cheap for a reason and they’re damaging your knives!)
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I hope you never find this out. You may think you are but, people are capable of incredible things. You are never truly out of your depth if you understand that you can ask for help. I have never met anyone not willing to share. On the contrary, if I don’t know something but I know someone who does, they are usually so passionate about it that they can’t shut up about it. Hopefully they have a partner that will reel them in a parties but you should surround yourself with such people. They share because they care.
Buy a book, watch a YouTube video, reach out to a friend. You are never out of your depth. Just because you can’t see the bottom, doesn’t mean it’s not right under your feet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mostadworkswoodworking.com
- Instagram: @mostadworks
- Facebook: Mostad Works
