I want to make money (Forestry &Timber industry)

[Johann21]

Hello Guys,

I am new to this forum and I joined it to exchange with you guys.
Recently I finished college and started to look for a job. But I cant do this boring jobs and applications.
I want to make money and dont be stuck in the slow lane. I would like to set up a company.
I want to provide some value for my customer and I want to make money to provide for my family, for my employees, for the citizens in my country and so on.

So what does my situation looks like?

• I have a Degree in Forestry and Timber industry
• I have about 100k in savings.
• No kids at the moment, but we want to get some soon (good motivator though).
• Living in a rented flat.
• No incoming right now.

Where do I see me in the business world?

• I will not go for the further processing of raw wood into wood-based materials simply because its time consuming and needs a lot of money and manpower to get this thing going.
• I see me more in the section where I add value to a finished wood-based material or where I digitise a process in this industry.
• I want to sell my products mainly to companies or to the government because I think they have the most money.
• I could imagine providing something for the timber construction, furniture making, transporting section or even the military or the coffin business.
• Starting a timber construction company would be not that easy in my country (working some years in this field, then you need to do a time-consuming exam)
• I also could imagine I could do something in the direction of “Aesthetics”, since I enjoy the beauty of a good designed house, garden, furniture, kitchen and so on.
• Maybe health or cosmetic products witch made out of wood extractives are an option too.
• I need to like the idea so working doesnt feel like working so I can do it all day (if you know what I mean).
• Important for me is that my business should be scalable (at least in the long run)

Next steps:

• Find the business idea that fits for my customers and me.
• Research how to identify components that need to be optimised.

Whats your idea about it?
Do you guys know a Fastlane in the Forest/Wood Industry?

 

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[Johann21]

What are challenges in the forestry and wood industry?

• Saving resources (wood, gluce, heat, water...) => sustainability
• Decline in the labour force (hello digitisation)
• Mass customization
• Reduced land area for the forestry (EU may plan the decommission of forest area) => more intensive utilisation of the remaining areas and thus production of high-quality wood (there may be less wood for partical boards, for example)
• A change in the choice of tree species from softwood to hardwood in dry areas

 

[Johann21]

Where is the world heading?

• We will see an increase in digitisation & automation (IT), sustainability, resource efficiency because more and more countries want to lift up their affluence. Every wants to have a house, drive a car, fly to holiday, heat their homes. So more and more ressources are needed and result in increased prices which leads to an increased need for a reduction of ressources (if we want to keep our wealth).
• Generally we will see more digitisation & automation, see self driving cars, parcel shipping roboter etc.
• Health car, especially care for the elderly
• Workforce decrease
• Digital entertainment/ lifestyle (but also a reverse trend)
• Sustainable energy production
• ...

 

[EngineerThis]

Hello Guys,

I am new to this forum and I joined it to exchange with you guys.
Recently I finished college and started to look for a job. But I cant do this boring jobs and applications.
I want to make money and dont be stuck in the slow lane. I would like to set up a company.
I want to provide some value for my customer and I want to make money to provide for my family, for my employees, for the citizens in my country and so on.

So what does my situation looks like?

• I have a Degree in Forestry and Timber industry
• I have about 100k in savings.
• No kids at the moment, but we want to get some soon (good motivator though).
• Living in a rented flat.
• No incoming right now.

Where do I see me in the business world?

• I will not go for the further processing of raw wood into wood-based materials simply because its time consuming and needs a lot of money and manpower to get this thing going.
• I see me more in the section where I add value to a finished wood-based material or where I digitise a process in this industry.
• I want to sell my products mainly to companies or to the government because I think they have the most money.
• I could imagine providing something for the timber construction, furniture making, transporting section or even the military or the coffin business.
• Starting a timber construction company would be not that easy in my country (working some years in this field, then you need to do a time-consuming exam)
• I also could imagine I could do something in the direction of “Aesthetics”, since I enjoy the beauty of a good designed house, garden, furniture, kitchen and so on.
• Maybe health or cosmetic products witch made out of wood extractives are an option too.
• I need to like the idea so working doesnt feel like working so I can do it all day (if you know what I mean).
• Important for me is that my business should be scalable (at least in the long run)

Next steps:

• Find the business idea that fits for my customers and me.
• Research how to identify components that need to be optimised.

Whats your idea about it?
Do you guys know a Fastlane in the Forest/Wood Industry?

Who do you want to help? Think about that first…
For example, curated blocks of wood, delivered in a monthly gift box subscription to hobby knife makers for beautiful knife handles..
Or
Blocks of wood + carving instructions in a subscription for Boy Scouts learning to carve/widdle
Or
Partner with a furniture designer and build sell to eco and artistic minded apartment dwellers? (Maybe rent it to furnish?) with your lumber you provide.. Vertical integration style…
Or
Video training course on understanding wood grains, and how to pick lumber for furniture for the hobbyist craftsman

Cheers

 

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[Johann21]

So what could I do?

• Log trade
• Log transport
• Logging companies (harvesters, forwarders?)
• Services for forest owners (forest management, reforestation, labelling, surveying boundaries, support with subsidies...)
• Furniture manufacturing (tables, armchairs, cabinets, partitions, ...)
• Maintenance and setting of coatings for wooden houses and terraces, etc.
• Production of wooden floors
• Production of pellets
• Production of firewood
• Purchase of waste wood, subsequent sorting and resale
• Laying and maintenance of wooden floors
• Production of wooden jewellery
• Production of art (wooden family tree for the wall)
• Digitisation solutions (cutting optimisation, weight determination using photos, loading sequence of components, determination of formaldehyde content, ...)
• Expertise for pest infestation
• Pest control
• Writing a book (about wood, forest, possibly for children?)
• Manufacture of PC accessories from wood
• Gardening company
• Expert for living trees (health, stability)
• Mushroom cultivation
• Modular house
• 3D printing of houses
• Laser cutting of wood
• Production of glulam
• Production of laminated veneer lumber or other veneer products (e.g. armchairs)
• Products for hygienic use (wood is antibacterial), extraction of antibacterial substances
• Production of food supplements from wood extracts
• Production of cosmetic products from wood extractives
• Production of camping shelters
• Use knots from finger-jointing for extraction of materials
• Extension of houses with wood
• Fish farming
• Biodegradable fishing accessories
• Determining and extracting extracts from Swiss stone pine wood for more peaceful sleep and selling them as a fragrance
• Offer courses on wood, forest plants, mushrooms, etc.
• Façade element made from bark
• Improving the eco-balance of products
• Lightweight wall elements for vehicle construction (trains, cars, aeroplanes, etc.)
• Greening facades
• Reducing heat in cities through customised façade elements
• Automated production of customised kitchens
• Children's toys
• Cutting boards
• Patio material and patio construction
• Garden furniture
• Forest education
• Picture frames
• Hire of mobile sawmill and other woodworking machinery
• Online exchange for trading in wood
• Packaging material (crates for wine, for example)
• Customised pallet production
• Garden shed kit
• Tree house kit
• Tree house hire (tourism)
• Production of wooden sculptures
• Production of saunas
• Production of handles
• Manufacture of wooden bedside lamps
• Production of doors and windows
• Production of a refrigerator from sustainable natural components
• Production of wooden cooking spoons, shovels etc.
• Production of wooden snow shovels
• Production of wooden ballpoint pens

 

[Johann21]

Who do you want to help? Think about that first…
For example, curated blocks of wood, delivered in a monthly gift box subscription to hobby knife makers for beautiful knife handles..
Or
Blocks of wood + carving instructions in a subscription for Boy Scouts learning to carve/widdle
Or
Partner with a furniture designer and build sell it with your lumber you provide.. Vertical integration style…
Or
Video training course on understanding wood grains, and how to pick lumber for furniture for the hobbyist craftsman

Cheers

Thanks for the great input I will try this next.

 

[The Sandman]

Where are you? I'm in the western U.S. and wood products is a very mature industry that has been contracting for quite a while. Growth has been in the south-east. Need will be highly location dependent.

 

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[Johann21]

Where are you? I'm in the western U.S. and wood products is a very mature industry that has been contracting for quite a while. Growth has been in the south-east. Need will be highly location dependent.

I am from Austria. Similar situation here but not for the whole sektor. CLT is still increasing for example.

 

[Guest6x3pod4]

Personally my ears. perked up when you said furniture! Take my wife. Wife see's trendy ad on instagram, wife spends $4600 on couch. Couch comes direct from China factory 2 months later. Husband realizes he just paid $4600 for what was basically a "drop shipped" couch.
My point is, furniture is scaleable and you can develop a manufacturing system that free's your time to work on your business! Furthermore, if you brand well, the margins can be wonderful!
As far as doing what you love... don't work with wood too much soon you will hate what you once loved. Focus on the vision not the details. Build killer systems!

 

[Johann21]

Personally my ears. perked up when you said furniture! Take my wife. Wife see's trendy ad on instagram, wife spends $4600 on couch. Couch comes direct from China factory 2 months later. Husband realizes he just paid $4600 for what was basically a "drop shipped" couch.
My point is, furniture is scaleable and you can develop a manufacturing system that free's your time to work on your business! Furthermore, if you brand well, the margins can be wonderful!
As far as doing what you love... don't work with wood too much soon you will hate what you once loved. Focus on the vision not the details. Build killer systems!

Thanks man. I was thinking about your post the last days and I will keep it in mind even longer.

 

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