Alexander Wikström: Wikström interiors

The Woodpreneur Podcast

Today on the Podcast we are thrilled to get a chance to catch up with Alexander Wikstrom of Wikstrom Interior. Alexander is based out of Sweden and has been in business now for seven years as a woodworker, authorized tool and product reseller and workshop owner.

What was the spark for the business?

It all started when Alexander’s wife saw a picture of a table online. The pair was in the middle of doing some home renovations and Alexander knew he had some spare construction wood laying around. After some time in the basement, he had created an admittedly rough around the edges table, but a table non the less. Eventually, they sold the piece and the idea of furniture creation began to take shape.

Alexander spent about two years building tables in the basement while juggling a young family and full-time office job. Eventually, the waitlist for his tables was about a year-long and he knew that he was going to need to make a decision. Fortunately, he decided to build a workshop and started his own business, Wikstrom Interiors was born.

“It was a lot to do, two full-time jobs, two kids and building a woodshop for the first time.”

The Business Basics

In terms of tools, Alexander has a bandsaw, hand tools and a kiln but he intends to build a bigger one this year. He has a lot of wood that needs to be dried so the kiln expansion is important, but overall he is happy with his investments.

In terms of business and marketing struggles, Alexander said he would love some advice on how to portray value to customers. Trying to get them to understand exactly what they are paying for and why the price reflects the quality.

Steve’s advice is to consider current brands that offer high-quality products and look at their marketing strategies. As an example, a high-quality clothing brand that releases infographics and transparent reports about the cost of their goods. Steve also suggests that Alexander add a voice to his brand and speak about the importance of quality and why what he offers is better than the cheap options.

“The thing is nobody adds the voice. So the people who do add the voice they are the ones that are winning. If this is your craft and you’re dedicated to it, you add your face [and voice] to it.”

In terms of advice he would give to the woodpreneur community, Alexander says:

“Never give up, always pursue.”

That’s the main thing with woodworking. You can get a lot of trouble on the way, with every table you’ll probably encounter some kind of problem, so never give up, keep going until it’s finished.

Instagram: @wikstrominteriorsnickeri