“I thought about quitting every other day, but I just kept kicking that cup”… -Aaron Watson, Fence Post

I really like Aaron Watsons songs, especially Fence Post. Not only do I like the story and message of perseverance and accomplishment of the American Dream, but I can relate a little to the rough start Aaron sings about.

I’ve been making knives for about 13 years to date, and have made some improvement. There’s no denying that my first, blacksmithed knives were UGLY! Then I learned about stock removal, good sanders, and little details. Significant improvement followed. Then, I decided to get creative. Stacked handles, pommel pieces, filework, and probably a dozen tiny little things crept into my work; and then I started hearing things at shows and other places:

“You’re stepping up your game!”

“I've never thought your knives were bad, but they've gotten a lot better!”

“You've really improved!”

And the final one: “You could probably charge a lot more for your knives.”

I typically responded to that one by saying something about needing to go from being a nobody to having a big name that lots of people recognized; then I could charge whatever I wanted for a knife.

The person I was talking with would usually shake their head and say something about being ready now. More often than not, that person would walk away without purchasing a knife, but at least they weren't complaining about high prices.

Recently I contacted the owner of a jewelry and knife store in Southern Utah, and asked him about the possibility of selling some knives in his shop on consignment. He had purchased an “Obsidian” knife from me a few months ago when I was passing through his town. He'd never seen a knife like it, and I was desperate to make a sale, so I let him have the knife for a pretty low price.

Fast forward a few months. After asking about selling knives through his store, the man told me he had room for 5-6 of my knives and told me to send some photos of the ones I was considering sending his way. I sent photos and prices, and gave him a call in a couple days to find out what he had to say.

He went into a 20 minute lecture where I could hardly get a word in edgewise. Essentially what he had to say was, “If you had a bigger name maybe you could charge the prices you're asking, but right now you're too expensive even for consignment at 50%. Maybe in 10 years you’ll be there.”

It wasn't much of a surprise, but it still wasn't any fun to hear. I tried to be respectful as the call ended, but in my mind I think, “If you’d shut up and listened for a few seconds you’d hear about cutting a steel horseshoe in half with one of my knives, of handmade fillet knives, of antler sheaths, unique handles, a bolo tie knife, and other things I've made that your suppliers probably don’t duplicate, and that your customers can't find anywhere else.”

But, I suppose in the long run my success doesn't depend on him any more than Aaron Watsons did on Nashville. After all, I don't need a jewelry store, I need “my faith, my fans, my friends, and my family”, and a whole lot of patience. I’m still grinding away, and I'll keep getting better.