Guest

My name's Laura, I run Allied Woodshop. We're a collective woodshop. We are home to about eight furniture makers who make their living making furniture in the shop here. And we also teach woodworking classes. Most people think I make my living making furniture, but most of my time is spent managing Allied Woodshop. My whole family has this ethic of working with their hands and being able to do things for themselves. And that's something that I grew up with and I saw, and it's not something that I had in my jobs. I was finding myself in jobs where I was behind computers, I was on the phone. I thought the work was very important, but, at the end of the day, I wasn't very happy with how my time was spent during the day. And so I eventually took a year off, moved up to Northern California. Went to the Krenov School. It's a year-long certificate program on furniture making. That's kind of how I got into woodworking. It's something that keeps me feeling like I'm connected to my family and my roots. So be introspective, and do some soul-searching and think about what your strengths are, what it is that you love to do, and figure out if there's a way to turn that into your career path. 

Know your strengths and weaknesses. Assess what you've liked and disliked about your past jobs. Be honest with yourself. Be very, brutally honest with yourself. Then consider what path you'd like to pursue, and make sure that it's aligned with your strengths and passions. Surround yourself with people who will complement your strengths and weaknesses. Seek input from people with experience in your desired field. Be prepared to work very hard.

I started out working in climate change policy but was unfulfilled in that line of work. I eventually started making the gradual transition towards opening Allied Woodshop. I was still balancing my full-time job while trying to get the shop started.

I've heard comments like I am not capable of doing this kind of work because I am a woman or how can a woman know how to use tools. I've never really let this kind of negativity bother me.

I've always loved to learn and be in the classroom. As a result of all of my schooling, I have a lot of student debt. I've always had to have a job in order to pay the bills, which was a challenge when trying to start Allied Woodshop.

The morning starts by answering emails and interacting with students and clients. I visit the shop to make sure everything is running smoothly. I might empty the dust collectors, purchase sandpaper, prep for an upcoming workshop, or handling shop visits from people who are interested in what we're doing. In addition to the daily work, running my own small business means that there's always a business, legal, or financial matters to deal with. I love the constant challenge.

Founder

You don't have what it takes to do this work.

Laura Zahn

About Laura

Laura Zahn

About Laura

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