Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Pratt.
Hi Jake, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My story started with a practical mission. Just out of college, my newlywed wife and I were in search of furniture for our new home. Everything we found within our budget was pretty low quality and just wasn’t going to last for our family more than a few years down the road. Growing up in 4H, I had built some small pieces of solid, hardwood furniture with my grandfather for many years and really enjoyed the process. I felt like I had learned enough to jump into building pieces for our own home, leading to our investment in some tools instead of the cheap starter furniture. Slowly, piece by piece, I built all of the furniture for our home, learning more from every build along the way.
Throughout that time, I would often get asked by friends and family to build pieces of furniture for their homes as well. Anything from tables and benches to credenzas or small cutting boards. Again, every project is built on the knowledge learned from the ones before.
After many years of having this little business grow from just working on nights and weekends, I had a change in my day job that allowed us to reassess and see if we wanted to pour more time into Pratt Woodworks. This led to a big jump and shift in the business for our family as I made this my full-time job. It definitely was a big leap, but I was so excited for the opportunity to build more and chase a dream that we made it work.
Now over 5 years later, I’ve had the opportunity to build hundreds of custom pieces of furniture for many amazing people and businesses. I love the work and new challenges that I get to tackle every day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, I’ve been fortunate that it has been a fairly smooth road. There are still plenty of challenges that come up for any small business. Sometimes the work orders were slow to come in and it was hard to project out how the overhead (let alone my paycheck) was going to get paid. But then other times, there was a large buildup of great jobs and expansion can be equally as scary. There is definitely a balance to be found that has taught me to treat the highs and lows as close to a level line as much as I can.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We specialize in building quality, solid hardwood furniture with thoughtful design. We love the opportunity to work with great clients and businesses to bring the right furniture, both in form and function, to their space. The use of beautiful native hardwoods accentuates every piece and draws out the natural warm beauty that real, solid wood furniture has to offer.
Since our business is small, we have the ability to give focused care and attention to every project, making sure every corner is perfect and nothing is overlooked. That focus on craftsmanship is something that I believe sets us apart.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I wouldn’t say luck has played a role in getting to today, but I would say that I am very lucky and fortunate to have met so many great people over the years and built some amazing business and personal relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.PrattWoodworks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prattwoodworks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prattwoodworks/
Image Credits
Pratt Woodworks
