Good morning I’d like to start off by wishing you all healthy and safe days, these are trying times for us all.
Also want to say I am so thankful for the years I have been in business and been able to do what I love and thank everyone that has shown me love, encouraged me to do what I do and given me their business, thank you all very much.
Want to start off by giving you all a bit of my past, I started my biz with a hope and desire to just be able to buy a new tool maybe once a month here and there in 2007. Was 18 months before I had my very first sale. My first wife would say why are you always out in the shop late at night, in the sweltering heat doing what you do, no one is going to buy those wood crack pipes are you crazy. Well after 18 months someone did and then one sale led to another. At that time, I was working a full time 40 hour a week job cause that’s what paid the bills. I got a request from a great guy asking if I could make a vapor stem for the MZ and so I did. Got with MF and began making stems for them so that was how I got into the vape industry.
My wife stayed at home with my boys to care for them and I worked my 40-hour job coming home to do time with them before going out to the shop. Before I knew it, I was doing pretty good, bills were getting paid a little easier and I had enough money to buy a new shop and get closed in where I could have an AC and heater when needed. Woot woot I thought I was the shit. Was making more money yes but working even more. I would do 6am to 3p 5 days a week at the full time come home do a couple hours in the shop before coming in for dinner and time with the fam. I would try to get in bed about 8pm so I could get up at about midnight or 1am so I could get some hours in the shop before going off to the full time. On my days off I would do 10 to 12 hours a day on a good day. No matter what I was doing some aspect of work for the biz 7 days a week, come hell or high water I had to there was no other way. Hell, I love what I do so didn’t feel like work most of the time but other times it did but had to be done.
I was making new pieces for this and that working with new dealers getting wood in different places of the world thinking how cool is this to think all I wanted was a new table saw or maybe a new drill press and here I am getting my work out to places I never even would have imagined. I had a lot of great success and was still doing what I love but was working 16 to 20 hours a day on most losing sight of what should have meant more than doing what I love. TBH it took a long time to figure out it aint always about me and what I want and before I knew it I had sacrificed so much that I didn’t notice my first marriage was going to hell and was about to lose what I was working so hard to provide for. Working is what I do best, always has been doing what I am told and getting the job done, damn it that’s what I do and providing for my family was what I thought I was doing by putting money in the bank. There were other issues besides my workaholic nature that helped to end that marriage but working so much was what started that bridge to burning.
I have never been rich, nor do I ever want to be as I know that there would be a lot I would loose and have to sacrifice yet again. I have come to a point where I know what it takes to make it and what I need to do to get it done and most importantly not forget what I have and appreciate those still in my life.
Just because I am a business owner and have been doing it for a while doesn’t mean I am rolling in dough nor will I be wiping my butt with it when I run out of TP before long. I get by like so many out there. I get by from week to week praying I make it month to month. I must make $10-12K a month to stay on top of all the bills, pay for parts and keep the lights on. I am not working a full time 40 hour a week job as a backup and haven’t in a while. Ed's TnT is all I have if sales aren’t coming in nothing is going out and sooner rather than later stuff isn’t getting paid. Yeah, I get it my work isn’t cheap, I know that. If it’s a $40 stem a $300 vape package or what have you my work is the best, I can offer. Not just that but if you call my 1-800 # you don’t get an operator you get me if I hear the call come in and am not at the lathe but if I am I shut it down and answer every call. If you reach out to me here or there, FB or IG you get me you don’t get my assistant as if I even had one I don’t, you get me. Ed's TnT is not a huge corporation I don’t have a shipping dept. I don’t have a logistics team figuring out where and how to get pallets of goods out. Like I said I know my work is expensive for some as I don’t offer crap and don’t expect you to buy crap but you don’t just my work you get the best customer support as I can possibly give going beyond making it right no matter the cost. Last week I had a total of 3 orders worth as much as $150 all week, figure that’s way less than what I need in a normal week to stay afloat.
I understand these are troubling times for so many throughout the entire world and I hope and pray that my children nor I get sick gosh I pray that doesn’t happen. I pray that none I love get sick and pray that none of you all are affected by this situation that we are in. I totally get it people not wanting to spend any money at this moment hell I am not spending at this moment because I don’t have it to do so. These are crazy times and who knows how many days we have ahead of us. I have my fingers crossed, prayers going out and staying positive that we come out of this soon. I see the government going back and forth about passing the stimulus package having made no progress still. I am thinking about going for a small business loan to try and stay out of the hole and keep Ed's TnT going. I hope that’s even an option tbh.
Yeah, my work isn’t cheap, I am not paying a family of 4 $1 a day in a sweat shop to make my stems and vapes. I am not buying my titanium parts in India they are made by Americans here in the USA. I am not exploiting 3rd world countries buying their rare exotic woods by the pallet loads on the cheap. I work my butt off to do the right thing and do it ethically with pride and love so that others can love and enjoy what I do so much myself.
My dealers are just like me for the most part they are getting by just as I am and are feeling the hurt just as tough as I am. I am thankful for them and do my best to support them as best they have me. When I know they are having hard times and I can help I will hold off on their payments for wholesale orders to help them in their tough times. We all have our times in the ruts of life, and some take longer to get out of than others.
What I am getting at you all is that I just like yall are doing the best I can with what I am blessed to have and at the end of the day like a guy I know once said "You get what you give" so I give it my best in hopes that it comes back to me, if not I did what I know to be true and can feel good knowing so.
Being hold up in our homes and staying put if you find yourself needing to spend a dollar or two pls spend it with those that need it most the local peeps, the small business owner, the small vape dealers, the small vape makers, the restaurant down the street keep it local and lets be thankful for what we have and what we can do for those that may be going through tougher times than we are.
Also want to say I am so thankful for the years I have been in business and been able to do what I love and thank everyone that has shown me love, encouraged me to do what I do and given me their business, thank you all very much.
Want to start off by giving you all a bit of my past, I started my biz with a hope and desire to just be able to buy a new tool maybe once a month here and there in 2007. Was 18 months before I had my very first sale. My first wife would say why are you always out in the shop late at night, in the sweltering heat doing what you do, no one is going to buy those wood crack pipes are you crazy. Well after 18 months someone did and then one sale led to another. At that time, I was working a full time 40 hour a week job cause that’s what paid the bills. I got a request from a great guy asking if I could make a vapor stem for the MZ and so I did. Got with MF and began making stems for them so that was how I got into the vape industry.
My wife stayed at home with my boys to care for them and I worked my 40-hour job coming home to do time with them before going out to the shop. Before I knew it, I was doing pretty good, bills were getting paid a little easier and I had enough money to buy a new shop and get closed in where I could have an AC and heater when needed. Woot woot I thought I was the shit. Was making more money yes but working even more. I would do 6am to 3p 5 days a week at the full time come home do a couple hours in the shop before coming in for dinner and time with the fam. I would try to get in bed about 8pm so I could get up at about midnight or 1am so I could get some hours in the shop before going off to the full time. On my days off I would do 10 to 12 hours a day on a good day. No matter what I was doing some aspect of work for the biz 7 days a week, come hell or high water I had to there was no other way. Hell, I love what I do so didn’t feel like work most of the time but other times it did but had to be done.
I was making new pieces for this and that working with new dealers getting wood in different places of the world thinking how cool is this to think all I wanted was a new table saw or maybe a new drill press and here I am getting my work out to places I never even would have imagined. I had a lot of great success and was still doing what I love but was working 16 to 20 hours a day on most losing sight of what should have meant more than doing what I love. TBH it took a long time to figure out it aint always about me and what I want and before I knew it I had sacrificed so much that I didn’t notice my first marriage was going to hell and was about to lose what I was working so hard to provide for. Working is what I do best, always has been doing what I am told and getting the job done, damn it that’s what I do and providing for my family was what I thought I was doing by putting money in the bank. There were other issues besides my workaholic nature that helped to end that marriage but working so much was what started that bridge to burning.
I have never been rich, nor do I ever want to be as I know that there would be a lot I would loose and have to sacrifice yet again. I have come to a point where I know what it takes to make it and what I need to do to get it done and most importantly not forget what I have and appreciate those still in my life.
Just because I am a business owner and have been doing it for a while doesn’t mean I am rolling in dough nor will I be wiping my butt with it when I run out of TP before long. I get by like so many out there. I get by from week to week praying I make it month to month. I must make $10-12K a month to stay on top of all the bills, pay for parts and keep the lights on. I am not working a full time 40 hour a week job as a backup and haven’t in a while. Ed's TnT is all I have if sales aren’t coming in nothing is going out and sooner rather than later stuff isn’t getting paid. Yeah, I get it my work isn’t cheap, I know that. If it’s a $40 stem a $300 vape package or what have you my work is the best, I can offer. Not just that but if you call my 1-800 # you don’t get an operator you get me if I hear the call come in and am not at the lathe but if I am I shut it down and answer every call. If you reach out to me here or there, FB or IG you get me you don’t get my assistant as if I even had one I don’t, you get me. Ed's TnT is not a huge corporation I don’t have a shipping dept. I don’t have a logistics team figuring out where and how to get pallets of goods out. Like I said I know my work is expensive for some as I don’t offer crap and don’t expect you to buy crap but you don’t just my work you get the best customer support as I can possibly give going beyond making it right no matter the cost. Last week I had a total of 3 orders worth as much as $150 all week, figure that’s way less than what I need in a normal week to stay afloat.
I understand these are troubling times for so many throughout the entire world and I hope and pray that my children nor I get sick gosh I pray that doesn’t happen. I pray that none I love get sick and pray that none of you all are affected by this situation that we are in. I totally get it people not wanting to spend any money at this moment hell I am not spending at this moment because I don’t have it to do so. These are crazy times and who knows how many days we have ahead of us. I have my fingers crossed, prayers going out and staying positive that we come out of this soon. I see the government going back and forth about passing the stimulus package having made no progress still. I am thinking about going for a small business loan to try and stay out of the hole and keep Ed's TnT going. I hope that’s even an option tbh.
Yeah, my work isn’t cheap, I am not paying a family of 4 $1 a day in a sweat shop to make my stems and vapes. I am not buying my titanium parts in India they are made by Americans here in the USA. I am not exploiting 3rd world countries buying their rare exotic woods by the pallet loads on the cheap. I work my butt off to do the right thing and do it ethically with pride and love so that others can love and enjoy what I do so much myself.
My dealers are just like me for the most part they are getting by just as I am and are feeling the hurt just as tough as I am. I am thankful for them and do my best to support them as best they have me. When I know they are having hard times and I can help I will hold off on their payments for wholesale orders to help them in their tough times. We all have our times in the ruts of life, and some take longer to get out of than others.
What I am getting at you all is that I just like yall are doing the best I can with what I am blessed to have and at the end of the day like a guy I know once said "You get what you give" so I give it my best in hopes that it comes back to me, if not I did what I know to be true and can feel good knowing so.
Being hold up in our homes and staying put if you find yourself needing to spend a dollar or two pls spend it with those that need it most the local peeps, the small business owner, the small vape dealers, the small vape makers, the restaurant down the street keep it local and lets be thankful for what we have and what we can do for those that may be going through tougher times than we are.
