Alex Forbes
@alexforbes__
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Built @lane17cabinetco from a 1 car garage to 7-figures. Systemizing to $10M | SMB & Ops Strategy | Dad + Family | General Aviation Aspirations
Cleveland, OH
Joined November 2021
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One of my favorite projects we've done.
A 100 yr old corner store just outside of Cleveland converted into a single family home.
Urban environment on the outside with a sea of white oak on the inside.
Normally, I'd consider this white oak overload but I think it works here.
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You go over to a friends house burger night.
It's you and your wife, the hosts, and 3 other couples.
You have a great time per usual.
The next morning, the host hits you with a $100 venmo request.
You don't mind chipping in but think it's a lot for burger night.
You're
Pay without question
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Don't pay
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Make fun of them for life
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I received a call today that stripped us of $300-500k in annual sales.
A $15M/year General Contractor in our area made a decision to bring cabinetry in house.
The owner called me, first time I had ever spoken directly with him.
Here’s what he told me…
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@collin_ruth89
This phenomenon happens where parts and labor to repair/replace stays the same but the value of the sum of parts goes down.
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If not, then maybe we’ll cross paths again down the road and I want him to have a great memory of how we handled this.
Moral of the story for young guns in sales and SMB (and my younger self), be authentic, add value, and play the long game.
People don’t fail. They quit.
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I put on my big boy pants and stopped doing major DIY projects in my house.
First contractor I needed was a drywall guy.
Got 2 quotes and went with the second guy.
Confirmed he could do the work Wed-Fri this week.
Texted him today now that we're inside 24 hrs.
He was sick
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Here is an all white oak kitchen we did a while back.
Yay or nay?
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I will report back on this later this year to see what comes of this altered relationship.
If you want to hear more about my pivots consider following
@alexforbes__
liking, and a share would be appreciated.
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Most people’s gut reaction is (as coined by Mr. Wonderful) “You’re dead to me.”
Instead, a more productive response is to continue finding ways to add value in the face of defeat.
It took me years to learn this in practice, but this is the secret to sales.
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The result of this call was that he wanted my opinion on what software and machines to acquire for his new venture.
We set up a meeting next week for him to visit our shop.
The plan is to impress the hell out of him and hope the other 50% of demands is up for grabs.
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Instead, be resourceful, be helpful, and recognize that the opportunity has pivoted, and exploit the new opportunity. All in real time.
If there isn’t an obvious pivot, stay the course as it’s great to have friends in the industry.
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Natural wood cabinetry is on trend right now.
What do you think of this combo?
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@BrighamHughes
No sense in making a deal. Either sell to somebody else or give it to him saying he can pay you once he gets things moving.
However, expect nothing.
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Headed home with a crispy 2023 Tundy today.
For everybody who wanted me to get a Sierra. My condolences.
P.S. This VIN was not on a part of the engine recall.
I’m ready to get a new truck.
I’ve narrowed it down to a Toyota Tundra or GMC Sierra.
These are the exact trucks I’m looking at.
Are you team Tundra or Sierra?
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“Alex, we may become somewhat of a competitor of yours. We’re building out a shop to produce 50% of our cabinetry demand in house as our current vendors can’t keep up.”
I replied with, “I completely understand, what can I do to help?”
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Is mowing your own lawn a poor man’s task or something to take pride in?
Having your lawn look like mine right now makes me look poor either way.
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Thoughts on waterfall countertops?
Are they still cool or becoming outdated?
Would you pay the premium to have this in your kitchen?
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I’m ready to get a new truck.
I’ve narrowed it down to a Toyota Tundra or GMC Sierra.
These are the exact trucks I’m looking at.
Are you team Tundra or Sierra?
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If you told your employees they could leave early for the day, would they?
A year ago, my team would have cut out early without hesitation.
Context: We work (4) 10 hr days M-Th and Thursday we do a deep clean of shop, offices, and bathroom.
We hit an awkward point between
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What does custom mean?
How about a false 3 drawer pantry cabinet that opens as a single door into a walk-in pantry?
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@skylarromines
I would agree with you. We get together a few times a month and we have a pretty large group with kids now. Does that change your if we typically go to the same 1-2 houses?
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My truck used to cost $35 to have washed. Now it’s $65 + tip at my local Waterway.
The do exterior, wheels and interior.
As a result, i’ve started washing it myself.
Which has me thinking…
Is washing your own car a poor man’s task or something to take pride in?
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My friends and family have paid me $105,000 over the last 5 years.
They all were buying/renovating their houses and I just so happened to have a business making cabinetry.
They could have bought cheap "off the shelf" cabinets but chose to pay more to support me at the time.
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I was just charged $375 for 30 minutes worth of work from a garage door company.
They removed a broken remote receiver on one of the overhead doors in the shop.
Is that normal?
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@TCF294
I can agree. We always have each other over and the venmos fly around but there is no way that grilling burgers at home was $400-500. 😂
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Here I was being told that we were likely not going to be awarded 300-500k/yr in business from a lead I was working on for 2 years as we were just getting projects underway with them.
I could have written them off immediately after the first sentence of the call.
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How many carpenters do you think are left in the country who can achieve this level of quality?
Erin Stetzer and her crew is a force to be reckoned with.
She is one of the most knowledgable and precision home builders I follow on social media (IG).
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We’re up in Maine this week visiting family.
I’ve been coming up here each summer for 30 years.
Most things are as they were in the 1960s when my Gramps bought the first camp and started a multi-generational family tradition and gathering place.
Now, there are 3 camps on the
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Be honest, when was the last time you went on a legitimate date with your spouse?
Not a trip to Costco.
A get dressed up, grab drinks before, and hit the town kind of date?
My wife and I realized it had been since before our daughter was born 14 months ago…
So I’m going to
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AMEX Bros.
Convince me why Amex is better than Chase Ink Premier?
What is so great about Amex?
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What light temperature should you go with in a basement?
My wife and I are choosing between 3000K and 3500K.
There isn’t any natural light in this space so does that mean we should go warmer or cooler?
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We have an opportunity to bid on the last Frank Lloyd Wright new construction home.
The client owns the original plans and spec book written by Frank himself.
As you can imagine, everything is super precise down to the parcel of land it could be built on.
The design is heavy
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Regarding DIY.
How many trips to Home Depot do you think you’ll make vs. how many trips you actually make?
I’m 6 weeks into a basement remodel.
I figured I’d go 3-5 times for different phases of the project.
I’m up to 12 so far…
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I need help.
How do you and your significant other decide on a movie when you never agree on movies?
I’m buckling up for another wasted Saturday scrolling endlessly for a movie and then just deciding to go to bed.
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If you’re broke, you live and die by DIY.
If you have money, you overpay for contractors.
Which one is worse?
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Would you cut this guy loose or give him another shot?
Some context…
We have a new-ish hire (8 weeks) who has had issues with showing up.
Legitimate personal issues like death in the family, car accident, sick, family problems, etc. keep popping up.
The problem is they
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What's your take on all white kitchens?
Or in this case, 90% white.
Are they lame or timeless?
This was a custom kitchen, bath, laundry package we delivered last year.
Framed inset, custom island legs, paneled appliances, secret pantry door.
Yay or nay?
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Let’s talk about this whole “in sickness and in health” thing.
As a happily married and healthy 31 y/o I never gave much thought to the sickness part.
I got shoulder surgery on Tuesday and just like that, I can hardly contribute anything while caring for our 1 y/o daughter,
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Some background to my journey.
Starting as a 1 man show in a 1 car garage making cutting boards.
And growing into a $1M+/yr custom cabinet shop.
Phase One: learn how to make stuff out of wood that people wanted to buy.
This was my first shop. 🧵
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@TJTheWheelDeal
Carpentry/woodworking!
Some background to my journey.
Starting as a 1 man show in a 1 car garage making cutting boards.
And growing into a $1M+/yr custom cabinet shop.
Phase One: learn how to make stuff out of wood that people wanted to buy.
This was my first shop. 🧵
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White oak has become king of cabinet trends in recent years.
Because of this, it’s nice to see some walnut roll through the shop for once.
Here is a modern kitchen & bath we wrapped up recently.
Do you like this combo or prefer all walnut or all paint instead?
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Everybody should have a 3D printer in a shop setting or in the trades.
The ability to dream up a new tool or jig to solve a problem and click print is a cheat code.
Yesterday we machined a new reeded pattern for cabinet doors.
We have a denibbing sander but they still need a
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I’m sitting in the driveway of a the largest project we’ve completed to date.
What started as an incredible opportunity to build $150k worth of cabinetry for a new construction home has turned into never ending rework and punch lists.
We took a risk by accepting the job to use
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Cole is the best cabinet maker we have.
Today Cole said that shop workflow is a nightmare and morale is at an all-time low.
Most business owners would be threatened or angered by that, which was my initial reaction.
I also worried he may leave.
Instead, I realized that he was
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Before cabinetry there was furniture.
I recognized that cutting boards weren't going to pay the bills and furniture was the future (so I told myself).
I had some capital to work with and went nuts buying used production equipment.
I needed a place to put these machines so I
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It’s now $31.65 for my wife and I to eat at chipotle.
Still worth it?
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@collin_ruth89
The smartest minds on the planet have tried to solve the problem but come up short time and time again.
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I’m attending a wedding today.
Do I wear my apple watch to set a daily steps PR (dance floor)…
OR
Wear my Gucci watch that goes with my suit?
Caveat:
- Apple watch has some minor paint overspray on it.
- Gucci watch has a dead battery.
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You have a choice.
Buy this 1800 sf house for $238k.
Work nights and weekends for 10 months to build the house of your dreams.
It will not be easy but will only cost you $35k for the entire renovation.
Or…
Pay a contractor $200k to do it in 2 months.
What’s your decision?
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In 10 years you’ll be able to make $100-200k/yr in the trades or manufacturing.
Skilled jobs have never been in higher demand but have the lowest supply of new people entering these industries.
Here is my prediction over the next decade. 🧵
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Repercussion of not hiring professionals.
Homeowner is managing his own project and didn’t address the 1.5” drop in the ceiling from front to back where the cabinetry lands.
This means the valance that trims the cabinets out to the ceiling gets a nasty scribe.
An unfortunate
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European cabinets rolling through the shop today.
Grain matched walnut fronts, grey laminate interior, and color matched metal drawer boxes.
Are you a fan of this style or prefer something more traditional?
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Update: He has to miss next Monday as well because of a court case.
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I would argue that scaling a custom cabinetry manufacturing business is in the top 10% of most difficult businesses to scale.
Over the last 4 weeks I've been thinking circles around where to take
@lane17cabinetco
over the next 12 months and beyond.
I keep coming back to one
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As somebody who is smack dab in the middle of $1-3M, this holds up.
It’s a grind to say the least.
Spread out to thin but not enough capital to rapidly expand.
Would anybody else be willing to speak on their experience while in this phase?
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A strange thing happened today.
One of our guys in the shop had been slacking over the last 3 months.
He had some personal things going on but ultimately seemed like he had lost the wind in his sails.
Simultaneously, we were getting busier and there was more pressure on the 4
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Everybody knows that systemizing your business is the key to scaling.
And they're right. However, it's a big fat catch 22.
When you're small, the owner needs to dive deep into the depths of their brain to uncover all the nuance to what they do.
Then, find an easy to
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This is your kitchen. The custom cabinets were free.
Are you happy with your kitchen?
What about if they were $20,000?
How about $50,000?
What if they were $85,000?
When are you tapping out to have this kitchen?
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My wife and I gave up. We will be calling contractors to wrap up mud and drywall work.
It sucks to give up after 80% but we keep chasing our tail.
After a full house renovation, and now almost finishing the basement, I think my DIY days are coming to an end.
Skim coating a ceiling is top 3 worst things I’ve ever done in my life.
We are texturing the basement ceilings tomorrow like normal people.
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I’m in the worst shape of my life and hiked up a mountain today with my daughter on my back.
She’s 30 lbs so that put my total weight hiking 4.5 miles with 1,500’ elevation change at 280 lbs.
The trail was 2.25 miles each way.
It was the most challenging physical activity I’ve
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I have been told by hundreds of AMEX fans on 𝕏 how lame Chase is.
However, I have 1.3M+ Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
If I wanted to switch to AMEX, would I have to cash out points and start fresh or is there some sort of credit card magic to get these to transfer over?
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Do you dig a 2-tone kitchen?
This was a project we recently completed nestled up against Lake Erie.
They have great views out of the back of the house with a ton of natural light.
Project highlights: Paneled appliances, pocket doors, and custom angled floating shelves.
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@gentoftech
Agree. Luckily we have an attendance policy and points system to lean on and he has exceeded the threshold.
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We’re bidding a $200k+ cabinet package for a new construction home.
We still have yet to hash out finer details with the designer like custom storage, lighting, etc.
I ask if he wants us to include an allowance like 3, maybe 5%.
He says, “Do whatever you think, I don’t even
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We have over $500k of equipment in our shop to produce cabinetry and we can hardly keep up.
I don't only look at dollars and cents when considering purchasing new equipment.
For example, our finisher, Shaun has been in the trades all his life and is only 42. He borderline has
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There has been a few questions regarding the attendance point system we use at our company.
It is inspired by an attendance accountability system at my wife's job.
Here is the breakdown:
- 4 pts: No call, no show
- 2 pts: Late call off (after 11pm night prior)
- 1 pt: Call off
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@RobertMSterling
That's pure strategy.
Maybe I'll start charging to go over their house next time. Going back for a get together this Saturday...
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If you get a quote from a contractor and they email you with a gmail, aol, yahoo, or any other email other than their company domain...
What is your initial reaction?
- Will produce great work
- Has no clue what they're doing
- Seasoned Veteran
- Rookie
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We ended up parting ways today.
No matter what leads to that decision, it never gets any easier.
One of the many tough aspects about SMB ownership.
Would you cut this guy loose or give him another shot?
Some context…
We have a new-ish hire (8 weeks) who has had issues with showing up.
Legitimate personal issues like death in the family, car accident, sick, family problems, etc. keep popping up.
The problem is they
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All I needed to hear was that flooring should run under cabinets. ✅
Flooring after cabinets is an install nightmare, high risk of damaging cabinets, and won’t finish out as nicely.
Completely backwards doing flooring last.
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Have you ever been a customer of another business and try to guess how much money they're making?
Well I just paid $7,628 for a sump pump installed in my basement with 65' of drain tile and I have a hunch their profit is healthy.
It took (2) guys 3 days to break up the floor
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Some background to my journey.
Starting as a 1 man show in a 1 car garage making cutting boards.
And growing into a $1M+/yr custom cabinet shop.
Phase One: learn how to make stuff out of wood that people wanted to buy.
This was my first shop. 🧵👇
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@carkerpox
I don’t think you can ever predict a run like Nvidia has had.
To catch the whole wave you have insane conviction to the point of delusion or get lucky and forget about the investment.
I think what he did was very smart and will continue building wealth for him overtime.
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If you’ve ever been curious how those trendy reeded doors are made.
- Resaw solid stock.
- Glue thin panel together.
- Laminate to 3/4” substrate.
- Sand.
- Machine reeded pattern (1 hr per panel)
- Cut out door panels.
- Door assembly.
This is what makes them $150/sf.
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When it comes to interior design and especially cabinetry.
Do you prefer more on trend/modern styles?
Or do you gravitate towards more traditional design elements?
Here is a recent kitchen and dining room built-in set we did.
What are your thoughts?
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You're renovating your home tomorrow. Full gut.
Are you going with a mix of cabinet styles and finishes or keeping it mostly the same vibe?
Here is a modern project we completed with predominantly flat panel white oak and a painted island.
Yay or nay?
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The scalloped coffee table is finally done.
Let’s break this down:
- Walnut: $250
- Stain & Supplies: $75
- Osmo Oil/Wax: $50
- Labor (excluding design): 24 hrs
At $100/hr I’d have to charge $2,775 for this custom 44”x44” coffee table.
This is why the custom furniture
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Within the next 6-12 months We'll have to spend $100k+ to move our cabinet shop into a new larger facility.
I've moved 3 times over the last 8 years. Each time into a larger shop with more equipment to accommodate.
It's exhausting.
We spent $40k to drop power to all machines
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A lot of people share the same frustration about poor communicating contractors.
Follow me
@alexforbes__
of how I operate my custom cabinetry business
@lane17cabinetco
in a complete opposite manner as most contractors.
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The shop is flowing these days.
Years of fine tuning beginning to pay off.
Here’s our flow of a cabinet box:
1. Cut
2. Band
3. Bore
4. Assemble
Hit me with any questions you have about our shop!
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