Today we’d like to introduce you to Mathew Tammen.
Hi Mathew, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Great Blue Heron is a custom furniture business started in Texas by my dad, Fred Tammen. He started the business as a retirement project and grew it into a small company primarily selling through furniture stores. Dad was ready to quit in 2008 and asked me to take the business over as a side project to my regular job. I did, and we just kept growing slowly. In 2014, I had the opportunity to buy the factory-produced furniture. After purchasing the factory, I grew the business for 2 more years, then sold 50% of the business to grow again. We now produce about 18 seats (a sofa is 3 seats) of custom furniture per day. Our factory is located just north of Dallas, and we build custom upholstery and market it to high-end consumers throughout the country. My passion and strong suit in the business is designing and marketing our furniture pieces. Over the last few years, our business has been significant enough. My primary role is in new product design/development, marketing, and directly dealing with our largest customers on design projects for their homes, lodges, and ranches.
Let’s dig deeper into the story – has it been an easy path, and if not, what challenges have you overcome?
It could have been a smoother road. During the first several years of the business (before I bought the factory), I was juggling two careers and once and honestly only making a little money in either one. I was young enough that it did not matter, but it was certainly a lot of work for little reward and zero stability. After buying the factory, we constantly faced cash flow struggles, and for the first year or so, my main goal was to meet payroll. In addition to cash flow, as with any small business, we faced small hurtles that felt like emergencies (truck wrecks, ridiculous lead times from suppliers, employees quitting, etc.). I am thankful I never went into any long-term debt, even if it caused some personal financial struggles. Since selling half the business, I have had to learn how to play nice with a business partner, but I am so thankful for our strong business relationship. It has allowed me to step back into the role of my strong suit, furniture design.
I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Great Blue Heron Furniture?
www.greatblueheronfurniture.com, www.kingfisherfurniture.com. Custom built, made in Texas, ranch and lodge furniture. We specialize in custom-built upholstered furniture from ottomans to sectionals and work on projects of any size – from an accent chair in your home to corporate lodges for ski resorts. Launched Kingfisher in 2023 and plan on marketing for it in 2nd half of 2024. Think Restoration Hardware, but made in the USA.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Just be calm and honest with customers. We offer a fantastic product and are happy to stand behind our quality. We may not be able to meet everyone’s expectations from a pricing or lead time perspective, but it is OK to say “no.” Underpromise and overdeliver
Pricing:
- competitive pricing for custom built – made in USA – furniture
Contact Info:
- Website: www.greatblueheronfurniture.com AND www.kingfisherfurniture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatblueheronfurniture/?next=%2F
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathew-tammen-a9991433/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvtmaLgJP6MKD17CIU8Z84g
