Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Heun.
Daniel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been working with my hands since as long as I can remember. It’s in my genes – my Grandfather and uncle were both shop teachers, my father is a carpenter and can fix just about anything. So, as the years went by, I watched and learned as much as I could. Anything from learning how to change my own brakes on my truck, to re-wiring light fixtures at home, to building elaborate, custom home furniture.
Up until about a year ago, it was just a hobby. It started with being obsessed with LEGOs as a kid. Then, I begged my Dad to show me how to work with tools as a kid – and he would eventually start buying me my own tools for my birthday and Christmas. From there, it went like wildfire. I would just build or fix anything I could think of. Eventually, as I went to college, I would get into building cornhole boxes to make ends meet while I attended the College of Business at the University of Illinois where I graduated with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing.
The more I built, the more people would ask me if I could make something for them. At this point, it was just a hobby and a way to make a few extra bucks. As the years went by as a professional in the field of Marketing, I kept finding myself at companies related to the construction industry – Grainger, ITW Paslode, Turner Construction. That couldn’t have just been a coincidence… At some point, while living in a tiny apartment in Chicago with no space for my tools, I had an epiphany and decided it was time to get some space to pursue my passion for woodworking.
I started out using half of my friend’s garage (which rent included having to build her a farmhouse dining table). Then I started getting more project opportunities through word of mouth, so I rented a two-car garage in Humboldt Park. After six months of grinding out projects in a space with no heat, no bathroom, and no air conditioning – I realized that despite the awful conditions, I still could not wait to get to my workshop after my normal job as a marketing director for an architecture firm downtown.
So, with the support of my amazing girlfriend, who I had since moved in with, we both decided to rent out a 1,300 sf studio space for both my woodworking and her photography. This time, I did it right with heat, A/C and a bathroom! And I would officially open DMHwoodwork. And that brings me to where I am today – a marketing professional part-time, and a custom home furniture builder part-time.
Coming into 2018, DMHwoodwork will be making quite the plunge as I plan on taking this venture full-time as I continue to ramp up production. I’m pretty pumped.
Has it been a smooth road?
We all have our bumps in the road, but the key is to not dwell on it too much and to just figure out how to get past that bump and learn from it so you don’t hit it again. My bumps involve learning how to balance my work life, my personal life, and my new business life.
Balance, I have found, is the key to true personal and professional happiness. Staying busy, being productive, but still remembering to take time for yourself and your friends/family is crucially important.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Simply put, DMHwoodwork provides custom [almost] anything made of wood. Tables, beds, benches, desks, built-ins, doors – you name it! I specialize in great service and providing exactly what it is that the client wants. I work hard to help my clients imagine and visualize their project. I like to talk on the phone, send pictures back and forth, hand draw or computer generate sketches so everyone is on the same page.
Seeing the smile or hearing the “oohs and aahs” once the project is delivered is what I am most proud of. Seeing my clients truly happy, and getting more than what they pay for is why I do what I do. That, I think, is also what sets me apart from others. I truly care about who I work with and each project that I work on – at the end of the day, I like to call my clients my friends.
How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
Success is a state of mind. Some may define it by the bottom line, or specific growth in your company, or the amount of employees you have.
That is a great way to objectively define your personal success. But, when you really think about it – life is subjective. Everyone has their own thoughts, goals, ambitions, priorities, etc. So everyone’s success is defined differently. Sure, I have goals and milestones I aim to achieve.
I have a certain $ amount I strive for each quarter – but that is mostly to make sure I can keep doing what I am doing. But, my success is defined by my happiness and the happiness of my family. If I can keep building custom woodwork, support my family, and enjoy all that life has to offer – that is a success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DMHwoodwork.com
- Phone: 815.791.4506
- Email: dmhwoodwork@gmail.com
- Instagram: @DMHwoodwork
- Facebook: facebook.com/DMHwoodwork
- Twitter: @DMHwoodwork
Image Credit:
Jill Tiongco Photography
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