When me and my wife initially decided to open our own business, we were filled with excitement. This beautiful blind enthusiasm seemed to be just boundless with every step forward, and was barely shunted when some sort of complication came about. It is absolutely amazing to me how much tenacity we mustered in the beginning.
Then Covid happened. Did I mention, I'm a registered respiratory therapist?
A little background. I'm a respiratory therapist by trade. My story is quite the divergence of the normal going to college story for healthcare. Most folks will attend a university or specifically focused school to get their degree then venture off into their career. I on the other hand....never chose this profession. I joined the Air Force in 2006 with solid ASVAB scores. For those who don't know what the ASVAB is, think of the SAT's for military entry. The higher you score, the "better" job you could get. Well, you guessed it. Cardiopulmonary Technology was chosen for me, so into respiratory I went. The training was brilliant. I felt like I could save lives. I feel like I honestly did. I had the privilege of serving with some of the brightest, gold-hearted, and absolutely heroic men and women on this planet. I got to serve on a CCATT team bringing wounded soldiers back from the theatre of war and brink of death for a second chance.
After I left the Air Force and went into the civilian workforce I slowly began to feel... off. That prestige and feeling of making a difference was just quite simply not there. I wasn't being asked for my opinion, I wasn't being utilized for my expertise that I had so painstakingly worked on, and I wasn't being fulfilled. I knew something was off, and it took me years of frustration for me to realize, that this was not only a career that I didn't pick, but not a career I saw myself in forever. We have discussed many things and tried many things, but as makers at heart, we knew we wanted to do something with our hands. Considering my wife worked retail, it was not a hard sell to convince her to leave and that we needed to do something. If you've ever worked retail, you know.
Back in high school I ended up taking wood shop one year and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. With a handful of simple tools and a plan, we gave the the concept of having an online store a trial run. TheMachCraftery was born. We used Etsy for our platform, made what we could, and tried our hand at bringing in some form of success. We didn't nearly break even on what we spent on tools and labor, but we managed to push a good amount of products in our first couple months. With some proper market research, tools, advertising, and knowledge, we set out to make what has now evolved into Mach Crafts. A giant weight has been lifted, and we are so, so glad to be on this venture. We would love for you to follow our journey.
Then Covid happened. Did I mention, I'm a registered respiratory therapist?
A little background. I'm a respiratory therapist by trade. My story is quite the divergence of the normal going to college story for healthcare. Most folks will attend a university or specifically focused school to get their degree then venture off into their career. I on the other hand....never chose this profession. I joined the Air Force in 2006 with solid ASVAB scores. For those who don't know what the ASVAB is, think of the SAT's for military entry. The higher you score, the "better" job you could get. Well, you guessed it. Cardiopulmonary Technology was chosen for me, so into respiratory I went. The training was brilliant. I felt like I could save lives. I feel like I honestly did. I had the privilege of serving with some of the brightest, gold-hearted, and absolutely heroic men and women on this planet. I got to serve on a CCATT team bringing wounded soldiers back from the theatre of war and brink of death for a second chance.
After I left the Air Force and went into the civilian workforce I slowly began to feel... off. That prestige and feeling of making a difference was just quite simply not there. I wasn't being asked for my opinion, I wasn't being utilized for my expertise that I had so painstakingly worked on, and I wasn't being fulfilled. I knew something was off, and it took me years of frustration for me to realize, that this was not only a career that I didn't pick, but not a career I saw myself in forever. We have discussed many things and tried many things, but as makers at heart, we knew we wanted to do something with our hands. Considering my wife worked retail, it was not a hard sell to convince her to leave and that we needed to do something. If you've ever worked retail, you know.
Back in high school I ended up taking wood shop one year and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. With a handful of simple tools and a plan, we gave the the concept of having an online store a trial run. TheMachCraftery was born. We used Etsy for our platform, made what we could, and tried our hand at bringing in some form of success. We didn't nearly break even on what we spent on tools and labor, but we managed to push a good amount of products in our first couple months. With some proper market research, tools, advertising, and knowledge, we set out to make what has now evolved into Mach Crafts. A giant weight has been lifted, and we are so, so glad to be on this venture. We would love for you to follow our journey.
You can find us on:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgvCrtPm9-kphAE4ziH-Ww
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/machcrafts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/machcrafts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@machcrafts
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgvCrtPm9-kphAE4ziH-Ww
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/machcrafts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/machcrafts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@machcrafts