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THE PAST

In 2017 I started dabbling in leathercraft after being inspired by some of the tooled leather guitar straps of country and western singers. Over the next few years a made a handful of drinks coasters and wrist straps for friends and family as birthday and Christmas presents.

 

In 2018 I finally had enough courage to take on a larger project, the personalised WILDE leather guitar strap, which I proudly wear even to this day.

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In 2020 I started a dedicated Instagram account to show off my newest creations, which then quickly turned into a large catalogue on items. This is when I launched the WILDE'S LEATHERWORK online store.​ I also rented a workshop which helped me hone my skills and style as I then crafted a substantial amount of stock over the next 2 years.

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In 2022 I suddenly had to give up my workshop, which had become structurally unsound and a safety hazard due to an extreme leak, mould and other safety issues, luckily nothing was damaged. For 2 years I was without a dedicated workshop and temporarily unable to create any more items, however due to my past hoarding of stock and low initial sales I managed to keep the website up and running and fulfill sales and orders as normal.

In 2023 i lost all confidence I had with my business. Friends and family saying they loved my work, yet no sales coming in. I decided to give it all up. I ran a CLOSING DOWN sale, yet I was still unable to get rid of a single items. To be honest, this humoured me. As i felt like I couldn't even SHUT DOWN my failing business correctly. I hit rock bottom, and it's true, if you hit it hard enough, you bounce back.

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In 2024 my struggle to make ends meet inspired me and gave me the motivation to look further into the dynamics of my business and the lack of sales. Just like I studied leather a few years prior, i now found myself studying business, sales, and marketing, something which I had neglected and shied away from in the past. My grandad also passed around this time. He was a really big fan of my work and always impressed with the items I showed him. I got passed down one of his leather belts he wore for 30 years prior, before that I didn't realise how powerful heritage could be and the importance of long-lasting items.

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THE PRESENT

It's now 2025 and I now have a workshop again! Although the workshop is private, I'm able to do custom orders, create orders in bulk and even do some filming and video. Even in the past year, I feel like I have come a long way. I know i'll carry on this trajectory. I'm putting in the hard work, and it WILL pay off.

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THE FUTURE?

The plan for the future is to re-home my workshop, build up sales so I can hire a small team of content creators, sales marketers and more, who can help with bringing affording handmade leather items to the general public. I would love to work with other local businesses and creators to help support the local economy and help reverse the diminished interest in independent businesses.

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That's my story up to now, however it will not be the end...

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Thanks for reading and take care,

Geoff