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The Business of Knife Making A forum dedicated to all aspects of running, managing and legal operational issues relating to the custom knife making and custom knife selling industry.

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Old 09-16-2014, 08:55 AM
Andrew Garrett's Avatar
Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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Keeping Clients Happy

I don't think of my knifemaking pursuits as a business. Rather, it is a beloved hobby which occasionally puts a few dollars in my hand to replace the great many dollars spend supporting this and other activities. So, since people sometimes buy knives from me, I guess that is a business deal.

I recently sent a push dagger to Ukraine on a custom order. The client declined my first attempt when they saw the photos. That knife quickly found an owner. They reviewed the photos of my second attempt and enthusiastically accepted.

When the clients received the knife, they were pleased and displeased. It seems that it was exactly what they wanted, just too big. What they did not notice in the photos was scale. It seems that he wanted to wear it on his wrist. This fact was never accurately defined to me.

In the end, they liked the knife and elected to keep it, but it was not exactly what they wanted. They had kind words and only offered the criticism as a way to help me avoid such missteps in the future. I appreciated this.

Yet, I want my clients to be happy and get what they want, so I whipped up another much smaller push dagger of a slightly different design. This one is 1095 with a different and more industrial finish than the first. I used a thinner Kydex for the sheath, and hopefully, he will be able to wear it on his wrist. It's up to him to figure that out.

I value all my clients, especially the international type, so I will make this little guy a gift. They do not even know it's coming. Maybe they will give me a good reference.




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"Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions."
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Old 09-20-2014, 08:43 AM
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zappo zappo is offline
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Good business Andy, that will go a long way with your customer.


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Old 09-20-2014, 08:54 AM
Craig B. Craig B. is offline
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It's all about keeping the customer happy. I've seen it too many times in the gun industry. You walk into a local LGS and the guy behind the counter either doesn't give you the time of day or he's so grouchy you would have thought his dog had just died or something. These people usually don't last long in business unless they do stuff a little on the shady side or there just isn't any competition.

Good job! That attitude is needed much more in business today!


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1095, custom, dagger, design, gun, hand, hobby, kitchen, knife, knife making, knifemaking, knives, kydex, make, making, pattern, push dagger, scale, sheath


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