My father is one of the most amazing craftsmen that I know. He is a woodworker who specializes in making wooden toys for children. He makes everything from small spinning tops to large kids outdoor toys. The customers that he works with constantly tell him how much they appreciate the work that he does for their kids. And yet, my dad barely ever makes any money at his job.

The reason Dad doesn’t do so great with his career is because he absolutely refuses to market himself. He says that “word of mouth” is the only way that he’s willing to do business. This has gotten him far enough, I suppose. He’s able to make a living doing what he enjoys. However, he struggles to pay the bills and I sometimes wish that he’d accept a little bit of marketing help.

I know that with the right marketing he could make a lot of money. His products are good products. There’s definitely a market for his work. What I’ve learned from watching him is that it doesn’t matter how good you are at your job if you’re unwilling to attempt to capture your market. I don’t think that Dad’s ever going to change but I’m definitely trying to do things differently in my career.

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