Meet Brian Daigneault | Owner and Woodworker (Shoutout Arizona)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Daigneault and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I first started taking on small jobs since i was the son of a Cabinet Maker and Contractor. Everyone knew that I had worked for my dad for a long time and was getting good at woodworking. My dad was always bit to busy for smaller jobs so i started taking those on when things were slow for his company. The more jobs i completed the more word spread around and the more jobs i got. It got to the point where i was a bit to busy with these side jobs where I took work off from my dad to finish them. My dad saw this and was always very understanding and excited for me to learn more about business. After a year or so of this I was able to go onto my own fully and rent part of our woodshop and use the saws.

My thought process of going on my own and starting a business was to have more freedom of when i wanted to work and how much money i wanted to make. If you work hard enough at your own business there is no limit to how much money you can make! This concept was exciting to me since i did enjoy working very hard for a few months then taking a month or two off to travel.

The other exciting part of starting a business was the ability to learn so much more about other industries and ways to do things then how my dads business worked. After so long most of his Home Remodel Jobs felt the same and to me got a bit boring. Being able to take on new and exciting projects made my wood working and business knowledge elevate fast and teach me many new skills.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My business, in the beginning, was a niche I would say. I was doing custom vehicle conversions of any kind which not many people were doing especially not in my area. It was fun, exciting, and a lot of learning in each and every job. Some jobs were a breeze and others quite the headache, it depended on the customer, deadlines, and sometimes my mistakes along the way. The harder jobs always taught me the most for sure, and looking back I probably wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some of the predicaments I had to overcome were scheduling, quoting, and material availability. The tough part about the scheduling would be if a project ran a bit longer than expected for a number of reasons like I messed up and had to redo something or a customer added more work during the job. I luckily had worked with my dad for long enough to be pretty good at quoting a job, but still had a few troubles here and there. Some being when materials went up in price that i did not know about. The availability of these materials was pretty easy until the pandemic, during then i had to spend more time sourcing the right electricial, hardware, and definitely wood during the last few years.

The best part about having your own business is the ability to pivot anytime you want or when you see a new direction you think is smarter. This is my proudest achievement in my business. I was able to grow a following, create a name people recognized and when i simplified the business i had success immediately. The pivot i made was from building one custom vehicle at a time to then create a website with diy plans of my designs, selling the hardware to help people who can build there own ideas, and my newest product the PreCut Kits.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When I have friends come visit my hometown and area of Huntington Beach, Ca, USA i try to show them a few different perspectives. Since i previously mentioned i traveled a lot and was able to make many friends from around the world!

When friends come to town to stay I also take them to my local beach and favorite restaurants. Most of my friends are surfers or action sports people and Southern California is full of fun places to go to do that. From the many surf breaks nearby, the local mountain bike trails, and I have even taken friends to the local mountains in Big Bear to snowboard. A few times we have also crossed the border into Baja, Mexico.

I think USA and Southern California are very well known from movies but i enjoy when my friends say after a stay with me that i was able to show them things they did not know about or wasn’t expecting after seeing and knowing so much about our part of the world.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would say my Dad for sure, Marc. Being able to work with and for him was the most amazing way to learn the business. He is a very understanding, fair, and a honest businessman. This time spent with his company working one on one with the customer was key to knowing how to navigate some situations i have been in with my own company. Also the way he thinks about certain problems that arise throughout a job and looks at them from many angles before making the best decision for the job and customers’ interest. Another would be my girlfriend she has had many jobs and also worked for her dads business in the metal fabricating world. She always has a great perspective on an issue im working through, and more recently helping with branding and marketing.

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