Cabinet Shop Pre-Planning

Before dedicating your future efforts to a cabinet shop you should research the actual need in the area you plan to service. Don't be afraid to compete with anyone but you must establish a profitable market area. If there isn't enough need in the area then widen the area until there is enough potential.

I know of several shops that, after finding their niche, was able to expand way beyond their rural area and now market their products and services nation wide.

About the competition...

When the "big box" stores showed up in my area I was concerned about what was going to happen to my little shop. As it turned out, the large chains actually increased my business by generating more interest in new or remodeled cabinetry.

Customers, after finding out that personalized service was very limited in the large stores, would actually buy from the smaller local shops like mine to get professional service along with the cabinetry.

After seeing what was happening, the large stores started offering personalized services such as cabinet installation by partnering with the local shops. This created some very nice opportunities for small shop owners.

Partnering opportunities... aren't limited to just the big box stores. After establishing your shop in the community, it's well worth the effort to get to know other shop owners. Many times I would have had to pass up jobs that were too large for my shop if I couldn't offer part of the job to the shop down the road.

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