The blueprint for a successful business requires managing costs and funding issues, obtaining and retaining skilled labor, customer service and of course, a little creativity.

Presidential Interiors, Brooklyn, NY — “As a design/ build company, and not strictly a production house, we invested in our drafting and presentation capabilities,” says Jack Gold, principal, of the full-service woodworking and millwork company which produces libraries, home office, children’s furniture, entertainment centers and similar projects. “The presentation, and the ability to create a workflow ensures, through creative drafting, that what the customer orders and expects, is what is actually built. This allows us to be competitive by increasing the value of the service we are offering, and by reducing in-house mistakes and their costs,” he adds.

“In a market where we cannot dictate our cost of goods, we do our best to increase the value of the product and service that we offer. This justifies a higher selling price, and allows us to grow in-spite of the increase in raw material costs.”

MASTER PLANS

Casework Solutions LLC, New Century, KS
Increased productivity has enabled this commercial cabinets and fixtures company to grow its sales by 90% in 2010.”We work to keep our overhead very low so our customers are paying mainly for material and labor,” says Adam Hazelwood, partner.

Proof Sunglasses, Boise, ID
This sustainable wood sunglass company (iwantproof.com) received its launch thanks in part to KickStarter.com. The KickStarter program works by gathering money from private investors who contribute online to form a business funding pool. Proof donates a portion of it sales to non-profit organizations.

Estes Woodworks Inc.,  Cody, WY
Community and association involvement and national advertising, are among this custom cabinet and furniture firm’s strategies for obtaining skilled employees and also growing sales 7.8%, says President Steve Estes. Online advertising is also a marketing tool.

Foggy Bottom Woodworks LLC, Muscoda, WI
Owner Rick Tisdale cites improvements to the cabinet and millwork company’s incentive plan for helping motivate employees. The company grew 8.8% in 2010, and “our main focus now is to pay down existing debt,” Tisdale adds.