It all started in late March, the same month that COVID-19 started in America and things shut down March 13. In Carter's words:
"I got the urge to build something soon after COVID19 put us in quarantine. The first week of April, I recall just wanting to build something out of wood. I found some old pallets and tried to build a simple box and it got my brain thinking on what else I could make. After some thought, I felt confident that a simple modern bench would be my first creation."
All of April, Carter just built and built and fine tuned his craft. It was impressive to see him self teach himself how to use design software to create his designs. It was special having his Uncle Sean and dad help him Easter weekend, bring his design to fruition.
"Creating these pieces has brought my family together in many ways. In the early weeks, I didn’t have the proper tools I needed, so I relied on my Grandpa Joe to allow me to use his. I was lucky enough to have my Uncle Sean assist me dad and in assembling the inaugural bench."
After he had mastered a couple of benches, his creative juices started flowing and he figured out, by himself, how to build me a simple modern frame. I was so proud of him. The Gonzales were his first major client and they requested a 48" modern bench for the entry area of their beautiful new home. Carter even made his own logo brand to burn on each piece in a hidden spot.
In May, Carter took time to design a logo, find a website address he loved and start to think of a marketing plan. He really took time to research the products he was using from the type of wood, to the stain. We focused on quality over everything. As he finished up virtual school for the year, I know he spent much of his time watching videos on how to build and design things, which we didn't mind too much. In our garage, he has taken over a large part of our 3rd garage and I handed down to him the wooden shelf that I have had since I moved into my college dorm at College Station in 1998. This 22 year old adjustable wood shelving unit from Container Store has been an integral part of every home I have had. In fact, it sat inside Carter's closet, when he was born and housed his diapers. In late May, he decided to try a new item and built a blanket ladder, adding yet another creation to his list.
Soon after his debut on Instagram, he got several orders in, including a request for a wood top 3 hole washer board set and modern benches including a super long 80" for a friend in Houston. After a few sales, he paid off his debt to his parents for materials of previous products and decided to reinvest in his business with a super nice nail gun.
Due to so much traveling in June and July, we helped Carter make the business decision to only finish our existing projects and not market or take on any new ones until we were back home on a regular basis in mid August. I have been very proud of him with his communication to clients via text and Instagram. We have had multiple comments about his professionalism and detail communications during projects and deliveries and he has already started to learn some lessons around communication, pricing and verifying details. He has a very good attention to detail and to his own safety.
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