Millionaire University How Alex Forbes Took His Love of Woodworking and Created a Seven-Figure Cabinetry Business (MU Classic)
May 23, 2025
Alex Forbes, the founder of Lane 17 Cabinet Co., transformed a frustrating corporate real estate career into a thriving seven-figure custom cabinetry business inspired by his woodworking hobby. He shares his motivations for making the leap and the pivotal challenges he faced, including navigating growth during the pandemic. Alex discusses the evolution of his pricing strategies, effective marketing, and how he's scaled nationally by emphasizing customer experience. His journey is a testament to the power of taking action and learning from failures in entrepreneurship.
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Hobby Sparks Business
- Alex started woodworking by making furniture from pallets he found around buildings.
- His hobby attracted attention, leading to initial commissions that sparked his business journey.
From Real Estate to Cutting Boards
- Alex dove headfirst into woodworking full-time after growing unhappy in real estate.
- He started in his mom's garage, making cutting boards and selling to friends and family to learn the craft and business basics.
Scaling and Pivoting Business
- Alex expanded from cutting boards to furniture and then to a 5,000 sq ft leased shop despite low sales.
- The furniture business taught them valuable lessons but didn't scale well, leading to a pivot to cabinetry.