Chris Mire
Member
- Messages
- 945
- Location
- Southern Louisiana
not sure if this is the right place for this, maybe it belongs in the off topic forum, feel free to move it mods. thanks
For those of you who don’t know I have owned and operated my own custom cabinet business since Feb 07. Recently I decided to close the doors on the business and return to work in the engineering field where I worked before. Computer aided drafting and design, specifically in the petrochemical field. My decision was not an easy one. I fought with myself for months trying to decided what to do. In the end I decided this was the best route for me and my family. My stress level was far too high and the aggravation that comes with building and installing entire homes worth of cabinets was just getting to me.
For me this was always a hobby, something I loved to do. Doing it for a living took the fun away, I still enjoyed doing it and enjoyed my job but it got to a point where it just wasn’t the same anymore.
I know this comes at a time when the economy is bad and it seems like I would be shutting the doors due to lack of work, well that is just the opposite, in the months before I quit I was turning work away or passing it on to another cabinetmaker friend. I just could not keep up with the amount of work I had and I refused to hire anymore workers (mainly because I am OCD about my work). It was just me and Dad and I was outsourcing and still couldn’t keep up. This drove the stress level up, not to mention I was contracting my own home which took far more attention than I expected.
There is lots more I could say but it would make this thread too long. Bottom line is I am much happier and less stressed than I was and that is great for me and the family.
If anyone is considering a move like this, let me know, I’ll do my best to tell you the things I wish I had done differently that may have helped make it better.
I am now working on my last set of cabinets (well for awhile anyway) and it is my personal ones. My best set yet I think. I’ll be posting pics soon. Finishing should be getting started this weekend.
Thanks to all who helped me while I was in the biz, I appreciate the support this place offers us all.
Sincerely
Chris Mire
Former CEO of Cutting Edge Woodworks
For those of you who don’t know I have owned and operated my own custom cabinet business since Feb 07. Recently I decided to close the doors on the business and return to work in the engineering field where I worked before. Computer aided drafting and design, specifically in the petrochemical field. My decision was not an easy one. I fought with myself for months trying to decided what to do. In the end I decided this was the best route for me and my family. My stress level was far too high and the aggravation that comes with building and installing entire homes worth of cabinets was just getting to me.
For me this was always a hobby, something I loved to do. Doing it for a living took the fun away, I still enjoyed doing it and enjoyed my job but it got to a point where it just wasn’t the same anymore.
I know this comes at a time when the economy is bad and it seems like I would be shutting the doors due to lack of work, well that is just the opposite, in the months before I quit I was turning work away or passing it on to another cabinetmaker friend. I just could not keep up with the amount of work I had and I refused to hire anymore workers (mainly because I am OCD about my work). It was just me and Dad and I was outsourcing and still couldn’t keep up. This drove the stress level up, not to mention I was contracting my own home which took far more attention than I expected.
There is lots more I could say but it would make this thread too long. Bottom line is I am much happier and less stressed than I was and that is great for me and the family.
If anyone is considering a move like this, let me know, I’ll do my best to tell you the things I wish I had done differently that may have helped make it better.
I am now working on my last set of cabinets (well for awhile anyway) and it is my personal ones. My best set yet I think. I’ll be posting pics soon. Finishing should be getting started this weekend.
Thanks to all who helped me while I was in the biz, I appreciate the support this place offers us all.
Sincerely
Chris Mire
Former CEO of Cutting Edge Woodworks