Brain Vomit #16 Financial Suicide

Being a frame builder is a terrible way to make a living. It requires a long list of skills and problem-solving intuition that if you were to apply it to any other trade/skill/job You would have a bett er chance at making a living at it. I mean “Frame builder” as the business owner and operator. You can work for someone making bikes but then your Job title would be a fabricator. You have to be a designer, fabricator, customer service person, bookkeeper, photographer, marketer, etc. Ideally, you want to focus on design and fabrication but until you make it you gotta do everything. Sure, there are software and apps that can help you do these jobs more efficiently but you still have to do everything. Hopefully, if you succeed, you’ll start hiring people to replace you in the tasks you don’t want to do. In the beginning, you are a terrible craftsman but with practice, you get better. You have to build up your reputation, build trust, create demand for your craft. It will take a long time to get there. You have to find something that will differentiate your work from everyone else's and be able to charge enough so you can keep doing it. Making it only means being able to make a sustainable living with your craft. You'll likely won't be able to become financially wealthy but you'll probably have a fulfilling life. And thats cool with me.