Brad Bernhart is the founder of Earlywood Designs, and makes heirloom-quality wooden utensils in Red Lodge, Montana. 

Brad shares his journey from mechanical engineering to owning a thriving woodworking business. We talk about how he balanced dual careers, transitioned full-time into Earlywood, and handled explosive growth periods, including being featured on Oprah's favorite things list. 

Brad's engineering background and his fascination with systems & lean manufacturing laid the foundation for an awesome conversation about how things like warehouse design, product design, tooling, and SOPs can make huge impacts on the success of a business. He also shared his unique system for team member feedback, and how they're able to make hundreds of improvements in the shop every year while fostering team buy-in.

Outside of the business, Brad shares how he aims to lead a life of intention and had a very interesting perspective on achieving "balance" over different time horizons. Throughout this section we got to hear about the example he hopes to set for his children, the value he places on focusing on pursuits outside of work, the role international travel has played in his life, and even some of the books that have made a big impact on him.

This episode is a wonderful mix of actionable, in-the-weeds business discussion, as well as heartwarming and inspiring conversation about how to live a rewarding life.

Thank you for listening, and let us know what you think of the episode🧡

p.s. if you like our new Be Where Your Feet Are hats, we did a sneaky little release of them a week or two ago. you can find them here: https://www.theownersjournal.com/shop/p/be-where-your-feet-are-hats

Be Where Your Feet Are,

- Drew & Klay👣 

Follow Earlywood Designs at:

Website: https://www.earlywooddesigns.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earlywood_designs/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Earlywood

Show Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:20 Starting in Engineering

08:52 Travel Tales & Global Experiences

23:00 Transition to Earlywood

34:27 Lean Manufacturing & Process Optimization

40:15 Customer Feedback & Product Development

50:26 Recruiting & Team Culture

56:05 Creative Flow

59:13 Increased Demand & Growth

01:02:31 Impact of COVID-19 on Business

01:04:15 Lean Manufacturing & Stress Testing

01:13:28 Fix What Bugs Us

01:15:02 The Importance of Employee Buy-In and Trust

01:21:24 Balancing Work and Personal Life

01:28:23 Raising Entrepreneurial Kids

01:31:44 Reflecting on Success & Intentional Living

01:39:19 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

01:45:16 Defining Success & Future Goals

01:49:31 Conclusion & Final Thoughts

Follow the Owner's Journal at:
Website: https://www.theownersjournal.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ownersjournalpodcast/
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Follow Drew at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewkorf/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drew.korf

Follow Klay at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaptainklaytaylor/