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What can a sharpening business offer your family beyond simply making a living?

In this episode, I sit down with Doc Marlow of M&M Professional Sharpening in Kansas City to talk about bringing family into the sharpening business. Doc shares the story of taking his 12-year-old daughter through professional shear and clipper blade training, teaching his other daughter to sharpen knives, and putting his kids to work helping with customers at sharpening events.

We talk about giving kids the opportunity to earn good money while learning a valuable skill, without creating an expectation that they have to follow in their parents' footsteps. I also share some of my own thoughts about employing my kids in the sharpening shop, using earned income to begin funding Roth IRAs at a young age, and turning a small family business into a tool for long-term wealth building.

We also get into the many ways a spouse or kids can contribute without ever touching a sharpening machine—from customer service and bookkeeping to running the front of the house at markets and events.

Doc also shares what happens when a sharpening business becomes busier than you ever intended, including the value of good training, building a reputation, raising prices, and designing a business that still fits the life you actually want to live.

A great conversation about sharpening, entrepreneurship, raising kids around a small business, and creating opportunities for the people you care about.

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Greg Reichmann of The Polished Edge joins me to talk about something that almost every sharpening business struggles with: charging enough.

Greg started sharpening as a side business while working full-time as a mortgage loan officer. Today he has built a thriving reputation in Connecticut, earned more than 160 five-star Google reviews, and recently made a simple change that dramatically increased his revenue without working more hours.

In this conversation we discuss:

• How Greg built his sharpening business from scratch
• Why he decided to raise his prices
• Premium pricing versus the race to the bottom
• Building a retirement business you enjoy
• Google reviews and local SEO that consistently bring in customers
• Why helping your competitors can actually strengthen the entire industry
• Farmers markets, restoration work, and finding profitable niches
• Creating a business that grows with you for decades

If you've ever struggled with raising your prices this episode is for you.

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In this update, I take you behind the scenes in my sharpening shop while working through a batch of commercial kitchen knives and sharing what's happening inside the Guild of Professional Sharpeners.

In this video you'll hear about:

• Recent Guild group call discussions on scissor sharpening, vendor accounts, Twice As Sharp wheels, and dry ride line systems
• What we learned during our lead detection presentation with Eric from DetectLead
• Upcoming guest speakers, office hours, and future Guild events
• My upcoming podcast with Greg Reichman on how to make more money doing what you already do
• Why demand for professional sharpeners continues to increase
• How I'm growing The American Edge through knife and accessory sales
• A look at my current workflow for restaurant knives, serrations, scissors, and packaging finished orders
• Some closing thoughts on building a sharpening business with intention and staying focused on what really matters

If you're interested in starting a sharpening business, improving your sharpening skills, or connecting with a community of professional sharpeners, I'd love to have you join us.

🔗 Guild of Professional Sharpeners
https://guildofsharpeners.org

🎙️ Knife and Tool Sharpening Podcast

🔪 The American Edge
https://americanedgesharpening.com

If you enjoyed the video, please consider subscribing and leave a comment letting me know what topics you'd like to see covered in a future episode.

Stay sharp!