Hi! We are Ali and Derek. A couple of years ago, we were set up by a mutual friend, and now, as newlyweds, we decided to start a business together. With Derek’s love of woodworking and Ali’s entrepreneurial spirit, Derek James Woodworking was born!
When we originally started this business in September 2021, we were both working full-time jobs. Derek was a civil engineer and Ali worked at a bank. The goal was to build up our business over the next couple of years to a point where we could transition Derek over to working the business in a full-time capacity.
A month into our business, we had a friend reach out to us about a custom build opportunity. They are building a large home and wanted to know if we would be interested in building all of the cabinets, vanities, and built-ins throughout the house. Our first reaction was that there was no way we could take that on and maybe even told them they were crazy. Luckily they were persistent and sent over the plans. After a solid look through the plans and talking through a few details, Derek felt confident he could do the job. So we put in a bid and we got the job! A few days later, he put in his notice at his engineering job and has been full-time woodworking for over a month.
We are really excited about this opportunity as it will allow us to not only expand our current offerings on our website, but will also provide more opportunities to take on custom work. We currently have a queue of several custom projects, but if you have something you would be interested in having us build for your home or for someone you love, let us know!
In the meantime, we will be posting updates on the custom projects we do, as well as other tips and tricks on proper board care. And if you don’t already - go follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more updates.