Are you looking for a way to pass the time and earn extra cash for a vacation or night out? Custom woodworking has become a popular choice for a side hustle.

Creating something with your hands can be a refreshing change if you’re stuck at a desk job all day. Woodworking may seem dirty and dangerous, but you can create some truly unique things with a few tools and hard work.

However, you may run into space or financial constraints as your woodworking hobby grows. Fortunately, selling your creations locally or online can help alleviate these issues. This approach can also serve as a testing ground for building your business.

One excellent platform to explore is Facebook Marketplace, which can help you grow your side hustle organically without any significant financial investment or ads. 

In this article, we’ll discuss why you should start a woodworking side hobby, why Facebook Marketplace is excellent for marketing your products, and provide a step-by-step guide on leveraging the platform to achieve your woodworking business goals. Whether you are building a cutting board or looking to sell cabinets, learn more about how you can use wood to start a side business. 

Why Should you Start a Woodworking Side Hobby?

There are plenty of reasons why woodworking could be your perfect hobby and next business venture! Here are just a few to consider:

• To Learn a New Skill: We are all continuously learning throughout our lives, whether at work or home. Learning new skills keeps life exciting and rewarding. Learning woodwork is no different; the craft will help you appreciate how to put things together and build self-reliance. Your woodworking skills will not only help you make extra money, it will also help you as you take on your own projects around the house.
  

• To Show off Your Work to Friends and Family: Imagine how cool it would be to watch your buddies ogling over your new dining table or bookshelf, and when they turn to you and ask where you got it you could smile, take a sip of your beverage and casually say “oh this thing, yeah, I made this”. Gaining skills in woodworking allows you to create one-of-a-kind furniture that your friends and family will love. The best part is you can customize each piece to your exact liking. No more “getting close, but not quite” shopping at the local big box store. Whether you are finally furnishing that neglected corner of the living room, or setting up a gaming room for your kids, building something yourself can turn a house into a home.
  
• To Create High-Quality Pieces: Yes, you can find inexpensive furniture at big box stores, but they often are made of low-cost materials, can be flimsy, and don’t seem to last as you would hope. Not to mention no one is looking for an heirloom piece of furniture from a supermarket. Creating pieces yourself allows you to craft your high-quality heirloom pieces for a fraction of the price you would pay someone else.
  
• To Fund your Workshop: A side hustle can give you the funds to build your workshop. The cost of new tools can add up quickly, but you can offset those expenses and upgrade your equipment with the extra income. Before you know it, your workshop will be equipped with professional-grade tools.
  

Now let us look deeper into Facebook Marketplace and why it would be a great platform to market your new woodworking business.

Why Use Facebook Marketplace?

Source: Facebook

Starting a woodworking side hobby can feel overwhelming with so many marketing avenues to choose from. But why not begin on Facebook Marketplace? The platform offers some great features, some of which are: 

• Reaching Local Clients: Marketplace is an excellent way to connect with people in your local area. Shipping large pieces of furniture can be costly, but by using Marketplace, you can target customers who can pick up their orders directly from you. This way, you can focus on creating and selling your wood projects rather than worrying about shipping logistics.
  
• Easy Listing Process: Facebook Marketplace makes it incredibly simple to create a listing. With just a few photos and some engaging sales copy, you can have your products posted on Marketplace in no time.
  
• Controlled Meetups: Marketplace also provides security measures to protect you during meetups with buyers. By viewing potential buyers’ profiles and dictating the location and terms of the exchange, you can feel more secure while conducting your business. While most people you meet through Marketplace will have good intentions, exercising caution and doing your due diligence is essential.
  

Step-by-Step Instructions on How To Get Started with your New Woodworking Side Hussle

Step 1: Gather your Tools

You don’t necessarily have to purchase the most expensive or top-of-the-line tools. Opting for entry to mid-level would suffice, especially if you’re starting out and not sure if you will enjoy woodworking in the long run.

Moreover, you don’t need an extensive collection. When it comes to woodworking, only the essential tools are crucial when starting. 

Although this may be up for debate, having the following core tools is really all you need to start. These tools can help you create most of the projects you’ll be working on at the beginning: 

• Tablesaw
  
• Circular Saw
  
• Power Drill and Fasteners
  
• Orbital Sander
  
• Hammer
  
• Wood Clamps
  
• Tape measure
  

Ultimately, it’s all about understanding how to use these tools properly and investing in higher-quality ones as you improve your skills to achieve better results and save time.

Step 2: Get Familiar with your Tools

Whether you have never used a power tool, or are a professional carpenter, always take a minute to understand how to operate each piece of equipment. 

Ensure you know how things are locked in place, where the safety guards are, what personal protective equipment (PPE) you should wear, and where to keep your hands or stand when using the tools.

Get comfortable with the daily operation. However, never get complacent. That’s when accidents happen. 

Step 3: Research your Market

Take some time to explore Facebook Marketplace and take note of what other woodworking enthusiasts are creating in your local area. 

Pay attention to the quality of their work, their skill level, and the prices they sell their pieces for. 

By examining what is already available in the market, you can put your unique spin on your creations and stand out from the competition.

You can also check out other ecommerce sites like Etsy to see what their most popular things are selling. 

Step 4: Build your first project

Now that you know your tools and the market, it’s time for the exciting part- building your first project! 

Take your time and use this first project as a learning experience. The result may need improvement and even look terrible, but it is essential to learn from it and develop a system for future builds. 

Use your discretion on whether you should sell this first project or not. If you would put your name on it, or add it to your home collection, consider listing it. If not, try again until you are satisfied with the outcome. 

Step 5: List your first project

Now that your project is ready to sell, it’s time to create your Facebook Marketplace listing. 

Your photos will do most of the leg work with any good listing. You don’t have to be a digital designer to create and edit compelling images; take the time to stage your photos realistically and authentically. 

For example, if you have a coffee table, take a picture next to a couch with some coasters and maybe a couple of books or something. Focus on lighting and professional staging. 

With your photos in hand, take some time to explain your piece. Try to include strong keywords like “handmade” and “local” You can also specify the wood type, stain, or paint color, and always have dimensions. 

Finally, your title should reflect the piece- include popular title keywords from your research. Terms such as modern or rustic are popular terms to include. 

Pro Tip: Adding a note to the item description stating that you can create custom pieces similar to those sold can open up new business opportunities for you.

Step 6 (repeat): Start your Next Project

Once your first project is complete and listed, it’s time to move on to your next piece! 

As a beginner, focus on creating items that interest you and challenge yourself by learning a new skill with each project.

During this starting phase, take the opportunity to experiment with different projects and pay attention to what generates the most traffic and sells the best. 

Keep repeating this process and continue to learn and grow in your woodworking career.

Building a relationship with each client is essential as it can lead to repeat work if they’re impressed with your work. Getting started is the hardest part, but doing a little bit every day can yield great results. 

Additional Tips for scaling and Growing your Woodworking Business 

If you’re looking to accelerate your growth and expand your business, here are some additional steps you can take: 

Consider a Facebook Business Page or Website to Keep your Portfolio

Creating a landing page or website to showcase your portfolio of work is a great way to establish yourself as a professional woodworker and attract potential clients. 

This portfolio can include high-quality photos of your completed projects, a brief description of each piece, and testimonials from satisfied customers.

A professional and visually appealing portfolio can set you apart from other woodworkers and provide potential clients with a better understanding of your style and capabilities. 

It also allows them to easily share your work with their friends and family, which can lead to new business opportunities.

In addition to your portfolio, your landing page can also include information about your background, skills, and services offered. This can help potential clients get to know you better and feel more confident about working with you.

A landing page can also serve as a hub for your online presence. You can link your social media accounts, contact information, and Facebook Marketplace listings to your landing page, which makes it easier for clients to find you and keep track of your work.

Focus on Growing Organically

If you’re pursuing woodworking as a side hustle, allowing your business to grow organically may be more beneficial. 

Rather than relying on paid ads or other methods of quick promotion, allow word-of-mouth and your website or social media pages to promote your work. This way, you can avoid becoming overwhelmed with orders too soon.

As your business grows and the number of orders increases, consider outsourcing specific tasks to help you manage your workload.

Pro Tip: If you find a build that sells really well and sells quickly. Keep the post up even after it sells. You need to add a line that states, “these are made to order. Message me for your custom build”. This is a great way to work only off-commission pieces and not worry about whether a piece will sell. 

Invest in your business.

Investing in your business is vital to take your side hustle to the next level. 

You can use your profits to improve your skills and purchase new tools or take courses that will help you enhance your craft. 

Investing in yourself will improve your work and help you produce higher-quality pieces in less time. This can help you establish a name for yourself as a skilled woodworker and increase your reputation in the community.

Pro Tip: Consider investing in specialized tools or taking courses to learn advanced techniques to improve your skills and increase the quality and efficiency of your woodworking projects. This can help you stand out from the competition and potentially command higher prices for your work.

Final Wrap-up on Starting A Woodworking Side Hustle Using Only Facebook Marketplace

There you have it; in this article, we have discussed the benefits of starting a woodworking side hustle and how to use Facebook Marketplace to sell your creations.

We have emphasized the advantages of woodworking, such as learning new skills, creating high-quality pieces, and building a shop. 

If you are looking to start a side hustle with minimal investment, learn a new skill on the way, and create something that will be around for years to come, consider giving woodworking a try.