Understand trade, then it will make you money
Tremaine van Aardt
CARPENTRY, a simple yet rewarding trade, has seen Nico Welsh, owner of Wood Worx in Korsten, expand his horizon to encompass the Northern Areas and the rest of PE.
He moved from his position as a government storeroom controller and started his own business of six years specialising in cabinets, doors and most things wood.
Welsh explained that the move was prompted by his love for handwork, and he wanted to improve his family life.
"I love all things manual. I started off in woodwork by making coffins and with time one learns more about the trade and you develop skills and techniques as you go along," he said.
"I wanted to start this business because I'd be doing what I love and at the same time be able to better provide for my family." Welsh said when it came to working with your hands you didn't have to be limited to a specific trade.
"If you are good with your hands, you are simply good with your hands.
"The beauty about working in the trade industry is that you are capable of a lot more than the trade you are involved in.
"It is simply a matter of time and dedication. If you want it badly enough, you will take the time to understand the trade because you were born with the ability," Welsh said.
Once you understood a particular trade, then only would you start to learn about it and eventually have the know-how to start your own business, which includes a whole set of new challenges, he said.
"One never stops learning a trade. I've been in woodwork for six years but I still learn new things daily. If you have the desire to become a carpenter, you're halfway there.
"Once you're ready, the hardest challenge in starting a business is definitely collecting capital. Then you have to be patient because at the beginning be sure that business will be slow. But eventually it all pays off," Welsh said.