Selling Before Building: What a Delayed Table Taught Me About Leadership, Clients, and Risk episode artwork

EPISODE · May 26, 2025 · 12 MIN

Selling Before Building: What a Delayed Table Taught Me About Leadership, Clients, and Risk

from The Handcrafted Podcast: The Business of making things · host Paul Mencel

In this episode of The Hand Crafted Podcast, I get honest about a recent challenge—selling a custom table design before we ever built a prototype. What followed was a whirlwind of production delays, frustrated clients, and some tough-but-necessary lessons in communication and leadership. I talk about what it’s like to "build the plane while flying it," how I navigated a tough conversation with the client, and why I don’t regret taking the risk. Plus, I answer a question from Sarah about when—and how—to raise your prices with confidence.Join the Network

In this episode of The Hand Crafted Podcast, I get honest about a recent challenge—selling a custom table design before we ever built a prototype. What followed was a whirlwind of production delays, frustrated clients, and some tough-but-necessary lessons in communication and leadership. I talk about what it’s like to "build the plane while flying it," how I navigated a tough conversation with the client, and why I don’t regret taking the risk. Plus, I answer a question from Sarah about when—...

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Selling Before Building: What a Delayed Table Taught Me About Leadership, Clients, and Risk

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This episode was published on May 26, 2025.

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In this episode of The Hand Crafted Podcast, I get honest about a recent challenge—selling a custom table design before we ever built a prototype. What followed was a whirlwind of production delays, frustrated clients, and some tough-but-necessary...

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