Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathleen McCown.
Thanks for sharing your story with us cathleen. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My husband and I have 4 kids. We adopted our youngest son when he was 7. Four years ago, our oldest daughter was headed to college and our next daughter would be two years behind her. Even though my husband and I both work (he is in Information Technology and I teach dyslexic students), I knew we would need additional income. However, I didn’t want either of us to have a second job that would take us away from our family time. I have always loved doing anything creative. I saw a wood dresser on the side of the road that was in really good shape as far as the wood was concerned, but it just needed to be painted. I had my husband bring it home, so I could redo it and sell it. Everyone in my family laughed at the idea of this dresser ever looking good enough to sell! I cleaned it up, sanded it, bought new hardware and sold it for $250 in a few days. At first, I would go to thrift shops and Craigslist to find old furniture that could be refinished. My husband, who learned woodworking from his dad, saw how hard it was to find good pieces that could be redone and offered to build a table for me. His first table looked amazing. I stained the top and painted the bottom. We sold the table on Craigslist in a day. We started with our facebook page, which eventually led to me developing our website and Etsy shop. We now ship everywhere in the continental United States and have recently shipped to Florida, Georgia and California. My husband builds the tables and dog crates and I do all the finish out work. The best thing is that we are able to do this from our home and still be present with our family (and are putting two of our kids through college).
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think many things in life are a smooth road, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth journeying down. I love my family and people and with this new business, I definitely added more work to my plate. My biggest struggle is managing my time well so the important things in life, family and people, can still have my full attention.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Inspired Custom Wood Furniture – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We custom build farmhouse and industrial style tables. We absolutely love dogs and so we also build those fun wooden dog crates! What sets us apart from others is that people can specify exactly what they need for their home. The furniture is made from solid wood and therefore will last a long time.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I come from a very creative and entrepreneurial family. My cousin is an amazing artist and has her own art studio, my aunt and uncle started a Christian children’s home for troubled children, my grandmother had her own cooking show and wrote cookbooks and my sister started her own fitness company. Their lives have encouraged me along the way, to show me that it is possible to start something new that you love to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.inspiredcustomwoodfurniture.com
- Phone: 214-289-8865
- Email: inspiredcustomwoodfurniture@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspired_custom_wood_furniture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiredcustomwoodfurniture/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
