Furniture Restoration Course at the Chippendale School

How to run a sustainable furniture business

Sustainability should be an essential part of any business plan. With the ongoing climate emergency, woodworkers and furniture makers should be joining in the collective effort to go greener – but sustainability is also about creating a business that will last while benefitting its community, staff and customers.  

Jamie Wemyss is a former Chippendale School student, and since graduating he has created JMW Furniture, a successful business with sustainability at its heart. We spoke to Jamie to find out how aspiring woodworkers and furniture business owners can craft the most sustainable business model.

Top schools for alternative education

It’s well-known that some conventional routes into education just aren’t right for everyone. If you’ve mostly enjoyed marching to the beat of your own drum rather than toeing the conventional lines, you might find yourself looking for alternative pathways to further and higher education.

How to change career in mid-life

Life’s unexpected twists and turns force us out of our comfort zones. Due to the current global health crisis, millions of people are left feeling like life is on hold through lockdown, furlough, and new-found home working.

If you’ve been spending recent days and weeks pondering what to do with your time and in the months after lockdown, a career change is likely to have crossed your mind.

Why successful furniture makers need woodworking AND business skills

For many of our students, setting up shop as a furniture maker is a long-held dream. Opening a workshop and making beautiful pieces of furniture for appreciative customers – what could be better?

While this is certainly a reality for a lot of our graduates, they didn’t become successful furniture makers through being great woodworkers alone. They also spent time developing business skills to help them bring their dreams into fruition.

Furniture-making and designing don’t require a university degree to achieve success

For many young people finishing school, it can seem like the only route to a successful and rewarding career is to go to university. However, while studying at university is the right choice for many, it isn’t for everyone and some young people may be looking for alternative routes into work after school.

How to market yourself the Chippendale way

Becoming a successful furniture maker is about more than woodworking skills and design talent. Marketing yourself is key to establishing a profitable furniture business.