Photo by Burst

Originally Posted On: https://sketchlist.com/blog/woodworking-business-8-ways-use-design-software/

 

So you own your woodworking business!

You have the skills, the tools, the time, and the wood, but there’s one thing you may need: woodworking design software. Having the right woodworking software package can help you make your woodworking business as successful as possible.

Software tools like SketchList 3D can help you waste less material, save time, and optimize your processes. Read on to learn more about how the right software can help you grow your woodworking business.

1. Create Better Designs

One significant thing woodworking software can do is help you to create better designs. There’s only so much you can achieve when you’re sketching designs out on a piece of paper.  Now, look at the drawing of the wall shelf.

 

You might imagine a lot of the 3D projects in your head, but you can’t see how they work until you start cutting lumber.  And this is precisely where the software helps.

With woodworking software, design confusion is a thing of the past.  You can create models of all your designs and work out all of the kinks ahead of time. It’s also simple to play with extra embellishments or changes to see if that idea you have for your next piece of furniture will work.  Now, look at the model of that same wall storage unit.

2. Save on Materials

When you’re trying to run a woodworking business, using materials efficiently increases profits on a job.  Every cent you save on materials goes directly into your pocket as profit. Woodworking software can help you to use your materials more efficiently and save the maximum amount of money.

For one thing, design software saves you having to use materials to build mock-ups of your designs before you start on the real thing. You’ve already made sure the design will work, and you can go straight to the store and buy the materials. And you can also optimize your material layouts, so you wind up with as little waste as possible.

3. Optimize Your Process

The other major factor that goes into how much of a profit you turn is time management. If you’re wasting time building prototypes or adjusting your tools, that’s time lost. Woodworking software can help you optimize your process to work as efficiently as possible.

As you design in a program like SketchList 3D, you generate the cut list automatically.  It shows you every cut you’ll need to make. With this list in hand, you can figure out the most efficient way, in terms of both time and materials, to organize your process. And with your final designs in hand, you’ll spend less time repairing mistakes that come with any physical prototype.

4. Provide Clients with Mock-Ups

One of your big selling points with clients is the ability to show pictures of completed furniture. You can explain to someone all day long that you can make them a walnut desk, but until they see how beautiful that wood is for themselves, it won’t mean anything. The trouble is you need the final product to have pictures to help you sell the final product.

Software like SketchList 3D can provide you with photo-realistic images for your clients. You’ll show them just how beautiful their completed piece will be before you ever make the first cut. The images can also be a useful tool for collaborating with your clients on the exact designs they want for their piece.

5. Manage Your Projects

Beyond the actual work of designing and building projects, you need to be able to manage your projects. When your business starts picking up, it can be easy to over-book yourself and wind up with unhappy customers. It’s not good for your business to promise someone you can have a bookcase for them by next week.  Then you realize there is no way to finish that bookcase in a  week.

A good software program can help you manage your projects and make sure everything gets delivered on time. If you have multiple employees, you can delegate tasks and make sure everyone’s part gets done on schedule. And you can manage bookings months in advance if needed so you keep your business running steadily and your customers satisfied.

6. Handle Pricing and Billing

Calculating prices for your woodworking business can be tricky, to say the least. You need to take into account your materials costs and your time, and you still have to be able to turn a profit. But at the same time, you have to be able to quote what people are willing to pay.

The right software package can help you keep up with the time you spend on a project, the cost in materials, and any other costs associated with the project. You can use that to create reliable price estimates and then bill your customers after the item is delivered. You can keep up with things like partial payments up-front, so you always know how much your customers owe and who has yet to pay you.

7. Sell Finished Projects

Sometimes you may not be creating custom items to order. Especially around the holidays, it may be a good idea to create a stock of items like cutting boards and knife blocks that people can buy as gifts. But unless you plan on attending a lot of craft fairs, you need a place to sell those pre-made items.

An online store can provide you with a great platform to both sell your finished items and promote your custom work. You can set up a photo gallery and an e-commerce store that makes it easy for customers to contact you, order, and pay. And thanks to some new web design innovations, setting up an online store is more approachable than ever.

8. Grow Your Woodworking Business

Running a woodworking business leaves you with a lot of irons in the fire, and you can’t afford to make mistakes. The right software can help you grow your woodworking business, save money and time, and keep your customers happy. From design mock-ups to selling completed projects, software like SketchList 3D can become your true partner in business.

If you’d like to get started with the best woodworking software, check out the rest of our site at SketchList 3D. We provide fast, accurate, and simple woodworking software to help you create stunning designs for your custom woodworking business. Start your free trial today and discover the benefits SketchList 3D can bring to your business.