Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Mostad.
Joe, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After returning from my 4th deployment with the Navy, I decided I need a hobby. I had always enjoyed working with my hands and admired all the guys I saw growing up that could make all their own furniture and cabinets. After a little internet research, I found the San Diego Fine Woodworker’s Association. I went to one of their monthly meetings and the group was so inviting of first-timers that it made it easy to commit to the craft.
I started toying around with various small projects and eventually made my first chessboard. I wanted it to be unique so I made the pieces out of bullets. After a lot of prototypes, I was able to make a board that looked good and was functional. I only made three in my first run and gave them to my Groomsmen. I got a lot of great feedback and was encouraged to make more and sell them. Then the company was born.
I needed more than chessboards for the business so I researched some easy projects and that led me to our line of cutting boards. Simple checker pattern butcher blocks at first and then more complicated ones like our American Flag end grain cutting boards. We are always trying new ideas and trying to create items that we like to make and that our customers appreciate and cherish for years to come.
We also love sticking to our policy of “honest prices for honest work”. We produce products only as fast as we can make them with a high-quality standard and create our prices based on that and not what the guy in the next state or country would charge. Our customers shouldn’t have to buy a cutting board or a magnetic knife block only to have it fail a year or two later and have to buy another one.
We also love seeing our products, pretty as they are, get a workout in the home. Our most loyal customers always send us pictures or their purchases “putting in work” as we like to say.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been hard to get our name out there. We are a very small operation with a very small budget and only a finite amount of time to dedicate to it. I still have a full-time job while I slowly build this business and we haven’t been able to really commit to mass advertising yet. With a full time job, it is difficult to balance passion with downtime. Luckily we have partnered with some great companies who also believe in high-quality work. We have been able to have a mutually beneficial relationship and spread the word throughout each other’s fanbases.
We have gathered quite a few loyal, repeat customers who love our products and find them to be great gifts for their closest friends and family. We have the beginnings of a nice grassroots campaign which is fine by us. Our goal is to grow this business slowly and steadily. That way we don’t overcommit ourselves too early and end up sacrificing quality for quantity and profit margins. We prefer to deliver quality first and build to quantity at a sustainable rate.
Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
We are primarily a woodworking company specializing in products for the home. We mostly specialize in cutting boards, magnetic knife blocks and other home decor items. We also do a small amount of blacksmithing and metalwork. We are always looking for interesting and rewarding new projects that our customers will enjoy.
We are most proud of our customer service and the quality of our products. We always strive to create high quality, handmade items at an honest price. We believe this sets us apart from a lot of other companies that focus on the bottom line first and quality second.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It’s hard to define my proudest moment. If forced to choose just one I would have to say when my Father demanded to be the first customer. You would have to know him but he’s generally not a pushy person so it was really encouraging having to haggle him out of paying full price and getting him to accept the friends and family discount.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mostadworks.com
- Email: mostadworks@gmail.com
- Instagram: @mostadworks
- Facebook: @MostadWorks
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