Today we’d like to introduce you to Britton Byfield
Hi Britton, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2016, I was laid off from a tech marketing job. I had already been taking woodworking classes at ACC in the evenings, and once laid off, I decided to switch careers. I began making cutting boards, wooden utensils and other small things to sell for the holidays under the business name, Lucktone Woodshop, a nod to my dogs Lucky and Tony.
I realized that this could become a viable career. In January of 2017, I started working for Thoughtbarn, a design-build architecture firm in town. This is where I learned a lot of the skills of the trade – working alongside two really great guys, Conner Finn and Jimmy Rittenberry. I started building furniture and custom projects for people, ranging from booth builds for SXSW to live edge dining tables to cabinets. When the pandemic hit, I started working as a project manager for a homebuilding and remodeling company. While working there, I decided to pivot my own business to focus predominantly on cabinetry. After my daughter was born in 2022, I quit working for the homebuilder and focused on being a dad and running my business.
In the past 2 years, we’ve doubled business year over year and I now have 9 employees. We predominantly build cabinetry for residential projects, but also do commercial jobs. We also offer custom dovetail drawers and custom cabinet doors.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve been very fortunate with my business and its growth. Early on, I felt a sense of imposter syndrome. I was a young guy, building a business that’s predominantly been held by an older generation. I hadn’t apprenticed in someone’s established shop and I was embracing technology to help build my business. This included designing all of the cabinetry on the computer, and utilizing a CNC machine to do all of our part cutting.
With the quick growth, though, came growing pains. For so long, we were always just trying to keep up with the work without focusing on business development. As time has gone on, we’ve worked hard on creating repeatable processes with high standards. We have a long way to go, but we are making strides every day to get better at our work and build a strong business.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Lucktone Woodshop is a custom cabinetry business in Austin, Texas. We design, build and install all styles and types of cabinetry. We work with builders, designers, architects and homeowners alike. We also offer custom dovetail drawer boxes for other clients, along with custom cabinet doors, cut on our CNC.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lucktonewoodshop.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lucktonewoodshop
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lucktonewoodshop
Image Credits
Neato Creative
Keyes Office of Architecture
Aubrey Byfield
