Wise words Stu. But there are some industries that do work at a break even not quiet loss just to keep ticking over. The issue is that break even is not understood and it does not mean just labor and material. Someone has to pay for the lights at a very simple level.
Then there are members here that sell things on the basis of putting things in a store on consignment. Thats all fine and Dandy but in a case like this I question the strategy.
Modern manufacturing and it dont matter how small the run is (in fact those that have experience working in a plant where the principles of JIT or Kanban were applied no,) apply the principle production quantity of one.
Its about the concept of mass customization. But even that has limits and constraints.
So the above logic therefore applies to all those woodworkers that will make even one unit.
Unless you know what the demand actually is your production of a unit for purposes of consignment is at best a display piece such as a mannequin and you best be ready to make more to customers spec. It therefore neccesitates that you carry a stock of or have access to( in a reasonable time) any multitudes of wood.
You therefore need to consider the constraints that need to be applied and discussed with the person providing the consignment service such that customer expectations are managed and you are not coerced into making something that you do not want to or do not have the ability to just to maintain the relationship with the store. Simply making it clear through signage that this item is available in Cherry, Oak or Whatever will suffice. But there is a ton more to this relationship with the store owner that is worth understanding.
If you then consider the economics of this case. You have a bunch of stuff completed in this manner and on display at various stores in the HOPE that someone buys it, you have a strategy that relies on hope.
The hope that someone comes along and wants whats on display. The hope that it sells for the price being asked. The hope that it is seen as custome woodworking when in fact you have relegated it to the level of competing with Ikea for it is not custom made. The hope that you will recover your investment in time, material and use of your facilities.
Sorry to say but hope is not a strategy for a business. I can take a lotto ticket and have as much luck as you.
As to your comment Larry as i have mentioned before I would be more than willing to contribute.