A Day In the Life... of Jim, the Founder, Owner, and Expert Craftsman Behind Michigan Reclaimed Barns & Lumber
We followed him around for a day, and this is the story
If you've been following us for any amount of time, you probably have gotten at least some sense of who we are and what we do. And if you've been following us for longer, then you have definitely realized that the majority of our posts on Facebook and Instagram (and the blogs we post here) focus exclusively on the wood, the projects, and the customers. I mean, how often have you seen an actual picture of Jim, the founder and owner of Michigan Reclaimed Barns & Lumber?
We have convinced him to show his face quite a bit more, lately. Actually, he has grown to love recording and sharing videos of him working in his workshop. But that's all pretty surface level. Which leaves you all wondering, "who is this guy?" and "what does the owner-of-a-reclaimed-barn-wood-business's day actually look like?"
That brings us to here- the day we followed him around to figure out what a typical day looks like for Jim. And, if we're being completely honest, Jim's days are far from typical. Alright... Let's dive right in!
With this story, we are going to start at the end, jump back up to the beginning, and then likely keep going until we reach the very end.
The reason we're starting toward the end of the day is because there is one key thing that structures Jim's day. He makes custom orders and projects one of his top priorities. He always has a handful of these custom orders on his plate, at a minimum. Depending on the time of year, the number of orders drastically increases.
Jim ensures undisturbed time each day for custom orders. And he makes sure he gives himself time every week to reach out to those customers. Why? A high level of communication is necessary for any sort of home renovation or custom design project to be completed.
And, to keep them up-to-date on progress, answer questions, and let them know that they (and their project) haven't been forgotten.
Plus, carving out this specific time for his custom order customers gives him the ability to narrow his focus. He prefers to channel his attention and energy into the project he's working on, rather than jumping back between the project, phone calls, one-on-one appointments... You get the idea.
Now that we've got that established, we can jump back to the very beginning. And that always includes a fresh pot of coffee. Coffee first, everything else after. That first cup of coffee is accompanied by a lot of the behind the scenes administrative work- responding to emails, listening to voicemails, and returning calls.
Unlike a lot of businesses, Jim actually handles most, if not all, of this administrative work himself. He prefers to be on the front lines of his business. It gives him the opportunity to answer questions and respond to inquiries. The reason? He wants to skip the frustration and confusion that can sometimes happen when someone else is answering the phone.
That same level of involvement carries over to the face-to-face interactions. There have been a handful of times we've really laid out the reasons why we exclusively offer one-on-one appointments with out customers, but it is honestly one of the most unique parts of Jim's business so we'll share it again.
The 1:1 appointments started way before covid. Purchasing reclaimed barn wood or placing a custom order deserves the level of attention and care you receive during a private appointment.
Picture this. You walk into a store or a workshop with the intention of placing an order for a custom dining room table. The minute you walk through the door, you can see lots of different people walking around and shopping. But you have questions. You're wondering what type of wood will best suit your needs. And you're curious about sizes, as well as custom benches or chairs to go with the table.
There's a chance you'll find someone working there to talk to. And maybe you're even able to track down the owner or the individual who makes the custom tables. Anyone other than the person who actually crafts the tables is not able to answer with as much specificity. Plus, even if you do end up chatting with the craftsman, we all know how difficult it can be to have an in depth coversation in a busy shop or warehouse.
We've all been there and it sucks! Just the idea of being able to sit down with the owner and/or craftsman to ask your questions, hammer out specifics, and get everything prepped for your custom order sounds, well, amazing.
That's why Jim offers the one-on-one appointments, with the occasional "open hours" during the week or over the weekend. The focus is on the customer- making sure that you feel heard, that he fully understands your vision, and that you are happy with the final product (not to mention the entire process).
Not every day is a shop day, though. There are always a few days a week set aside for the personalized customer appointments. As you’ve probably seen on our Instagram, we schedule individualized meetings with potential customers. Have you ever been to a business where you walk in and are immediately overwhelmed by everything piled up or leaning against the walls? Or maybe where you have some questions you want answered, but there isn’t somebody readily available?
That’s the experience that Jim has eliminated with his personalized customer appointments. These 1:1 meetings allow time for questions, discussions about the proposed project or the needed materials. There is more than enough time allotted so that you, the customer, don’t feel rushed and you’re able to get the personalized and professional assistance that you need when making a reclaimed barn wood purchase.
On the days he dedicates much of his time to these personalized appointments, he spends the time between appointments working on smaller projects and prepping for custom work. The smaller projects can range from cleaning beams that will be used for mantles or custom cutting wood that will be used for flooring in a customer's home.
Basically, Jim keeps himself pretty darn busy throughout the entire work day.
As any entrepreneur or small business owner knows, there is always work to be done. But Jim still makes sure he closes up the shop and wraps up whatever project he's working on to make dinner. Family dinners are important to him. And so is spending time with his wife and kids- playing a card game, watching a movie, or, depending on the day, even going golfing.
Long story short, Jim's days are filled with customer calls, custom-made projects, personalized appointments... And there's always a day spent exclusively at his sawmill scattered throughout the week. The way Jim interacts with customers and runs his business actually makes a difference. And he has been able to connect with people, artists, contractors, and business owners across the state (and the country).
Now that you've learned a little more about Jim and the reasons behind exclusively offering 1:1 customer appointments, are you thinking it's finally time for you to schedule yours? Whether you've been thinking about your dream home renovation or custom reclaimed barn wood piece, let's take you from just dreaming to making it a reality. And the first step? Scheduling your personalized appointment.
You can always email Jim directly with your questions and ideas. We can't wait to see you in the shop and talk about the reclaimed barn wood project you've been envisioning!
